Things Are Heating Up In The MX
After months of selling a dream and talking about all of the things that will eventually populate the Mercantile Exchange District, it is really feeling like things are rolling around here these days.
The first of several restaurants opened for business with Pi opening across the street in the MX Building last month. The space underwent a beautiful transformation led by the local architects at Space. In keeping with the “green” theme that is a central focus of the MX project, most of the seating and tables for Pi were crafted by local company Mwanzi using re-purposed shipping pallet wood. Space is also designing the Robust location that will be on our ground floor in the Laurel Building. Space recently tweeted an early conceptual rendering.
Traffic is picking up in the leasing office with the Summer months upon us. We recently moved in our ceremonial “100th Move-In”. You can check out the picture on our Facebook page. We had a large group of “horse-lovers” stay with us earlier in the year so, “technically” we are well past 100 move-ins, but we still decided to honor these guys with gift cards to four downtown restaurants; Pi, Bailey’s Range, Stefano’s and Mosaic.
Other developments are keeping the buzz going about the Mercantile Exchange.
- A sign recently went up for Snarf’s Sandwiches next to Pi. We can’t wait to be able to get the peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich right across the street.
- Art students from Maryville University recently painted the Washington-facing windows of the National Blues Museum space to bring some color to that stretch of the street.
- The Collective at MX, curated by Nicole Benoist, will bring fashionable attire from all around the region to downtown, just steps from our residents. The target opening date is early Fall of 2012.
- The Creative Exchange Lab (Cel) has opened a downtown exhibition space at the corner of 7th and Locust. They will be hosting a Summer Film Series on Thursdays in July. The series will feature films focusing on “Architecture, Ecology, Urbanism and Design” according to the website.
More exciting things are in the works for the Mercantile Exchange. We’ll keep you posted.
MX Food Truck Picnic
This Wednesday, the folks behind the Mercantile Exchange development are throwing a picnic and you are invited. The Plaza at U.S. Bank will play host to the MX Food Truck Picnic and Pick Your Cause Ping Pong Tournament presented by Sauce Magazine. Eight teams of downtown office workers will compete in a Ping Pong tournament for area charities while several food trucks will be on-hand at 7th and Locust to provide food for the participants and onlookers. Lashly Baer is a supporting sponsor. The team from The Laurel Apartments will be on-site helping run the event.
Bragging rights are not the only thing on the line in this tournament. The teams each picked a charity to represent and, the top three teams will have varying amounts of money donated to their charity in their name from the event sponsors. The top team will also receive two tickets to Friday’s Cardinals game.
With food trucks spending more and more of their time at the big offices away from downtown, make sure you come out on Wednesday. 11:30a-1:30p will be the “Lunch” portion of the event and 5p-7p will be the “Happy Hour” portion of the event.
Here is the lineup
Lunch
Happy Hour
The Embassy Suites will also have a cash bar set up during the Happy Hour portion of the event serving Urban Chestnut beer.
While it’s just the Pi truck that will be at this event, the actual restaurant is slated to open towards the end of May at the corner of 6th and Washington in the MX District. In anticipation, they have donated two gift cards that will be awarded during the event.
Come out Wednesday for some great food with some great people. You may not see any ping pong on the level of this
but hey, the Blues are in the playoffs and the Cardinals’ home opener is Friday. Don’t Worry, Be Happy.