COTTLEVILLE 鈥 On a recent May afternoon, 50度灰视频 natives Stephen and Emily Savage surveyed their newest acquisition: four and a half grassy acres that are the future home of Cottle Village, a development with a restaurant and bar, whiskey distillery and outdoor stage.
A former plant nursery, the Cottleville land is rich in ornamental grass and shady trees, making for a rural Missouri oasis, the couple said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not only preserving the land the best we can for people to enjoy, but also to create what is a need for the community around here,鈥 said Stephen Savage, who owns and operates the 1000 Spruce, Wheelhouse Downtown and Start Bar restaurants and entertainment venues in downtown 50度灰视频.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just got a very good feel to it,鈥 he said.
After moving to the area three years ago, Stephen Savage said he and Emily began to see the need for a large neighborhood restaurant and multi-venue hospitality space. The couple bought the plot at 6470 Highway N in October.
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At first, some of the nearby residents voiced concerns about the development during city meetings, Stephen Savage said. Residents were afraid the Savages would not follow through on their promises or that the land would be used for something like a storage facility or car wash.
But, Savage said that after he met with the local homeowners association and folks who lived in the houses bordering the Cottle Village property to explain his plans, worries were squashed. Construction began in April and the businesses are expected to open by the end of the year.
The main building, a former farmhouse now dubbed the Tavern, will be a 270-seat two-story restaurant and bar serving affordable American steakhouse-style food. The renovated building will also boast a second-floor lounge and private event space.
鈥淵ou see a lot of restaurants that claim to be a neighborhood restaurant, but their prices price out and then it becomes more of a destination,鈥 Savage said. 鈥淲e want this to be built for the neighborhood.鈥
Behind the Tavern will sit the distillery and patio. Here, Cottle Village will host straight-from-the-barrel tastings for groups and corporate outings. Savage said customers can purchase bottles to take home, depending on the distillery鈥檚 inventory.
Next door will be the Field, home to the Tiny Tavern, a seasonal fast-casual food stand, with a stage for live music, fire pits with chairs, picnic tables and pathways. Along with musical performances, Cottle Village plans to host events, such as sport education classes and local chef pop-up dinners.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e not in the city where you can just walk up to anything anywhere, so what鈥檚 cool is that you can come here and you can go to quite a few different options.鈥 Emily Savage said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of different options in one place, which is why we call it a village.鈥
There will also be a 155-space parking lot for cars and golf carts.
Stephen Savage said the project is a $6 million investment, made possible by Small Business Administration loans and help from Elevate Bank. Some of the Savages鈥 family members are also investors in the property.
Cottle Village is expected to add 100 jobs to the area, he said.
鈥淗opefully it becomes synonymous with Cottleville,鈥 Emily Savage said. 鈥淐ottleville already has so much to offer. We鈥檙e just hoping to add a little bit more and a little bit larger scale to continue to support the growth that鈥檚 around here.鈥