Midtown destinations such as Pappy's, Exo, Fubar, the Loft, the Fountain on Locust and Dante's are about to get a new neighbor.
The area, just east of Grand Center, is making way for Plush, a concert venue and restaurant set to open Saturday at 3224 Locust Street.
The venue, which formerly housed high-end lofts, is a St. Louis version of a similar venue that has operated in Tucson, Ariz., for the past decade or so. The same crew is behind both Plush entities.
Maebelle Reed, COO of Plush, calls the venue a multigenerational blend of interests that includes music, dining and drinking.
"We're all part of a community and, in a community, you grow together," she says. "It's great being around people that are younger and people that are older, and that's what we're trying to do here, have a facility where people can really enjoy and interact with each other."
The concert venue portion of Plush will hold about 800 people, while the restaurant side, which includes an espresso bar, will seat about 250. A 10,000-square-foot penthouse will house private events and smaller concerts, particularly of the singer-songwriter variety, for about 250 people.
Plush talent buyer Kris Kerry says he'll book national, regional and local talent into the venue, starting with a heavy push on the local. This is similar to how the booking has been done at the Tucson Plush.
Kerry says Plush will book nearly all genres of music including indie rock bands and underground hip-hop acts.
"I'm pretty open to everything," Kerry says. "From a practical standpoint, you can't get the same crowd out every night. Only in a huge market can you have a club that only does punk or only does jazz."
But Plush will avoid hardcore metal and hip-hop for fear of attracting violence.
Reed says, "The more venues you have like this helps grow the local arts market. We'd like that to happen here. There are a ton of bands in the closet that need somewhere to play."
Plush operators are looking to help fill a concert niche they believe exists for bands not big enough to play the Pageant but too big for the Gramophone or Firebird.
The executive chef behind the diner-style menu at Plush is David Zimmerman, previously affiliated with Montage in Ladue as well as Catering St. Louis.
"I want the food to be accessible, food people will recognize and find interesting and understand exactly what it is," he says. "I don't want the menu to be pretentious. I don't want you to have to wear a tie to eat it. But I still want you to be intrigued."
Plush is not to be confused with an urban nightclub from a few years ago.
"People were very adamant that the name was going to be trouble," Reed says. "There are some people that will judge a book by its cover, but our reputation will get out as to what we really are. We're a good place to be, not a bad place to be. … When we came up with that name 11 years ago, all of a sudden it was everywhere. It wasn't a popular name 11 years ago."
Plush, originally scheduled to open more than a month ago, is ready to open its doors.
"We want to make sure we do it right," Reed says. "It doesn't behoove us to be a big splashy thing and not function right."
Plush concert club/restaurant
Where 3224 Locust Street • More info plushstl.com, 314-535-2686 • Hours 7 a.m.-1 a.m. daily
