One of the many pieces of good news to come out of the annual Edwardsville Economic Forecast Breakfast is the number of new businesses planning to open here in 2022 or 2023.
Economic and Community Development Director James Arnold showed a slide in his presentation with at least 13 new businesses or restaurants.
The majority of stores will open at Trace on the Parkway, the city’s mixed-use development located on Route 157 near 255/270 and SIUE. It continues to build on its previous momentum with new apartments and businesses added to the community. Plocher Construction is finalizing the construction of several commercial spaces and will see the opening of the third residential apartment building in January.
Opening in late March at Trace is the Loading Bar, a gaming and pop culture themed “escape from the monotony of sports bars and everyday life, focusing on retro arcade games and local drinks”.
Financial services giant Morgan Stanley will anchor a two-story building at the corner of Governors Drive and 157 and has 2,300 square feet of available space. Edwardsville Bank will open a new branch in the same building.
Then two more commercial buildings will be erected. In one will be the popular Japanese restaurant, Drunken Fish, which claims to be voted best sushi and favorite Japanese restaurant year after year and is the most beloved Japanese dining experience in the Midwest.
Along with Drunken Fish, a related company, Kimchi Guys, will open. It features St. Louis’ first Korean fried chicken, which is double-fried with a special batter that makes the chicken extra crispy. From the spicy original to a sweet and salty honey butter, customers can choose a signature sauce of their choice.
Trace on the Parkway also hosts AQ Nail Spa, which has another location in Creve Coeur, a St. Louis County suburb.
In one of these new buildings will also be Nothing Bundt Cake. It will be the company’s second Metro East Bundt cake shop.
Another newcomer will be Clementine’s Creamery which will bring its first micro creamery to the Eastern Metro area with a location in Trace. There are six other locations in and around St. Louis. The ice cream is made in small batches and not in industrial size tubs.
Michael del Pietro’s new restaurant, Blue Violet, and an event venue, Essential Venue, are also opening at Trace or have recently opened.
Off Plum Street, located in Plum Creek Park next to Mike Shannon, will be Milan Laser Hair Removal, which will replace Painting with a Twist. Laser hair removal targets the root of the hair, destroying it so it never grows back. Founded in 2012 by certified doctors, Milan performs more than 30,000 treatments each month. This will be the company’s first location in Illinois, south of Springfield.
Neighbors Bakeshop opened on March 1 and is located in the Whispering Heights development at 1010 Enclave, Suite B.
Currently open to the public at Trace on the Parkway are Sunflower Dental, Water Sweets Soap Company, Doc’s Smokehouse, Willow and Mohr Photography, Boheme Boutique, Rocket Bowls, Goshen Coffee, Kloss Furniture, 1818 Chophouse, 1818 Butcher + Market, Salon Ludic, Loverly Boutique, Alliance Chiropractic & Performance, American Kolache, The X’Perience Barber and Beauty and Oaxaca Margarita Bar and Restaurant.
Away from Trace on the Parkway, 1818 Offshore is the name of the former 1818 Chophouse site, located on South Buchanan Street in the Park Plaza shopping district. The new location of 1818 Chophouse at Trace on the Parkway houses a butcher shop and market.
And Hawaiian Bros. will open its first Metro East location in the former Pizza Hut space along Troy Road later this year.
