The Paper is not the only neighborhood organization with a birthday this month. Linda and Neal Shapiro of Art Directions are celebrating their first anniversary in operation at 354 North Skinker. Art Directions has been in business for only two years. Before coming to our neighborhood, they operated from a “hole in the wall,” as Neal calls it, in south St. Louis. The move to Skinker-DeBaliviere was brought on by the need for more space, but since Linda was born at 6110 Waterman and Neal grew up in this area, the move was prompted by more than just available space.
Art Directions, for those of you who haven’t yet stopped in to look around, is not an antique shop in the strictest sense of the word. Art Directions, as Neal describes it, specializes in architectural antiques. Architectural antiques are more than just furnishings, Architectural antiques are the stained glass windows, millwork and other salvageable items from old buildings. Neal has dismantled four large buildings in the last year to acquire these items. He points out that dismantling is much different from wrecking. His interest in a building to be torn down is in getting the architecturally interesting features removed intact.
These architectural features then become a part of the furnishings of new businesses. Art Directions has supplied these recycled architectural items to many area firms. For example, the back bar at O’Connell’s came from Art Directions.
Art Directions doesn’t deal only in architectural items, however. Neal and Linda also handle antique furniture, glassware, and accessories. In addition, Linda makes custom jewelry and does jewelry repair, and they have recently expanded to include Jean Corea, who does pen and ink drawings and watercolor, as well as commercial art work.
Art Directions started as a hobby. The Shapiros were furnishing a house and wanted something different from “store bought” furniture. Linda says it all started with four bentwood chairs with seven coats of paint. When they bought the chairs, they didn’t even know how to take the paint off. This might sound like a familiar story to some of the neighborhood strippers, but for the Shapiros, it was the start of a business.
During the last year Neal and Linda have been working hard and now they feel ready to have a grand opening for Art Directions. On Saturday, April 10, 1976, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., their birthday celebration and grand opening will take place. Stop by Art Directions and introduce yourself. It is an interesting place and the Shapiros are interesting people. There might even be something that will be just what you have been looking for.
Originally published in The Paper, April 1976.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1976_04.pdf, printed page(s) 1, 12; PDF page(s) 1, 12.
