A Missouri grocery store that had been part of St. Louis’s Central West End since 1948 closed on September 25, ending a 78-year run at the same neighborhood address. While supermarkets nationwide are making difficult location decisions, the closure of Straub’s Markets on Kingshighway Boulevard marks the loss of a distinctive local institution.
The Straub’s store at 302 North Kingshighway Boulevard was a familiar stop near Maryland Plaza. The company announced the closing earlier in September and offered discounts as the store sold through its remaining inventory.
A decades-old neighborhood store shuts its doors
The September 25 closing was documented on the day itself by First Alert 4, which spoke with customers making their last visits. Several described the store’s convenience, friendly staff and fresh food as reasons they kept returning.
One shopper told the station that she traveled from South County to shop there, an indication that its appeal extended beyond the immediate neighborhood. Another resident worried about what the loss meant for people who walked to get groceries instead of driving.
Straub’s is not simply a generic supermarket banner. The family-owned business celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2026 and built a reputation in the St. Louis area for specialty foods, prepared offerings and personal service.
Company president and CEO Trip Straub thanked the Central West End community and employees when announcing the location’s pending closure. The message acknowledged the store’s long connection to generations of area customers without claiming that the entire business was shutting down.
What happens to the property and employees?
The building had been offered for sale months before the store’s final day. At the time of the closing, its future use remained unsettled. A property listing or a plan to market the building does not by itself mean a sale has been completed or that a new occupant has been chosen.
First Alert 4’s account included a shopper saying a staff member would be heading to the Clayton location. That suggests some employees may continue working for Straub’s, but it does not establish the number of workers transferred or whether everyone received another role.
The larger Straub’s Markets business continues operating other locations in Clayton, Webster Groves and Town & Country. Customers who want to keep shopping with the company therefore have alternatives, even though the closing removes the original neighborhood convenience of the Kingshighway store.
There is an important difference between saying St. Louis lost this Straub’s storefront and saying the entire company went out of business. The available reporting clearly establishes the first and contradicts the second.
For Central West End residents, the immediate question is what kind of retail operation, if any, may eventually occupy the prominent property. No confirmed replacement tenant was documented in the sources reviewed.
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