The Melroys

The Melroys

  • Home to Crimson Serpents Outpost, the best shop for handmade leather goods and denim, from 2019 - today

  • Home to Outlaw Ink & Styles from 2006 - 2018

  • Year Built: 1901

  • Square Footage: 2,400 SF

  • Mixed-Use Building

  • Highlights include an historic (1940's era) neon sign and Vitrolite bulkheads and surrounds

Initially built in 1901, the Melroys building received a "modern" facelift in 1946 when the deco-style neon sign was added along with a gleaming new vitrolite storefront...a major departure from the victorian-era architecture styles from the past.

Melroys was the name of a successful family-owned clothing business, named for their one son, Melroy.  Their store was located in the heart of a popular and thriving shopping district on Manchester Avenue, which was known then, as it is today, as the Grove.

As interstates and suburban shopping malls appeared on the landscape in the 1960's, city neighborhoods and their shopping districts began their decline and eventual demise.  Manchester Avenue (The Grove) was no exception.

The Melroys building had been closed off to the public and in disrepair for decades when Mangrove acquired it and began its historic (mid-century modern) restoration in 2002.  Work was complete in 2003, which included the historic restoration of the 1940's Melroys sign. 

The space was home to Outlaw Ink & Styles, a premier tattoo salon, from 2006 - 2018. The former shop owner, Eric Outlaw, actively served on neighborhood committees and was an outstanding asset for the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood and the Grove. 

NOTE:  Special thanks to Melroy for contacting us and providing us with great information about Manchester Avenue and the area that he "had the pleasure of spending a great many years during a time when it was one of the most successful neighborhoods in the city of St. Louis".