There’s more than one good reason entrepreneurs choose to launch their businesses in St. Louis: It’s centrally located in the U.S., the cost of living is relatively low, and there are plenty of local amenities to attract employees and customers. T&S spoke with two growing companies that have put down roots here and found success with different business models. One is rapidly increasing its retail store presence, and the other is expanding its sales to trade show attendees.
soft surroundings
CEO and co-founder Tom Wilcher says Soft Surroundings, a women’s apparel, beauty and home products retailer, is enjoying an exciting run of physical growth. The Creve Coeur-based company just opened its 54th store and is launching six more around the U.S. in the next several weeks. “With new stores in New York, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Minnesota and Maryland, we’ll have locations in more than 30 states,” Wilcher says. “We are set to open our first store in California next year.” The company has a large online retail presence as well.
Building new locations can be a challenge in the current retail environment that has many stores shuttering or focusing on e-commerce. But the brick-and-mortar business model still works well for Soft Surroundings, according to Wilcher. In fact, he says retail locations make up the fastest-growing segment of the 18-yearold company. He co-founded it as a catalog business with vice chairman Robin Sheldon and Grant Williams, and says their storefront success has stemmed from a constantly evolving product line, which includes many items designed by the company. “We sell products that look good and are soft and comfortable to wear or use,” he says. Soft Surroundings’ main target audience is women in the 50- to 60-year-old range, but its products also appeal to younger shoppers, as well as men buying gifts.
Wilcher adds, “Some states have very complicated regulations regarding the environmental impact of a new store and other compliance issues, but St. Louis has been comparatively easy for us in that area.” The company’s flagship store is in Brentwood and a second Missouri location is in Kansas City. Wilcher says the region has been a natural jumping-off point for expansion. “You can get anywhere quickly from St. Louis, and it’s an economical place to live, work and operate a business,” he says. “It has been a lot of fun so far, and we’re doing very well.”
stl comics
Eric Meyer, owner of StL Comics, says his company is enjoying strong growth as well. He sells comic books and toys mainly to trade show audiences, and has found St. Louis to be a receptive home for his business. “I started dealing in comics about 15 years ago,” he notes. “The company kind of snowballed from there. There’s real excitement with finding rare comics, adding to a collection, haggling with other dealers and seeing customers’ faces when they find something they have been looking for.” He currently operates two annual shows that include artist appearances, and he plans to expand with new events in Columbia, Kansas City, Illinois and Iowa. He also sells at other companies’ shows.
“St. Louis has been a great place to operate a business because the market is not oversaturated, so my trade show vendors and customers stay happy,” Meyer says. He likes to sell in Midwestern cities that don’t already have many comic shows, and he stays away from major events like Comic Con, preferring to keep his wares accessible to buyers who don’t want to pay high entry fees. “St. Louis is a good place to reach collectors and sellers because a lot of industry people are from this area, like illustrator Lorenzo Lizana and director James Gunn,” Meyer says. “I owe my success directly to the people in St. Louis. I’ve had offers to relocate professionally, but I choose to stay in this area. I wouldn’t want to operate my business anywhere else.”
