Missouri Mercantile expanded into a second retail location in Westport just in time for the Christmas season.

“We love it here,” said Cindy Millikin, manager of the Westport Store. “It’s a perfect location. There are a lot of businesses here at Westport, plus with the hotel a lot of people coming to town for business meetings or training or just to visit St. Louis. We get the out of town crowd from that, plus a lot of locals come to Westport for lunch because of all of the restaurants. Then they stay to shop, which is perfect for us.”

Millikin started working for Missouri Mercantile almost by accident. “I was a customer. In 2004 they sent out an email asking for some part time help at Christmas. That was six years ago and I’m still here. The next year, we had over 500 gift boxes to get out, so all our kids came in. We said it looked like Santa’s Little Workshop back there. My daughter is 21 and she’s worked here during Christmas and over her summer breaks since she was 16. I just love it. Everyone who works for Missouri Mercantile is like a big family.”

Missouri Mercantile’s first store opened in 2002. Millikin said the owner, William Olwig, fell in love with local products he discovered seasonally at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. When he couldn’t find his new favorites the rest of the year, he decided to open a store in order to make Missouri products available year round.

The first Missouri Mercantile was located in Old Town Florissant. They moved when the St. Louis Mills Mall opened.

Missouri Mercantile had a longstanding relationship with Westport due to the annual Missouri Winefest (Feb 12-13, 2011). After five years as a Winefest Vendor, they were familiar with the crowds that came to Westport’s events and look forward to good foot traffic in the new location.

“Most of the things they do here are free,” said Millikin. “They had fireworks at New Years, and the store was packed. If you’ve been here during the outdoor movies or the Winefest you’ll see great crowds. When Westport approached us to open a store here, we knew it’d be a great way to expose Missouri products.”

Missouri wines are always popular, but the store also stocks a few refrigeratable goods such as locally made sausages and cheeses as well as non-perishables like soup and dip mixes, local honey, apple butter, spice mixes, hand made skin care products, the South Butt line of clothing and Wind in the Willows.

“It’s so hard to get into grocery stores here,” said Millikin. “Wind in the Willows is a big regional success. We’ve had people come in and say they had no idea it was a Missouri product because they buy it all the time at a grocery store in Tennessee.”

Although they stock plenty of products from across Missouri, they have a large selection of things made right here in St. Louis including Fitz Sodas from University City, Fat Pat’s seasonings, Randy’s Dips and Salsas, Herbaria Soaps, hand poured candles made in a refurbished old factory in south county and an assortment of local history books.