ST. LOUIS — Abandoned building—or book store? Or a coffeeshop and gallery? Or a 3D printing company? Or a barre studio? How about a fresh made toast and juice cocktail bar with complete with a bright light sign out front?
“So I started thinking like it would be so cool if something like that was in this particular building and the idea of ‘what if’ kind of popped into my head along with that,” said Suzanne Iovaldi.
Where you see crumbling walls and broken windows, Iovaldi looks at the foundation—and sees the potential.
She runs the Instagram and Twitter accounts @WhatIfSTL, where she asks exactly that, posting photos of open spaces in St. Louis along with a business pitch.
“My ideas aren’t, you know, gospel, they aren’t the only ideas that exist for something, but it gets that thought process going for others,” she said.
The landscape of her hometown—isn’t what it once was.
“I think the buildings here are such a part of the city and my dad actually, his company was downtown when I was growing up and I’d visit downtown and I was always mesmerized by that,” she said.
But where she’s planted ideas, she’s seen local businesses blossom.
“It’s great to see things going in to those spaces. I don’t think it’s due to me specifically but it’s just nice to see that the city is continuing to grow.”
She has posted about spots in surrounding areas, but she likes to focus within St. Louis City limits.
“I think there’s a lot of cities out there that talk about how much design has influence on people and populations, and if we can put those design structures and integrate them into the city in these different parts where open spaces exist, then that can maybe appease some of the issues that plague this city here,” she said.
But why not just say out with the old and in with the new?
“I think there’s certainly a place for new buildings and projects but I’m a big believer in sustainability and keeping history going.”
How would St. Louis look different if her “what if’s” became reality?
“People have such a city pride here, and people love to talk about St. Louis and say they’re from St. Louis,” she said. “I think that would just start getting people out more, getting people downtown more, and really have a thriving scene that people want to come to as a destination.”
