This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 27, 2011 - Fresh flowers, the hum of the nearby highway, signs advertising fresh meat and homegrown vegetables greet customers walking into McDonnell's Marketplace and are just a few of the many traits that make it a Kirkwood icon.
However, come this fall, the well-known landmark may be closing its doors, if no buyer is found.
It's not that the small grocery is running out of money, says owner Art McDonnell, who bought the store from his father in 1982. McDonnell, who is also Kirkwood's mayor, just wants to retire from the grocer business after nearly 50 years and focus on hobbies, family and being mayor.
"I'm trying to start another chapter," McDonnell said. "I've been doing this for about 50 years. I wanted to try something else for a while."
McDonnell, who grew up in the house around the corner from his marketplace, started working in the store when he was 12 years old. He recalls the days where customers would bring their lists in and the grocers would fetch the items. McDonnell's father had bought the store from an uncle, who opened its doors in 1936.
What has been the most rewarding, McDonnell says, is "the overall satisfaction of being able to help people in the community."
"When you sell someone that good steak, and they come back and tell you how good it was," he gave as an example. "That's the thing I will miss: making the connections with people."
The mayor is in the process of trying to find a buyer for the property, which overlooks Interstate 270 at Big Bend. Whoever buys it will determine whether or not the store is kept the same, the format changed, or the property used for something else all together.
"They may have innovations I haven't even though of," he said.
McDonnell's wife and sons have encouraged him to retire, but his break won't last for long. Last Friday, McDonnell filed for reelection. Kirkwood's mayoral election is this coming April, and so far McDonnell is running unopposed.
However, also on his agenda are spending more time with family and pursuing the personal interests, like bicycling and gardening, he's had little time to enjoy in the past.
"I have interests outside I want to pursue more," he said.
McDonnell was elected mayor almost immediately after the city's tragic shooting in February 2008, which left several city employees dead and a community divided, angry and in mourning.
McDonnell says, in the past few years, the community has begun healing. Elected in 2008 unopposed, McDonnell add that he sees his election campaign as an opportunity to move forward.
"I want to focus on being mayor," he said. "My plan is to be out and about."
McDonnell already has a to-do list to tackle during his newfound time. He wants a new community center, saying the old one has been very useful (and used), but it's time for an upgrade.
He also wants to focus on encouraging new businesses to fill Kirkwood's empty storefronts and to diversify the city's business landscape. Also on the list: downtown Kirkwood's parking, which, as anyone who has tried to park there would know, isn't always so easy.
Even if he is no longer running the marketplace, McDonnell will be busy.
"There are always things that pop up," he said with a smile.
Ryan Schuessler, a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia, is a summer intern at the Beacon.