Iconic Belleville furniture store opens third location. Updates on three restaurants
Mueller Furniture, a longtime iconic Belleville retail destination, celebrated the opening of its third location in the old Dau Furniture building at 15424 Manchester Road in Ellisville, Missouri, with a ribbon cutting on Thursday, May 27.
Owner Mark Mueller said the Ellisville location was opened to accommodate customers in that area who were driving to visit the other locations, according to a recent press release.
“We made the decision to open this store based on our customer feedback,” said Mueller. “We knew that people in St Louis and St. Louis County wanted a quality, locally-owned furniture option and it was just a matter of us finding the right location.
“Mueller Furniture is now the oldest furniture company in the St. Louis region and part of the reason for that is because of the lengths we go to provide high-quality American-made furniture options, many of which are made right here in the Show-Me State,” Mueller continued. “But we also care about being a good community partner, and are excited to become part of the Ellisville community.”
This is the third regional location for the fourth-generation, family-owned business, according to the release. The others are at 9 Fountain Glass Drive in Lake St. Louis, Missouri, and the original store at 1004 E. Main St. in Belleville, which opened in 1927.
Mueller Furniture was founded by John Mueller, who ran the business until his death in 1952. It was then run by his sons, Roland and Les Mueller. Roland Mueller died in 1960.
Prior to running the furniture store, Les Mueller pitched for the Detroit Tigers. He retired from Mueller Furniture in the 1970s and died in 2012.
In March 2017, the News-Democrat reported the opening of the Lake St. Louis store. By then the business was being run by John Mueller’s grandson, Lynwood Mueller.
“We have been here since 1927,” said Lynwood Mueller in 2017. “My grandfather John Mueller started the business, and then was followed in it by his son, Roland, who was my uncle, and my dad, Les, who came into the business after he got done playing professional baseball with Detroit. My uncle unfortunately died at a relatively young age. He was 50. So that left just my dad and my mom at that point. It’s basically been described as a mom-and-pop store, a family business, which is common in a lot of furniture business.”
For more information about Mueller Furniture, visit muellerfurniture.com. Call 618-233-0667 for the Belleville store, or 636-234-3361 for either Missouri store.
Ground broken for new bank coming to O’Fallon
Farmers and Merchants National Bank (FMB) will open its seventh area location in O’Fallon this year.
In partnership with the City of O’Fallon and Poettker Construction, FMB broke ground for the new bank on May 18 at 1805 E. Highway 50 in O’Fallon, according to a May 25 release.
“Farmers and Merchants National Bank is excited to bring our services to the O’Fallon Community with the help of the City of O’Fallon and Poettker Construction,” states Stephen Greene, President of Farmers and Merchants National Bank. “We are committed to providing exceptional services with our traditional family and community banking values. As we continue to grow and achieve success, we are looking forward to stepping into new communities with our quality products and great customer service.”
The new facility is part of the Four Points Center development and planned for completion this fall.
FMB has six locations in St. Clair and Washington counties. For information about Farmers and Merchants National Bank, visit bankwithfmb.com.
East St. Louis animal shelter enters program to “Save the Unicorns”
Gateway Pet Guardians has partnered with Best Friends Animal Society and The Rachael Ray Foundation to give dogs second chances at life.
The East St. Louis animal shelter entered a program called the Unicorn Foster Squad Program, according to a recent release. Gateway Pet Guardians received a No-Kill Excellence Grant from Best Friends Animal Society, in collaboration with The Rachael Ray Foundation. The grant funds projects that have a proven direct impact on saving the lives of animals, allowing Gateway Pet Guardians to develop an eight-week online training course to teach other animal welfare groups how to implement their own programs.
“Like a mythical unicorn, [Gateway Pet Guardians] considers dogs within its Unicorn Foster Squad Program as rare and beautiful beings,” stated the release.
The unicorns are usually the first to be euthanized, particularly those with anxiety or are undersocialized. Gateway Pet Guardians works with foster parents and professional trainers to care for and train these dogs, making them eligible for adoption.
With this program, Gateway Pet Guardians will work with other animal welfare organizations across the U.S. to support fosters and adopters to give rescue dogs a chance. Support from Best Friends Animal Society will allow the program to be offered free to 40 organizations.
Gateway Pet Guardians is located at 725 N. 15th St. in East St. Louis. For more information, call 618-687-8007 or visit gatewaypets.org.
Other items of local interest:
Five Guys Burgers and Fries, located at 1118 Merchants Way, Suite 120, in O’Fallon is now open for dine-in and carryout. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. For information, call 618-206-6153 or visit fiveguys.com.
Crafty Crab, formerly Jack Crab, had its grand opening Saturday, May 29. Crafty Crab is located at 51 Ludwig Drive in Fairview Heights. Hours are noon to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and noon to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. For information, call 618-489-1153, visit craftycrabrestaurant.com or check out the Facebook page.
The Splash Pad at Kiener Plaza, 500 Chestnut St., St. Louis, is up and running for the season. In addition to the Splash Pad, the park includes paths around garden beds filled with native plants, bicycle parking, a bistro area with café tables and chairs, a children’s play garden and more. Kiener Plaza is free and open to the public. Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Urology of St. Louis opened a new location May 24 within Gateway Regional Medical Center at 2044 Madison, Suite G7, in Granite City. The office is open five days a week and is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, call 618-798-8440.
The grand opening date for McDonald’s at 906 Carlyle Ave. in Belleville has been changed. The new opening date is Wednesday, July 14 at 10 a.m., according to Terry Knoth of Estel Foods, Inc. Additional updates will be reported as information becomes available.
This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Iconic Belleville furniture store opens third location. Updates on three restaurants."
