When Pam Wingbermuehle walks with her husband or son at Mizzou football games, they inevitably get stopped by Tigers fans. Her husband Bryan wears a needlepoint SEC belt featuring the logos of all 14 SEC schools. Her son Eric, a 2016 graduate of Mizzou, wears a black-and-gold Mizzou one. Pam toiled on both belts for hours when she was making them, and fans want to know where they can get their own.
Wingbermuehle proudly tells them about Sign of the Arrow—referred to by some as the ‘needlepoint belt capital of the world.’ However, there’s never enough time to tell them the store’s whole story. The shop on Clayton Road is far more than its custom belts, its rainbow of yarns or its gift shop. Sign of the Arrow is about community.
The not-for-profit store was opened 50 years ago by the St. Louis Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi to improve their fundraising efforts. Their mission has been successful. Sign of the Arrow has donated more than $3.6 million to 183 different charities since its inception. “To me, what is amazing is that we’ve been able to give away money every year—even the first year,” says Peg Sant’Ambrogio, chairman of the store’s 50th anniversary committee and a volunteer for about 16 years. “It’s a tribute to the original women who started it and others who have kept it going.”
Today, 80 community members volunteer their time to staff the shop. An extensive selection of designer needlepoint canvases, yarns and classes keep customers returning. And its unique not-for-profit stature attracts a customer base of its own.
Only about half the volunteers these days are sorority members of Pi Beta Phi, and not all of them know how to needlepoint. They are drawn together through the shop’s mission. “Some people like to needlepoint but others just want to volunteer their time for a good cause,” Sant’Ambrogio says. “I didn’t needlepoint when I started here. But I had so many customers coming in and asking questions I thought, ‘I need to take a beginner class.’ Now, I don’t feel right if I’m not working on a project.”
Sign of the Arrow is now at its third location on Clayton Road since opening in 1966. They had hoped their new, larger location would lead to an increase in what they are able to give back. For the past two years, it has done just that. As the money given to charities has increased, the ladies running the shop have noticed another important trend: young people are getting involved.
Needlepoint is becoming increasingly popular among 20- to 30-year-olds, who are deciding they like gifting something handcrafted to their friends and family. Even high schoolers and recent college graduates can be found behind the counter in the store. And those running Sign of the Arrow say they hope interest grows as they increase their online presence with a website and social media accounts. If their plan works, they expect to have even more to celebrate in their next 50 years.
“Needlepoint is coming back into popularity,” says Wingbermuehle, president of Sign of the Arrow. “You can get ready-made gifts, but there is not that sense of accomplishment or pride. I think social media and the internet has brought Sign of the Arrow to the forefront with the 20- to 30-year-old sector. As they get older, I think they are ready to carry on our traditions.”
Pictured: President Pam Wingbermuehle, needlepoint manager Randi Hanpeter and general manager Julie Filean
Photo: Bill Barrett
Since its inception in 1966, Sign of the Arrow has donated more than $3.6 million to charities in the local community. It is the area’s premier needlepoint store and has an extensive gift shop. For more information, visit 9814 Clayton Road, call 314.994.0606 or go to signofthearrow.com. Pictured on the cover: Longtime volunteer Anne O’Connell (seated), marketing VP Suzanne Vaughan, board chairman Sarah Mudd, philanthropy chair Bethany Curtis and 50th anniversary chair Peg Sant’Ambrogio.
Cover design by Julie Streiler | Cover photo by Bill Barrett
