A new grocery stop has opened inside one of downtown St. Louis's most storied buildings, giving Washington Avenue residents a place to grab fresh produce, pantry staples and pizza without leaving the neighborhood. Dorsa Market opened in the historic Dorsa building at 1007 Washington Avenue, just two blocks from the convention traffic that flows through downtown, and it's the latest project from owner Corey James, who has called the building home for two decades.
James owns the market along with a planned neighboring speakeasy, and together the two projects are expected to cost about $60,000, according to bizjournals.com. As FOX 2 reports, James says the market offers everyday convenience items, fresh goods, local produce and a pizza café, and he has lived in the building for 20 years. He also plans to add ATM — At the Moment, a hidden multi-level speakeasy — though he says it isn't ready yet.
A Building With Layers of St. Louis History
The Dorsa building isn't just another downtown loft conversion. Its core is an 1902 red-brick wholesale warehouse with terra-cotta ornament designed by the noted St. Louis architecture firm of Eames and Young, according to the Preservation Research Office. In 1946, the structure got a dramatic update: an Art Moderne slipcover facade designed by Meyer Loomstein, with terra cotta crafted by sculptor Sascha Schnittman, the same source notes.
Inside, the building's first level once served as a showroom for the Dorsa Company, a seller of women's dresses, and per James, the building housed a dress and clothing manufacturer in the 1940s. Developer Larry Deutsch later renovated the property as one of downtown's first loft buildings in the early 1980s, the Preservation Research Office account states. Today, Dorsa Market joins Buddy's Local Grill & Bar and Bella's Coffee Café as businesses operating inside the same building.
A Washington Avenue Business Boom
James is a familiar name on this stretch of Washington Avenue. He took over Bella's Coffee Café from its original owners in 2018 and opened Buddy's Local Grill & Bar nearby in 2024, according to St. Louis Magazine. Bella's itself was converted from a frozen yogurt shop into an all-day café, driven by demand from locals and convention traffic, and the magazine describes the space as a 1,000-square-foot, 20-seat café with bar seating overlooking Washington Avenue and sidewalk seating on the way. Bella's also received a Downtown Retail Incentive Grant from Greater St. Louis Inc. and the St. Louis Development Corporation, per the same account.
Dorsa Market now joins The Bogen, Six Cord, Vanguard Lofts and Ventana Lofts in what's become a walkable, mixed-use pocket of downtown. Further down the block, the upcoming Wash Ave Food Hall is set to bring even more foot traffic to the corridor. Backed by Oliver Properties, which says it has invested more than $150 million in the Washington Avenue area — including over 650 residential units and 150,000 square feet of commercial space — the food hall represents a $6 million investment of its own, according to bizjournals.com. Plans call for the former home of Reign nightclub and Copia Restaurant and Wine Garden to become a 10,000-square-foot destination with eight food-and-beverage concepts, two central bars and an indoor-outdoor social space beneath a retractable roof, per St. Louis Magazine's separate coverage of the project.
Grocery Access Remains a Top Resident Concern
Dorsa Market's opening lands amid a broader push for grocery options downtown. A Downtown Neighborhood Association survey of 230 people who live and work in the area found that attracting new businesses — specifically grocery stores — was residents' top priority, according to First Alert 4. Eighty percent of respondents said they felt safe downtown during the day, though perceptions declined late at night, the station reported.
Residents specifically named Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Dierbergs as stores they'd like to see move into the neighborhood. Right now, the station notes, the nearest Aldi is roughly three miles away, Whole Foods is about four miles out, and both Trader Joe's and Dierbergs sit approximately nine miles from downtown. Greater St. Louis Inc. said it hasn't recently spoken with any stores actively eyeing a downtown location, while the Mayor's Office said attracting and supporting grocery retailers in St. Louis remains a high priority as officials continue engaging potential grocers about incentives.
