Red Racks Opens To Big Crowd & Community Debate In Creve Coeur

Red Racks, the thrift shop which benefits Disabled American Veterans, opened a new location in St. Louis Thursday at a high profile location on Olive Boulevard.

The location, in the former Walgreens drug store near the intersection of Olive and Graeser Road, has been the source of significant community dialogue over the past two years, first as a proposed Chick-fil-A restaurant failed to pass muster, and then, when city officials and some in the community panned the idea of a thrift shop because it would not generate sales tax and a concern that the store or otherwise fit the city's profile.

But Thursday, there was a line of people waiting to get in as soon as the ribbon cutting was over. Doug DePew, Red Racks' Missouri General Manager, said there was relief and excitement over the opening, even if the work of challenging what people might perceive "thrift" to be in 2013, continues.

"They're mainstream retail," DePew said of Red Racks stores. "It’s become acceptable and actually hip and cool to recycle to repurpose items,” he added, crediting reality TV shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars along with the rapper Macklemore's song Thrift Shop.

One customer Patch spoke to came from Vinita Terrace for the event. "It’s a lovely store," a woman named Laverne said. "They engineered the opening very nicely. They thought about just about everything." She's not big on being trendy, though, saying they come and go, while being thrifty is a way of life.

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Thrift shops came up in discussion at a recent meeting of Creve Coeur's Economic Development Commission, where some members cited the success of the National Council of Jewish Women Resale Shop, while others questioned if Red Racks and others will succeed when an improved economy ultimately leads to more expensive leases.

"Would I have liked personally to see something here that produces revenue for the community and for the Oive Graeser TDD, yeah and I’ve said that before," said Creve Coeur Mayor Barry Glantz after the ribbon-cutting. "But Red Racks is allowed here and so there isn’t a controversy. They’re more than welcome to operate in Creve Coeur. I wish them success."