A once sketchy area has turned into a creative mecca

by Kari Williams / Photography by Carmen Troesser

With a vision as ever-changing as glass being blown into a new creation, the Delmar Maker District is a two-decade old project that has caught fire in recent months.

“We’ve been hosting Third Friday events for 22 years,” says Doug Auer, co-owner of the district and Third Degree Glass Factory. “I think I’m still kind of waiting for my staff to recognize how different those Friday nights are going to be.”

St. Louis restauranteur Ben Poremba has helped stoke the flames with his plans to open five establishments in the district in 2024. In March, he opened Esca, his Mediterranean bar and grill, and plans to bring Florentin, Olio, Elaia and Nixta, to the mix as well. It was the “charm and sense of a sprouting community” that he says caught his eye.

“I was opening the deli just a block over and for the better part of three years, driving on Delmar every day,” he says. “I saw some kind of budding community that’s sprouting and …. liked the fact that there’s a lot of potential for expansion, a lot of vacant buildings, good architecture, and a mix of residential.”

His additions to the district will compose “the bulk” of the hospitality options, with each concept bringing a different vibe.

Nixta offers fine-dining Mexican cuisine but Poremba says a section of the concept has a “very casual component.” Elia brings “very fine dining” to the district and a spot to celebrate special occasions. Olia has a “super fun” aesthetic with a menu and hours that span daytime and nighttime. Florentin offers a largely vegetarian menu geared toward breakfast and lunch.

“I want to be able to transport people and give them an immersive experience,” Poremba says.

Auer and Jim McKelvey, entrepreneur and co-founder of Third Degree Glass Factory and the Delmar Maker District, have remained steadfast in their belief that the stretch of Delmar Avenue between Union and Kingshighway boulevards would become a valuable area and a connection between “those two vibrant hubs.”

Since first opening Third Degree Glass Factory at 5200 Delmar Boulevard in 2002, the space has evolved from a public-access glass studio where people can take classes and watch others work into a multipurpose site that now doubles as an event venue.

Following a celebration with the Third Degree Glass Factory team in 2017, Auer and McKelvey began buying buildings in the area.

First came MADE Makerspace in the former TechShop location at Cortex, followed by the Magic House’s MADE for Kids satellite location (sharing a building with MADE Makerspace) and Craft Alliance.

Then the restaurants (prior to Poremba’s involvement) — Steve’s Hot Dogs and The Fountain On Delmar, owned by HUSTL Hospitality Group, became part of Makers Locale alongside Alpha Brewing. Soft openings are anticipated this summer, according to Auer.

When McKelvey and Auer explained their vision of the Delmar Maker District as a gathering place, Danni Eickenhorst, CEO of HUSTL Hospitality Group, knew it was the right fit for her restaurants.

“These are people that really see an opportunity,” she says. “They’ve already taken action, and I really love partnering with people that see an opportunity to do something good then move it forward.”

As the district grows and attracts more attention, Poremba hopes to see more retail businesses alongside a mix of affordable and market rate housing.

“If we do this right, there is an opportunity to make it an inclusive community,” he says.

Steve’s Hotdogs, The Fountain at Delmar and Alpha Brewing were expected to open in late June.

Steve’s Hotdogs features an indoor tribute mural to the now-defunct concert venue Mississippi Nights, created by Mike Lorn, an instructor at Lutheran South High School.

At the Fountain On Delmar, artists Rusty Conklin and Lana Camp has depicted a “fully immersive art deco mural.”

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article inadvertently omitted Lana Camp as one of the artists of the mural. It has since been corrected.

Eickenhorst says The Makers Locale will be walkable, with a courtyard serving as a gathering place, reminiscent of the park at The Fountain’s current location. Items like ice cream martinis will also remain on the menu, but a suite of baked goods will be added.

There also will be a morning coffee program in coordination with Kaldi Coffee and a variety of programming at the outdoor space — which will have a partially heated patio.

Magic House

Distinct from its Victorian counterpart in Kirkwood, MADE for Kids (the Magic House’s satellite location on Delmar) has an aesthetic all of its own.

“The Magic House is designed to be a more whimsical kind of space,” Magic House President Beth Fitzgerald says. “MADE is a really cool space.”

Housed in a former car dealership but still featuring the Magic House’s recognizable colors, fonts and signage, MADE for Kids opened in 2019 with a focus on elementary- and middle-school aged children.

It zeroes in on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math) education. From sewing machines to 3D printers, laser cutters, 3D animation and game design, there’s more opportunity to work in technology, Fitzgerald says.

“The staff there are all artists,” Fitzgerald says. “They’re all interested in creativity themselves and their own lives are creating and making … [it’s] almost like an inspirational space.”

With the “adult-MADE space” on the lower level, MADE for Kids in the same building was a “really nice continuum.”

MADE for Kids has partnerships with several youth organizations in the area, including Big Brothers, Big Sisters, St. Louis Arc and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

MADE for Kids serves 45,000 visitors annually, according to Fitzgerald.

Admission is $6 per person for adults and children 1 year old or older. It also has a $3 after 3 p.m. promotion for regional residents.

Craft Alliance

The Craft Alliance, 5080 Delmar Boulevard, is for makers – by makers – featuring separate studios for different styles of art.

“We’re here to offer our community the opportunity to develop and really express themselves creatively through craft,” says Marschnee Strong, Craft Alliance’s development and communications director.

The alliance allows artists to rent studio space, offers classes and summer camps and regularly hosts Free Family Saturdays, school programming and exhibitions.

When Craft Alliance leadership began looking to move from its West Loop location, shifting into the Delmar Maker District “just made perfect sense,” according to Strong.

“Our having more space and increasing our capacity in that way has been a very exciting change for the community,” Strong says.

A select number of artists also participate in Craft Alliance’s Artists in Residence program. As part of the residency, they teach, take classes themselves, make art and are featured in Craft Alliance exhibitions.  The program, according to Strong, is just as beneficial for artists looking to get established in the community as it is for those who have been making art for years.

“This is a wonderful place that can be your home, your venue,” Strong says. “It really provides just opportunities for artists at different points in their [careers].”

During Third Fridays, the Craft Alliance shop is open after hours and patrons can purchase art and participate in demos and workshops, Strong says.

“You, as just the general public visiting the area, get to come in and actually create, and I think that that is just a huge draw for people to know that they get to be a part of the making of the art,” Strong says.

MADE Makerspace

MADE Makerspace is a place where members become friends with each other and the staff,” according to Rachel King, MADE’s membership director.

“We have that community aspect to it, which people need,” King says. “People need a community to feel like they belong somewhere, and MADE offers that too.”

A creative space for people 14 years old and older, MADE Makerspace offers training on “hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment.” A lot of MADE members run their businesses out of the makerspace, while others are retired or hobbyists, King says.

“It’s a great resource for the community, and the tools that we have that people will come hours away to use,” she says. “The closest makerspace that I know of in comparison to what we have is in Austin, Texas.”

Members can attend a dozen free classes each month – ranging from screen printing and woodshop to metal working and powder coating.

“I think the biggest thing is that there are tools and resources that you can’t find anywhere else,” King says.

For the first time, MADE Makerspace is offering a discounted summer family pass. For $300, an adult can bring two minors into the facility over the course of three months.

“We have noticed as a staff that there are a lot of options for younger kids in the summer and there’s not a lot for teens,” King says.

The goal, according to King, is to get them “off their phones and iPads” at a low cost, maybe even sparking an interest in the arts for a career or a side hustle.

The whole Delmar Maker District, according to King, has a community feel to it because of the connections with other businesses in the district.

“It’s a rare gem in the city,” King says.
Beyond Sweet

Those looking for a reservation-only experience can venture to Beyond Sweet Kitchen, 543 Delmar Boulevard.

Owned and operated by Dallas Holland, Beyond Sweet is a 4,800-square-foot, two-story establishment that features sweet treats, a full menu and bar and brunch on Sundays.