When Andy and I first opened May’s Place, the primary goal of the shop was to sell vintage and antique furniture and housewares and I would have a rack or two featuring my vintage clothing collection, at the time under the label BLACKSHEEP Vintage, that I was selling online and at pop-ups. Andy returned to focusing on tattooing and I slowly started filling the store with more and more clothes. I never would’ve imagined the two brands would merge in such a way and that May’s Place would be what it is today, but I couldn’t be happier with the result! So much has happened in those five years…

We’ve built the most amazing community!

One who stands with us in our passion for sustainability, self expression and supporting the growth of other small businesses through our pop-ups, collaborations and our beloved Night Market. We absolutely could not keep doing what we do without the love and support of our incredible community and we are deeply grateful.

We were mentioned on Vogue.com!

Yes, that Vogue. If you missed it you can find it here. I’ve had my nose in that magazine for more than half my life and to be acknowledged on such a platform was honestly a dream come true. Next milestone I’m gunning for is a write-up in print. (:

We grew our team.

From running the operation by myself for years to now having a staff of brilliant, inspiring, passionate women - May’s Place would not be where we are today with out my girls. They’ve carried the torch on things I was once responsible for, and do it way better than I ever did! They’ve allowed me time to be a mother and the opportunity to be a leader. They are my family and I love them so much!

We moved locations!

From our modest little corner on Ivanhoe Ave to our dream space in the middle of the Grove, we couldn’t be more thrilled to have found our home in one of St. Louis’ most vibrant, forward thinking neighborhoods. Our Grove shop has offered a space for us to be creative, next level inspiration, and the most perfect neighbors. We love you, Rise Coffee.

We’ve re-homed thousands of garments, accessories and home goods.

We started this business with sustainability at the forefront of our minds. The goal was to show folks the value of buying second hand - not just for their wallet, but for the planet too. We continue to push our #slowfashion message and encourage everyone to think critically about how and where they shop.

We raised our voices.

It’s been my stance from the beginning that the business would stand as a platform for beliefs and causes that I hold dear. Walking the walk of my favorite adage to ‘be the change’. I’m proud to say that May’s Place has raised thousands of dollars over the years for beneficiaries like Planned Parenthood, Arch City Defenders & many more. We’ve donated coats and blankets to the local unhoused community, and bras, underwear and period supplies for those in need. In speaking out about what matters to us, we’ve helped to create awareness and normalize conversations about tough topics and inspired others to speak out as well. We will always operate with our community in mind and offer our voice and our hand whenever we can.

We’re meeting our customers where they are.

In a stroke of lucky timing, we launched our beautiful new e-commerce site around the same time we all had to quarantine and rethink how we interact with one another. We closed our door for a while and focused all our energy into making our collection available online both on the website and through our story sales, which have now become an institution all their own. This remote, real time interaction with our customers has been such a bright light in these seemingly dark times. Now the storefront is open again either by private appointment or our weekend walk-in hours and buzzing with the enthusiasm of those who feel comfortable shopping in person.

Five years in and there’s no slowing us down. We’ve always got plans cooking and lots of goals we’re striving for. I look forward to continuing to grow our community and making more of our collection available online. I’m working on bringing in some more amazing vendors for the holidays, and there’s some news about our signature soy candles coming down the pipeline soon… As I said before, we couldn’t do what we do without YOU, so thank you so much to everyone who has been a part of this journey. You are supporting me in my greatest dream, and I’ll never forget it.

We hope you’ll celebrate with us and allow us to share our appreciation at our Anniversary Sale this weekend from 11am-4pm Saturday and Sunday! Don’t miss this opportunity for unreal savings on our entire collection. Masks are required to shop.

With Gratitude,

Katie May