Staying Power
There are still abandoned buildings and vacant lots in the city, but there are also attractive homes and manicured lawns. New housing is under construction on the city’s south side. The Crown Hotel, which faces the Saint Louis skyline across the Mississippi, and the Casino Queen riverboat have helped revitalize the riverfront, and Joyner-Kersee recently helped build a boys and girls club named after her.
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“When you say East Saint Louis, everybody’s got this negative connotation of the city,” says Herrett Parker. “But it’s not like that at all. We’ve lived here all our lives. Most of the people live here because this is their roots and it’s all us. There is a sense of community here that a lot of places don’t have anymore.”
It took them six months and cost more than $100,000, which they financed by taking out a second mortgage. They opened in June 1997 without a marketing plan, but soon the St. Louis Business Journal ran a small article. Then Saint Louis television stations featured them on newscasts. The Parkers have now played host to 225 couples and several parties, including one for 100 people. Most of their business comes from word of mouth, most of their guests from Saint Louis, though they also have a Web site (bbonline.com/il/parkergarden).
