This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: October 5, 2008 - Bowood Farms and Cafe Osage, on Olive in the Central West End, prepare for fall with mums and pumpkins.
A bright, growing green spot is blossoming on the northern edge of the Central West End where a deep, rural Missouri heritage intersects with the grit of the city. In centuries past, the earliest Missourians used the wood from Osage orange trees to fashion hunting bows, giving rise to the term "bow wood." Many years later, a farm family near Clarksville, Mo., honored that Osage heritage by calling their spread "Bowood Farms."
That heritage continues at the city's version of Bowood Farms, the colorful retail nursery at 4605 Olive Street, at Washington Avenue, where John McPheeters, part urban pioneer and part nature conservationist, presides over a unique store that he thinks can be an anchor for continued development in the immediate area. His key interest in placing the nursery in the Central West End was simply that it did not have one.
"We were new to the Central West End, and really liked it, and saw that the city was under-served by this kind of retail," he said.
Such urban growth, said McPheeters, owner and general manager of Bowood Farms Inc., often springs from people who feel indebted to the "richness of experiences the city offers."
"As a citizen of the community, I think it is important to do this," he said.
"The city is crucial to this whole region. And there are very positive things happening right now."
McPheeters recently put another stake in the future of the city by opening an airy cafe at the nursery, featuring two well-pedigreed chefs: David Guempel, formerly chef at Zinnia's and Cafe Balaban; and David Kirkland, formerly of Frazer's Brown Bag. Aptly named Cafe Osage, it offers dishes that use produce grown right on the site, where vegetables are planted along with the large variety of plants that are cultivated for sale.
"We think the space (of the cafe) is unique, having the look, feel and context of the nursery," McPheeters said.
Most of the nursery's plants come from McPheeters' Clarksville farm, founded by the family of his wife, Connie, 75 years ago. Herbs for the cafe are grown on the roof of the restaurant, and bison entrees are supplied by livestock at the Clarksville farm. "We grow our own," he said.
Family has always been a big part of McPheeters' operation. Connie McPheeters is heavily involved, as are son Alex, daughter Lizzy and her husband, Dave Rickard.
McPheeters' interest in plants precedes his nursery by many years. He has served as the president of the Missouri chapter of the Nature Conservancy and remains on its board of directors. He is on the advisory board of the Missouri Botanical Garden Shaw Nature Reserve and is on the board of the Center for Plant Conservation, a group dedicated to protecting endangered plants headquartered at the Botanical Garden.
After nearly three years in the neighborhood, McPheeters considers his investment in the store -- and the area -- a winner. "We have had very good growth," he said, noting that Bowood Farms grew 60 percent in its second year and continues in a positive direction. He remains bullish on the city's future as a development -- or redevelopment -- site.
Investment in city real estate has the advantage of being "more economical" than other parts of the region, he said. "There is more quality per square foot in the city, especially considering the current economy." The store encompasses 5,000-square-feet, he said.
There is an additional 20,000 square feet of greenhouse and outdoor retail space.
Alderwoman Lyda Krewson, D-28th Ward, which is where Bowood Farms' "vegetable garden" is located, had high praise for McPheeters' reclamation of "a boarded up, vacant building and junkyard" that had been a long-time eyesore. (Most of the property and all of the buildings are in the 18th Ward.)
"I think it's just fabulous. I buy all my plants there, and also many gifts," she said. Krewson also had good things to say about the recently opened cafe, which has garnered other praise. "I highly recommend the French toast," she said.
There are other bright spots in the neighborhood, bordered by Walton Street on the west and sitting between Olive Street and Washington Boulevard. Small businesses and eateries -- and plenty of churches -- dot the area.
Jim Orso is a freelance journalist.