The Cherokee Antique District, Bears, Coat Racks, and Mustaches

True story. Of all the furniture I needed when I moved here I needed a coat rack the most. I'm generally a clean person and I try to keep my apartment close to spotless but I have a weakness when it comes to outerwear storage. The kitchen table becomes my 'glove shelf' and the chairs become 'coat hangers that I can sit on'. I immediately picked up on the fact this was going to be a problem and began to plan my counter-strike against my own laziness. The answer was fairly apparent considering I had a perfectly suitable long entrance hallway. A Coat Rack would do the trick, or should I say a Coat Tree? Whatever the proper term, I wanted a stand up coat rack that you would find in, say, a Lawyers office in 1964. Where does one find such an item? Sure, you could find them in a furniture store maybe, but who wants a modern metal one in an exposed-brick apartment? I wanted it made of wood and beat to shit.

Old Lemp Brewery in the background.

Just doing research before the move I had read about the Cherokee Antique District and I knew it was close to Soulard. I decided to head over there to see what I could find. As I made my way down the street (the district is about 4 blocks long) I stopped in every store to see the kind of antiques they offered. St Louis being so old, I figured they'd have some pretty unique stuff and I wasn't disappointed. I'm not really into antiques to be honest, but some stores has some really cool old books and strange furniture. One of the coolest things I saw was and old banner promoting a wrestling match in the 30's. It was hand painted, seriously gigantic, and featured a mustached man about to wrestle a bear. It took a lot of willpower to say no. Two of my favorite things are bears and mustaches. Numerous other oddities are also in store for the curious. Even if you aren't interested in buying anything, the antique stores are worth browsing to kill a few hours.

As for the Coat Tree, the one I liked the most was in the store I went into first. It's plain, wood, and beat up and if I were to guess, I'd say it's from the 50's. Total cost: $20. That's what I call success!

It's almost three months later now and that piece of furniture has been worth much more than initially invested. I think it's about time to go back too. I'm in the market for an old trunk. Where else am I going to store my coats? It's effing Spring!!! (yay)