2024 Year In Review: 40+ Inspiring St. Louis Stories

As the year winds to a close, we’re excited to reflect on the many inspiring and uplifting St. Louis stories we’ve shared in 2024.

From highly creative artists and revered local arts institutions to visionary entrepreneurs and community leaders, we’ve shined a light on the innovative minds helping to make our city an even more vibrant place to live, work, and play. Explore a few of these stories in the video above, and reflect on all of our STLMade stories from the past year below.

Thank you for helping us elevate these voices in 2024, and cheers to sharing more St. Louis stories in 2025.

Opera for All – Part One: A national and international jewel, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis brings world-class opera to the metro in welcoming and accessible ways.

Opera for All – Part Two: With its first-of-its-kind New Works Collective, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis brings representation and previously unsung stories to the stage.

Getting a Close Up: An upcoming movie about St. Louis native John O’Leary, a burn survivor turned motivational speaker and author, is the first to take advantage of a new state tax credit helping to revive the local film industry.

All Around Art: Artist, teacher, and St. Louis native Marley Billie D creates boldly colorful, mixed-media artworks that borrow inspiration from her upbringing in several local youth programs, a childhood trip to Ghana, and the dedicated mentorship of several St. Louis-area artists, among other influences. 

Steps Ahead: Artistic powerhouses Kirven and Antonio Douthit-Boyd are broadening and elevating the dance community at the Center of Creative Arts and in the St. Louis metro.

A Cornerstone of Culture: Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis celebrates 20 years of art and growth in the Grand Center Arts District.

Off the Charts: Ricardo Recci Gonzalez is making St. Louis a more welcoming place by growing the Hispanic music scene — one concert and broadcast at a time.

One to Watch: Angel Recci has a vision to elevate Spanish-language television, music, and live entertainment in the St. Louis area — and piece by piece, he’s making it a reality.

New Stages: In just three years, the St. Louis region has gained three world-class music festivals, bringing national and local artists to stages across the metro.

In Perfect Harmony: For nearly three decades, BandTogether has united LGBTQ+ musicians of all ages and skill levels to share beautiful music and performance with the St. Louis community.

Words on the Street: With PSA, Shannon Levin and Marina Peng elevate and amplify St. Louis artists with unexpected and accessible art installations around town.

In the Key of Collaboration: With his bootcamp, Mvstercamp, St. Louis artist, producer, and songwriter Mvstermind is elevating creativity and collaboration — and the city’s music scene.

Mother of Invention: With Bask & Bloom Essentials, Candera Thompson has created hair-care products that empower women and help with postpartum hair health.

A Visionary Idea: Saint Louis University scientist Jenna Gorlewicz’s team is building Inclusio, a groundbreaking digital tool to translate graphic information into accessible formats for people with blindness or low vision.

The Heart of Things: SentiAR‘s hands-free headset enables surgeons and physicians to see 3D, mixed-reality, real-time images of patients’ hearts.

From the Ground Up: St. Louis startup HabiTerre uses cutting-edge geospatial technologies to pave the way for agricultural solutions to climate challenges.

Pet Project: With its line of all-natural nutritional supplements hitting retail stores nationwide, St. Louis-based Native Pet is evolving pet nutrition for dogs.

Empowering Entrepreneurs: By supporting first-time entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, Cortex’s Square One programs, led by Ben Molina and Gabriela Ramirez-Arellano, are bringing inclusive economic growth to the St. Louis metro.

Designed for Dialogue: Rooted in social responsibility found in Cuban-inspired posters, creative firm CARTEL uses design to drive conversations around inclusivity and urban development in St. Louis.

Chain Reaction: Rick Shang’s Vulpes Corp has the potential to upend the U.S. chemical manufacturing industry, from environmental and supply chain perspectives; creating U.S. jobs while introducing greener technologies.

Community Fabric: At Profield Reserve on Cherokee Street, Christopher Loss designs vintage sportswear-inspired clothing — and offers a community hub for all.

Building a Legacy: Architects Peter Tao and Helen Lee are leaving their mark on St. Louis’ built environment and helping to transform the community itself.

A Cut Above: At Homegrown Hair Co. in Tower Grove South, Caitlin Tyczka creates an inclusive, welcoming environment for all by offering gender-neutral hair services.

Seeds of Change: Founded in Argentina, agtech startup Seed Matriz is developing seed encapsulation technology so farmers can save and plant more seeds — and thanks to investment and support in St. Louis, the business is now growing in the heartland.

Fashion Forward: For 10 years, the Saint Louis Fashion Fund has helped grow and evolve the city’s fashion industry — and thanks to co-founder Susan Sherman, its future looks just as vibrant.

Edible Education: Serving seasonal eats, Fresh Gatherings Cafe + Farm is a unique culinary teaching lab on the Saint Louis University campus — and serves as a model for colleges far and wide.

From Ranch to Rajma: Maaji’s Street Kitchen in St. Ann offers wholesome homestyle Northern Indian Cuisine cooked lovingly by chef, owner, and resident “maaji,” or mother, Heena Chopra. 

Main Attraction: When father-and-son team Barry and Denny Foster opened Main & Mill Brewing Company, they also ushered in a new era for now-thriving Festus Main Street.

A Latte of Love: With three successful cafes opened in four years, Latte Lounge owner and entrepreneur Nyshaun Harvey is bringing coffee and community to the St. Louis metro. And that’s only the beginning.

Prep Work: With Top Tutors For Us, founder Angelica Harris is helping Black high school students build academic skills and improve college admissions test scores in St. Louis and across the U.S.

A World of Possibilities: Founded at Vashon High School, Show Me the World Project provides transformative education in entrepreneurship, leadership, and STEM to students in under-resourced communities in St. Louis.

Generation Geospatial: At Harris-Stowe State University, Dr. Freddie E. Wills, Jr., is training students from historically Black colleges and universities across the U.S. for futures in geospatial science.

A Different Ball Game: At True Success Basketball & Fitness Academy in St. Charles, Thurlester Robinson, Jr. uses basketball as a vehicle to teach kids lessons in teamwork, self-esteem, and leadership.

Set Up for Success: At the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Jonathan Lidgus and his team help students with disabilities thrive in college and land successful careers.

Feeding the Need: The Little Angels Foundation serves hot, home-cooked meals to refugees, immigrants, and the unhoused community in St. Louis.

Fair Play: Unlimited Play founder Natalie Mackay designs and builds inclusive playgrounds for children across the St. Louis metro — and in cities across the country.

Foundational Fathers: A new St. Louis-based program, Dads to Doulas, seeks to empower Black men in all aspects of fatherhood — both to enrich their parenting journeys and to advocate for the health of their partners and children.

Paths Forward: Great Rivers Greenway is working to connect the region, one project and pathway at a time.

Brick by Brick: The legacy of St. Louis’ historic brick industry is alive and well in Laclede’s Landing, Main Street in St. Charles, and downtown Alton, Illinois.

Bridging a Divide: In the growing Delmar Maker District and beyond, restaurants, maker and retail spaces, and nonprofits are thriving, ushering in a new era for the neighborhood.

Home Run: Exploring St. Louis by foot, Ricky Hughes helps locals and transplants alike connect with the city in a new way through St. Louis Run Crew.

Fit for Everyone: Team Saint Louis, an inclusive sports league, welcomes all for fitness, friendship, and fun.

Editor’s Note: Our story on R&R Marketplace published at the very end of December 2023, and therefore wasn’t included in our 2023 Year in Review video. We’ve included the story in this year’s video, and you can read the full story here.