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Take St. Louis’ hottest club district — the Delmar Loop. Established, but edgy; commercial, but cool — the Loop is the U2 of St. Louis’ neighborhoods. So what does that make Cherokee Street?

The metaphor is forced, but Steven Brien of All Along Press plays along during a quiet afternoon of silkscreening.

“Cherokee is like the ’80s punk hardcore scene,” said Brien. “There was this enormous network of artists who depended on each other and subverted the whole record contract process. We’re like that. We don’t need to sell, sell, sell.”

Well, that’s just crazy talk. But Brien means it.

Young, determined and talented, Brien and partner Elysia Mann are among the artists and independent business owners who are transforming this gritty street struggling with its share of crime and vacant buildings into a gritty street with really cool shops, art galleries and restaurants as well as its share of crime and vacant buildings.

The street’s Cinco De Mayo festival has emerged as one St. Louis’ best parties, while Antique Row continues to host old favorites like the history fair and cookie walk.

“Yes, there are gaps that need to be bridged,” said local artist and activist Lyndsey Scott. “But there is a real respect for the history and people of this neighborhood and a concern about how to make it better for everyone. The different pockets here are starting to sniff each other out and have that conversation.”

Those pockets include some 20 shops along Cherokee Antique Row, which stretches from Lemp Avenue to Jefferson Avenue. For decades, shoppers have converged here to buy antique dish towels and architectural relics. Across Jefferson, Hispanic families shop at the Mexican grocery stores and restaurants. Hispanics make up only 2 percent of the St. Louis’ population, but here is one city neighborhood where Spanish is as ubiquitous as English. Young artists and working-class families live side by side. They may have different backgrounds, educations and goals for the neighborhood, but they are here for the same reason — the cheap rent.

Other would-be neighbors are bar owners who, until recently, were banned from operating along much of Cherokee Street.

Steven Fitzpatrick Smith, owner of the Royale, fought for years to reverse a city ban on bars in the area. He won his fight about the time the economy tanked. Now he can get a liquor license, but not a loan to open his bar at Cherokee and Iowa streets.

The economic downturn also has stalled the debut of coffee and beer bar Foam. Smith thinks some evening foot traffic will make the neighborhood safer.

Philip Hitchcock of phd gallery believes Cherokee will grow, with or without bars. He also dared to tackle our belabored U2 metaphor, comparing Cherokee to an emerging indie band.

“There is baggage with being U2,” said Hitchcock. “There is this onus to perform and meet your greatness. Here we are a creating a newness and uniqueness. Everyone is waiting to see how we define ourselves.”

Cranky Yellow • 2847 Cherokee Street • 314-773-4499

Cranky Yellow originally opened on Cherokee Street near the antique shops, the sort that attracted “grumpy old people looking for wicker chairs.”

Those are proprietor Angelo Stege’s words, not ours. But seniors certainly would agree they have little use for graphic tees, Pac-Man art, zines and one-eyed “flesh dolls.”

“Once there was this conga line of five old people who came in. They got so far then just turned around,” said Stege. “It was disheartening.”

So Stege and Cranky Yellow founder David Wolk moved in April to Cherokee near the other cool kids. To the south is APOP Records and Binge-N-Purge, which hawks a freaky mix of vintage clothes and antique medical equipment. Across the street is Firecracker Press, the celebrated graphic design and letterpress shop.

Cranky Yellow is harder to define: gallery for reluctant artists; performance space for high school bands; boutique for vintage dresses, funky jewelry and handmade cards; sacred resting place for junk. Cranky Yellow is the messy manifestation of its proprietors’ personalities and whims.

“There’s not a plan,” said Stege, who sounds like a toddler when he claims, “I’m 23, but I’ll be 24 in November.” “We just put out whatever we like. There is no strategy.”

All Along Press • 3155 Cherokee Street • 314-517-7358

Opening a print shop at the tender age of 23 is not the first crazy thing Elysia Mann and Steven Brien have done together. That would be the 200-mile bike trip to a graphic conference in Kansas City.

“We weren’t cyclists, but we didn’t have a car and weren’t really interested in buying a train ticket,” said Mann. “We tried to get other people to join us, but no one wanted to.”

“We have a habit of doing things that seem way beyond our reach,” said Brien. “Like this. We really had no idea how to run a business when we started.”

Brien’s definition of “business” runs counter to any Donald Trump would recognize, but the team makes enough to pay the rent and feed their Tower Taco addiction.

Brien, of New Orleans, and Mann, of Nebraska, started All Along Press because they had no place to work once they graduated from Washington University. If they were painters, they would need only canvas and paint. But printmakers use equipment that is expensive, bulky and often rare. They decided to buy their own presses and share them with artists, who either pay an hourly rate or membership fee. The heated debates about composition and technique come free.

“When you are forced to share the same space and equipment when you are creating, you are going to be influenced by the people you work with,” said Mann.

All Along Press also offers classes in bookmaking, silkscreening and printmaking and makes custom posters, invitations, business cards and T-shirts. All Along Press will host its first annual member show from 6 to 10 p.m. today at Fort Gondo, 3152 Cherokee Street.

La Vallesana • 2801 Cherokee Street • 314-776-4223

Hilario Vargas is sort of Cherokee Street’s Ted Drewes.

Hispanics and gringos line up outside his Mexican food stand, waiting for chorizo burritos, tortas and tacos al pastor, La Vallesana’s signature dish of pork, pineapple and cilantro. The food is worth waiting for, but you never have to. Like Ted Drewes, Vargas appears to have modeled his business after a beehive.

La Vallesana originally was an ice cream stand, and Vargas clearly is a master of the chilled dessert. La Vallesana serves fresh fruit popsicles featuring mango, coconut, spicy tamarind and other flavors.

La Vallesana 2, Vargas’ ice cream shop across the street, boasts Mexican ice cream, which is softer and chunkier than its American counterpart. Try the lime … no, the cantaloupe … no, the pineapple.

La Vallesana’s menu is inspired by both his home in Valle De Bravo, Mexico, and local tastes; prices range from $3 to $7. The patio’s colorful umbrellas and building’s painted façade re-create a traditional Mexican taqueria.

“When he first started, he wanted to make sure Mexicans felt like they were in Mexico,” said Vargas’ daughter, 15-year-old Abigail. Vargas understands English but prefers to respond through his daughter. “Now it’s changed. It’s for everyone to feel like they’re there, too. People come here from everywhere now.”

phd gallery • 2300 Cherokee Street • 314-664-6644

Philip Hitchcock admires the youthful idealism that fuels the Cherokee art scene, but make no mistake — he’s here to make money.

“This is a commercial art gallery. We want to sell art. We don’t pretend otherwise,” said Hitchcock.

In 2007, Hitchcock used historic tax credits and green building practices to transform a corner bar and flop house into a sunny gallery showcasing local and national painters and photographers. Current exhibits feature the prolific painting professor Mark Weber and emerging landscape artist Susan Sullivan. On June 27, phd presents “Memories of Fire Island” from photographer Tom Bianchi. The exhibit features limited edition prints and Polaroids that chronicle Fire Island in the 1970, a time Bianchi calls the start of “the gay revolution.”

After three decades in California, Hitchcock could have opened in art hubs like the Central West End and Clayton and, frankly, some days he wonders if he should have. But he likes that Cherokee is still a blank canvas.

Besides, galleries aren’t coffee shops; they don’t rely on foot traffic for sales. Hitchcock’s customers come from across the region, though some get lost on the way and others fear leaving their cars unattended. When Hitchcock hosts an opening, he always hires off-duty officers to assuage what he considers the largely unfounded fears about the neighborhood.

“I always saw this gallery as a destination,” said Hitchcock. “The biggest reaction I get is that, ‘I didn’t know this was done here’ or ‘I haven’t been here for years.’”

Mississippi Mud House • 2101 Cherokee Street • 314-776-6599

Mississippi Mud House manager Emily Blincow has worked at the cafe for two years, long enough to memorize her regulars’ favorite drinks.

“It’s easy to tell neighborhood people from the antique shops,” said Blincow. “The antique shoppers will spend about 10 minutes looking at the menu before they order.”

It’s Monday, the day most antique stores close. Still, a steady stream of customers are ordering banana bread, red eyes (coffee with a shot of espresso) and Blincow’s favorite, the veggie croissant. Back in the kitchen, Cameron Jones is stuffing crepes with Nutella and bananas while listening to Black Flag.

“We can’t just depend on antique shoppers,” said Blincow. “There is such a great buzz now, people are finding us for all sorts of different reasons.”