A St. Louis institution is celebrating a big milestone this week: Blueberry Hill is turning 50.
The bar on the Delmar Loop opened on September 8, 1972. Known for its burgers, shelves full of memorabilia and live music, it's been an iconic spot in the city for residents and tourists.
Joe Edwards, who owns Blueberry Hill along with his wife Linda, joined KMOX to talk about the anniversary. He said the journey has been "quite an odyssey" from the time he graduated college and started the establishment.
He said after he graduated, like many fresh college graduates, he had no idea what he wanted to do.
"And I figured, well, I have a big record collection of 30,000 45 RPMs -- and for those who know those old records before CDs and the internet -- and lots of pop culture memorabilia," he said. And he figured, "If I put the pop culture memorabilia and display cases and program the jukebox, maybe people might enjoy it as the neighborhood place. And little by little through the years that happened."
He said that he knew that if he wanted Blueberry Hill to make it, he'd have to do some revitalization to the Delmar Loop. He borrowed some money from friends, started organizing, and got to work on improving the area.
"Little by little we beautified the Loop with flower planters and dusk-to-dawn lights to make it safer down the alleys and under canopies, and trash receptacles more and more and more to kind of clean up the street. And little by little it happened," he said.
Then, Edwards founded the non-profit St. Louis Walk of Fame as an attraction, which he said has influenced our culture and instills a sense of pride in the city.
As for what's next for Blueberry Hill, Edwards hopes to keep things consistent. He's seen success the way it's been running for the past 50 years, and the way the environment brings people out.
Blueberry Hill is celebrating its anniversary with a party on Thursday -- no tickets required -- that will have a blue carpet, raffles, cake, champagne, live music and more. Find out about the event on their website.
To hear more from Blueberry Hill owner and founder Joe Edwards, listen to his full interview on Total Information AM:
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