A grand old building sitting prominently on Depot Street in Marthasville has just received a well-deserved face lift and will soon open its doors to locals and tourists alike as a gathering place. …
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A grand old building sitting prominently on Depot Street in Marthasville has just received a well-deserved face lift and will soon open its doors to locals and tourists alike as a gathering place. The Marthasville Hardware Company building, formerly a grocery store, a bicycle shop and apartments, has been purchased by Brian and Christy Housley of University City.
“We were getting ready to buy a place in St. Charles, when our friend, Tyann Marcink (owner of the Bank Haus in Marthasville) said we needed to look at a building in Marthasville,” said Brian Housley.
Housley said he was a little uncertain at first about purchasing the 8,000-square-foot historical building, but Christy felt it was the right move from the get-go. They met with several other local business people, learned about the town of Marthasville, and felt more comfortable and excited about the project.
“We enjoy real estate and love to take distressed properties and bring them back,” said Brian. “Our architect is finishing the layout, we are searching out different funding options and have hired a consultant to help us file all the paperwork needed.”
The Housleys also are the owners of Trinity REI Group and own several Airbnb properties in the St. Louis area.
Housley said the building will always remain the Marthasville Hardware Company, but will now be called The Outpost. Its motto will be “Eat, Drink, Sleep, Bike.” Other specifics will be announced in the coming weeks, but Housley is hoping to have a soft opening early this summer.
In recent weeks painters have given the weathered yellow building a beautiful historic color scheme that enhances the Mesker Bros Company stamped steel ornamentation on its façade. Built in 1902 by German immigrant Frederick Gottfried Ahmann, the hardware store served the community as a general store until the depression years of the 1930s. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
The second floor of the building currently houses three apartments. That space was originally a carriage shop during the 1900s. The apartments are slated for remodeling as units become free. Housley said his personal emphasis is the lodging aspect of the project, with vacation rentals available for visitors to the Katy Trail and the area.
Housley believes a bicycle repair shop will be part of the businesses housed in the renovated building. He is also hoping a coffee shop will be part of the picture.
“We are looking for local partnerships to help fill the building,” said Housley. “We are a mom and pop operation, not a big corporation. We are looking for local vendors, businesses and employees. We have undesignated space for people interested.”
Christine Zika, of Boonslick Regional Planning Commission, is offering her economic development expertise to the Housleys and anyone else looking to start a business in Marthasville. Part of her job is to make sure communities like Marthasville are promoted as areas of tourism.
One of her projects, the Missouri River Country, is to promote seven river towns — Hermann, New Haven, Marthasville, Washington, Augusta, Defiance and St. Charles.
Part of Zika’s emphasis is to learn about towns like Marthasville which are striving to grow. She is interested in the heritage of the area, the natural landscapes and tourism businesses.
“We want to know what that town looks like and what we can do to help promote it,” said Zika. “We want to help bring dollars to the area. I want their stories. I want people to want to come and visit them. We want to make sure our businesses are thriving.”
Zika believes that following the COVID pandemic that people have a “pent up demand” to spend and travel. Most people are not necessarily looking to fly, but are looking at taking road trips.
“People are wanting to connect with these communities,” she said.
And like the Housleys who have sought Zika’s help with their project, she encourages those thinking of starting a business in the area, or who might need help with grant application ideas and promotion strategies, to contact her.
The Housleys are generating a lot of local interest, dribbling information out a bit at a time, creating anticipation among the community. The new face lift is a statement that clearly says they are serious about The Outpost.
“There are a lot of things getting ready to happen in Marthasville that are not public yet,” said Housley.
Those interested can follow the progress of The Outpost at the Marthasville Hardware Store on Facebook.
To learn more about the services of Boonslick Regional Planning Commission and help with promoting tourism, visit missouririvercountry.com. To contact Zika, call 636-456-3473 or visit boonslick.org.
