About Us

Hi I am Katie Reuther and I am the owner of Whistle Stop 301. 

I have had a love for the building that is now, Whistle Stop 301 since I was 12 years old. The building was the first pharmacy west of the Mississippi River, built-in 1870. It was boarded up and vacant for years, but I envisioned it being a part of rejuvenating Old Town St. Peters for a long time. It has so much character and it became a new passion to rehab and restore the building to its original beauty. As a person with a zeal for art, history, and design, creating a space for other artists/makers to sell their work just felt like an amazing use for this space.

Although this is where I am now, I have had several career changes over the last 22 years. I originally obtained a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education and absolutely loved teaching underprivileged communities in Chicago and St. Louis. Then my mom passed away in 2011 and it rocked my world. I ended up taking over her job of running our family construction business for 8 years while getting married and raising my babies. In 2019, I realized I missed having a job that I was passionate about, so I opened my heart and mind to new possibilities. That’s when this building that I had loved since I was young went into foreclosure and I saw an opportunity.

My vision was to make this building into a collective boutique housing local makers, vendors, and artists and dozens of nationally recognized gift brands. I wanted to be the go to place in St. Peters for home decor, apparel, jewelry, candles, and so much more.

So at the end of 2019, I quit my full-time job and used all my savings to begin this project with my husband’s aunt. Our goal was to open in the spring of 2020, however, the COVID pandemic hit, and those plans were on hold for several months. Over that time, it wasn’t always easy to stay focused on our goal, but we pushed ahead and opened in October 2020. It was thrilling, but we quickly realized it was a lot of work to run this shop and get the attention it needs. In 2022, my husband’s aunt decided to leave the business and that meant I was on my own to make keep building this business and to fulfill my vision.

I was on my way, working to restore, stock and get the word out about this amazing building and all the wonderful vendors it holds when I faced another big setback. The store was majorly damaged when we were hit with flash floods on July 26, 2022 and my dream was once again tested. The store was closed for four months and those were some of the most excruciating months of my life. Friends and family constantly asked me if it was worth starting all over again, and my answer was always the same, “how am I supposed to give up my dream?” I had put my heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into this project and refused to give up. By the Grace of God, enduring support from my family and friends, and my stubbornness, I finally started fresh and re-opened in November 2022!

Since the reopening, things have truly been incredible. The community is so supportive, and the City of St. Peters has partnered with me to bring my vision, Twilight Markets on Main, to fruition. These outdoor events take place the 2nd Saturday of every month, April-November from 3-7 pm and include live music, food, drinks, yoga, and dozens of local makers, vendors, and artists.

I am so excited about Whistle Stop 301’s role in bringing new life to Main Street St. Peters and I hope if you have the opportunity you stop by to see all that we have in store.