ST. LOUIS – If St. Louis really is the Home of the Blues, Beale on Broadway has to be considered hallow ground.
There isn't a sign that says, "Beale on Broadway" but your ears know, the second you walk through the door.
"It’s just sad to see this place go," said Bill Andrews, a longtime customer.
Andrews knows through the beat of his heart. It's broken now, because his favorite bar is closing after 18 years.
"We got so much talent in this town that nobody knows about," he said.
His heart became whole 12 years ago, during a Kim Massie concert at Beale on Broadway.
"She asked whose birthday was up and I stood up, and Nell stood up, and I was like, wow," said Andrews.
Nell would end up becoming the love of his life.
"Best thing to ever happen to me," he said.
There's no telling how many firsts, lasts and late nights that have happened in this quaint little spot on Broadway.
Everyone that could possibly fit, squeezed in to get a glimpse of the end of an era.
For the headliner, Kim Massie, this place is her everything.
"It’s like me just getting up and brushing my teeth - really I feel that comfortable here," she told 5 On Your Side.
Massie was the first to ever take the stage at Beale on Broadway, and on its grand finale night, she gave it a funeral that would make Memphis blush.
For her, and everyone else, you don't need a sign that sales Beale on Broadway.
The music says it all.
"Home, it means home," said Massie.
The owner of the bar told 5 On Your Side he didn't intend on closing, but the rent got too high when ownership of the building changed.
Still, he didn't rule out eventually returning to the Blues business, after a well-deserved break.
