Tony Blackwood is a third generation South County business owner. Local area bicycle stores, now known as South County Cyclery and South Side Cyclery, were passed down to him from his father, Henry “Bud” Blackwood in 1976. But St. Louis’ history with the well-known bike shop runs much deeper. It all started in the early 1930’s with Velmo “Chap” Chappuis and a friend. The two opened a small bicycle shop located at Grand and Meramec in south St. Louis. It was called the Meramec Cycle Company. After just one short year, Chap bought his partner out and went about the business of becoming a widely…

Kevin McCauley is a man who has all the necessary ingredients of a successful business owner. He has solid financial sense and a passion to help people. And like many entrepreneurs, McCauley was just looking for a way to control his own destiny. “I was a partner in a national CPA firm and I just kind of got tired,” McCauley said. “(I wanted) to do something else and earn money and have fun at the same time.” For McCauley, fun meant being physically active. As student at Mehlville High School, McCauley was a multi-sport athlete. Before graduating in 1980, he wrestled and played football. “It …

Something new is popping up in St. Louis. And it has the undeniable smell of success. Randy Jung is a St. Louis entrepreneur who traded in his corporate constitution to become the king of popcorn. On Sept. 23, at a kiosk in the South County Mall, Jung opened the first of an anticipated 10 Doc Popcorn stores in the St. Louis area. “Some will be a kiosk set-up. Some may be storefront. I’m hoping to be able to get into some of the higher traffic venues like the sports arenas and the airport and things like that, over time and as we build the brand,” Jung said. This St. Louis native’s goals, …

These days, little girls are taught that when they grow up, they can do anything they put their minds to. A typical second-grade girl, for example, might have dreams of becoming a doctor, an athlete or even the president of the United States. When Brandie Morton was a little girl, she had dreams, too. And like the many determined young girls of today, Morton didn’t stop until her dreams came true. For the past three years, Morton has been the owner of Steel & Ink Custom Tattoo and Piercing Studio, located at 3651 Ritz Center. “I’ve always done this. When I was a kid, I had a dream and I was …

South County business owner Bob Haegele graduated from Mehlville High School in 1974, and despite several scholarship offers to play soccer at the University of Illinois and South Florida, he went to work for Keller Nursery. “I guess I was just a home boy. I had a big family,” he said. “I kind of regret (not going).” But Haegele passed on one talent, only to recognize another. He didn’t realize it then, but he was doing more than just digging in the dirt at Keller. He was planting the seeds that would grow into a lifelong career and family business. Since 1986, Haegele has owned Haegele’s …

When South County resident Amy Williams found her calling in life, she decided to put it on a T-shirt. Williams is the owner of the newly-opened Shirtabulous, located at 5496 Baumgartner Road in Oakville. And if you would have asked her five or 10 years ago, she would have described herself as teacher rather than an entrepreneur. With a full-time career in education squarely under her belt, it seemed that the universe had an entirely different plan for Williams. “I have a functional movement disorder in my left leg, my right hand and my diaphragm. I was told a long time ago, (by doctors) ‘You…

Sarah Freshley, owner of the Movement Arts Center in Oakville, has a special gift and she wants to share with the world. Freshley has passion. At just 3 years old, Freshley discovered that dancing was what filled her heart. “Whenever I was on stage, it was my voice, my true expression,” she said. As a child, she tried other activities. There was soccer and karate, but none that spoke to her in quite the same way. By the time Freshley was 6, she had already experienced what many people search for their entire lives: a true connection to something outside of herself. From that point on, the art…

Six years ago, when Amy Nielsen and Beth Kullmann first met, their only connection was that they each had daughters of the same age in the same Oakville schools. Kullmann, 46, was in the mortgage underwriting business. By day, Nielsen, 36, worked as a histology technician, cutting tissue at an area hospital. At every other spare moment, she was a baker. Their daughters had become friends, so the ladies naturally began spending time together. Never could they have imagined their friendship would lead to what they both hope will become a St. Louis favorite. On Sept. 2, the ladies opened the …

When Rich Thole and his two older brothers, Tom and Ken, were growing up in South St. Louis city, they were just trying to live life the way their dad had taught them. Just one generation away from the Depression-era recipients, the Thole boys learned early in life “you can’t get nothing for free,” Rich Thole, 53, said. As kids, the brothers learned the value of a dollar. “We were always working when we were little. Even at 12 years old, we were selling newspapers on the corner,” Ken Thoele, 57, said. The notion that humble men come from humble beginnings holds true for the Thole brothers, …

When Mehlville resident, Vince Schweiss, 51, walks in to places like Joey B’s or Imo’s, he can’t help but feel a certain sense of belonging. It’s a feeling of pride in knowing that he helped create part of what many South County residents have come to know as St. Louis institutions. It has nothing to do with coveted recipes. He’s not the inventor of special cheese and none of these places credit him as the namesake. Instead, Schweiss is the cabinet builder responsible for much of woodwork inside of these buildings. “It’s very rewarding,” Schweiss said. “When I step back and look at what I’ve …

Oakville resident, Scott Gurley, 41, is a self-described renaissance man. Since graduating from Chaminade High School in 1988, Gurley has obtained three college degrees; one in physics, one in music composition and one in engineering. “I don’t use any of those,” Gurley said. Instead, his professional work resume expands the spectrum. He has held many programming positions and worked at an advertising agency as the web and new media guy. Before that, he ran a staffing company in St. Louis. Currently, he runs a website development business called 1127web.com. His wife, Laura, 34, was a teacher …

Mehlville residents can rejoice in pancake heaven. A new International House of Pancakes is slated to open in the old El Pollo Loco location at 4103 Lemay Ferry Road. According to John Watson of the St. Louis County Department of Public Works, building permits were issued at the end of June and sign permits were issued about two weeks ago. The sign is in place and the final phase of construction is underway. The new IHOP is expected to be open in a few weeks. Meanwhile, Oakville residents may be curious about the recently-built structure at 6685 Telegraph Road. From the outside, the building …

For Bill Smith, owner of South County Coin & Jewelry located at 3325 Lemay Ferry Road, everything new is changing at the speed of light. The onslaught of technological advances over the past decade has impacted nearly everything we do. To Smith, daily interactions and transactions have gone from personal and predictable to digital and detached. Smith explains it by reminiscing about the days when the mailman had to communicate with the milkman to get up the hill to the widow's house in the dead of winter. “Now that’s all gone by the way of horse and buggy,” he said. “When I was a child, …

When St. Louisans think of Italian food, the Gianino family is at the top of the list. Nearly everyone in South County is familiar Frankie G’s Grill & Bar, located at 4565 Chestnut Park Plaza, off Telegraph Road in Oakville. Their successful history is preceded with the Gianino’s carry-out restaurants that have sprinkled the St. Louis restaurant landscape for two generations. Since 1971, Bill Gianino is the man who drives the Italian food force. First, it was Gianino’s Pizza Den. Then onto Bill Gianino’s, which neighbors Frankie G’s in South County. Bill Gianino has transferred the family …

Tania Canter, owner of Shaely’s Bridal in the South County Center, is in a state of transition. Somewhere between the house of God and the house where her family lies, she found a place in bridal couture. “I never thought I would be in retail,” Canter said. “I always wanted to be a minister’s wife.” Canter grew up in North County and then in South St. Louis as a pastor’s daughter. It was at the Friendship Assembly of God, where her father ministered, that she found early fulfillment as a youth and children’s pastor. It was also the church that lead her to the world of retail.   “What started …

For Jeremy King, his life has gone to the dogs. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. Together with his business partner, Ryan Wolk, King owns The Watering Bowl. Located at 7409 S. Lindbergh Blvd., at the corner of Lindbergh and Lemay Ferry Road, The Watering Bowl has quickly grown into one of Mehlville’s most beloved businesses. “We opened last February,” King said. “For the first two weeks we were open, we didn’t make even one dollar.” But thanks to some swift social media marketing and some good old-fashioned pavement pounding, the word rapidly spread about the new company that is in the …

It’s been said that a family who plays together, stays together. But the Albert Maixner and his family works together and lives together as well. Maixner is one half of the partnership that forms Maixner & Maixner, an accounting firm located at 4501 Telegraph Road in South County. Maixner has been running the practice, along with his father, Albert A. Maixner, since the early '70s. A life-long South County resident, he graduated from Mehlville High School in 1970 and then went on to University of Missouri-St. Louis where he earned a degree in accounting. “Neither of my parents ever brought up…

Brett Tesson grew up the only child of a single mother. As a young boy, he was a bit of a hellion who had dreams of becoming a professional hockey player. As an adult, he’s realizing a different dream altogether. Nearly three years ago, Tesson started Tesson Roofing and Exteriors, Inc. which is now located at 752 Lemay Ferry Rd. Although his hockey ambitions never came to fruition, Tesson showed a knack for business at an early age. After graduating from Lindbergh High School in 2001, Tesson attended St. Louis Community College at Meremac. It was in college that he began honing his business …

Five years ago, Kynan Katzman began taking yoga instruction from Linda Jones of Yoga to Go at 4282 Telegraph Road. An endurance cyclist, Katzman started taking yoga classes after someone suggested that it was a good form of low impact exercise. He couldn't have guessed how attached to the studio he'd become. For the past three years, Jones has owned Yoga to Go. On April 1, she moved to Texas. “She asked me to step in and keep things running,” Katzman said. Katzman took a leap. He bought the studio and has been running it for the last three months. With a diverse professional background and a …

Eugeniya Klebanskaya sees herself as being no different than any other American who is just trying to make their way in the world. And in many ways, she is right.  For the past six years, Klebanskaya has owned her own tailoring business, Alterations and Shoe Repair Shop located at 4354 Telegraph Road. She is educated, cultured, sophisticated and single-handedly raised a daughter. But the path that led Klebanskaya to where she is today began a world away—and under circumstances few of us could even imagine. Klebanskaya first came to the United States in December of 1996 from South Beach, …