They’re the visionaries, the dreamers, the doers. You know the type—the ones who get things done and are utterly passionate when it comes to their pursuits. T&S chatted with two such power duos making waves on the St. Louis scene.
[stirring up urban pride: jeff & randy vines]
Identical twins Jeff and Randy Vines have made a living out of selling clever St. Louis-themed T-shirts and other goods at their store, STLStyle. Promoting city pride goes hand-in-hand with their efforts to preserve St. Louis’ historical and urban landscape. Currently involved with several local preservation organizations, including the Landmarks Association of St. Louis and Next City Network, Randy and Jeff were part of the efforts to save Midtown’s flying saucer (the onetime Del Taco on Grand Boulevard), and in 2013 accepted a Missouri Preservation Award for that success on behalf of the preservation community.
T&S | When did you decide St. Louis was worth championing?
Jeff Vines | Our dad grew up on the north side, and he used to drive us around the old neighborhood. He painted a picture of St. Louis as this vibrant, urban, bustling city. The bones of that are still left, and that captured our imagination. When we were in high school, we’d take the bus downtown and take pictures of the architecture—this was before Washington Avenue was redeveloped, so it was a down-and-out, foreboding city, but we always saw how great it was.
T&S | Why did you decide to open STL Style on Cherokee Street?
JV | A big part of what we stand for is doing something for the city and its revitalization. We have visitors from all over, and a lot of our customers say they’ve never been to Cherokee Street, and they had no idea it was even here. That’s satisfying for us, because we’re giving people a reason to discover a new neighborhood.
T&S | Why is urban pride so important?
Randy Vines | It’s the single most important component in how we view ourselves and the narrative we give to the world about St. Louis. There have been a lot of negative headlines about St. Louis lately, but we believe people who know St. Louis and love it understand that cities are more complex than what you see in the headlines. When you get people who live in the city to be the best ambassadors for the real St. Louis, that has a ripple effect.
T&S | What would you like to see happen in St. Louis?
JV | The best model for success is in our own great neighborhoods— the Central West End and Lafayette Square. Their revitalization happened organically, building by building. The most functional, successful neighborhoods are the ones that retain their integrity. Another big initiative we’re proponents of is the NorthSouth MetroLink extension. Real cities have good transit and an alternative to driving. We do have a great, although limited, MetroLink system, but we need to complete it.
RV | There also needs to be a city-wide preservation review. St. Louis is such a gem—by national standards, our entire city would basically qualify for landmark status. In general, we need dynamic leadership, and we need officials who will inspire confidence in the future of the city. We also need to keep the State preservation tax credit intact. It incentivizes developers to rehab rather than tear town, and it’s a moneymaker for the city.
[expanding our minds: jane langa & anne murphy of mind fest]
Forget anti-aging creams: The real secret to staying young is continuing to learn new things and maintaining an unquenchable curiosity about the world. That’s the premise of Mind Fest, founded in late 2014 by Jane Langa and Anne Murphy. The company, heralded by bussinessinsider.com as one of the 50 coolest new businesses in America, offers interesting, affordable, stand-alone classes on a wide variety of subjects taught by local experts.
T&S | What was the inspiration for starting Mind Fest?
Jane Langa | Anne and I are curious people, and endless topics intrigue us. We felt there had to be people like us with that same desire to learn. The format of a ‘flash’ class is the perfect solution to learn about and experience each topic in a meaningful way. Providing this platform to connect people with passionate experts is incredibly fun and rewarding.
T&S | What are some of the classes you’ve held so far?
Anne Murphy | They’ve ranged from how to take better selfies using light, apps and tools to an introduction to jazz and how St. Louis jazz musicians influenced the music scene internationally. We’ve also had classes on philosophy, how to select and understand your smartphone and tablet, and the art of living a calm life.
T&S | How have people responded?
AM | They’ve been warm and supportive. People are naturally curious. They want to be interesting. And they love the idea that they can learn about something they’ve always wondered about—and do it in a 90-minute session.
T&S | What do you hope people get out of the classes?
AM | We want our classes to be catalysts for ideas and idea sharing. We want people to feel like they are the most interesting person in the room when they go to their next gathering.
T&S | Why is it important to continue to learn new things?
JL | Part of the fun of living is experiencing and learning something new. Mind Fest provides mind-expanding learning for adults regardless of what decade they are in.
T&S | Any upcoming classes you’re particularly excited about?
JL | One that really intrigues me is our first two-part class, ‘Star Power,’ which is about astronomy. We’ll be indoors for the first session and view the night sky with a computer program. How incredible is that? Then a few nights later, we will view the sky outdoors with high-power telescopes.
Photos: Bill Barrett