2024 UPDATE: The documentary is available to buy or rent. Plus, the official trailer.
The only downside to Thanksgiving is it marks the end of reasonable shopping until December 25th. The mere thought of the huckster retail hell that begins with Black Friday causes me real anxiety. That they start Black Friday earlier every year has me contemplating therapy.
If this rings true for you as well, the antidote is to shop local. Buying as much of your holiday bounty from independently owned St. Louis businesses supports your community, your neighborhood and the local folks who’ve stuck their neck out to go against the Big Box tide.
A perfect way to celebrate this Black Friday is to StL two-bird-one-stone it on the local tip by heading to the St. Louis Curio Shoppe between 1 – 3 pm and buy a DVD copy of Bill Streeter’s film Brick By Chance and Fortune: A St. Louis Story.
A special thank you to Streeter for giving all of us who appear in the film free copies. You’ve already taken care of a sizable chunk of my Christmas shopping with this generous offering. And thank you for making all of us proud of our Brick City!
It seems it’s gone to only streaming or digital download. But you can ask them about DVD copies by contacting them here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/brick
Is this DVD still available?
Interesating subject. My fathers family came to St. Louis not long after the big riverfront fire that levelled the wooden buildings of the original wharf area. The family was/is generational masters of masonry.(Often wondered about that timing) My father was often called upon to travel to distant cities to help with projects. he was a master artisan and was known as “The Best Damned Corner Man in the Business” When he passed, in 1998, we were told that many sites shut down for 5 minutes or dso in his honor. The day of his burial a gentle cold rain fell. It was a misty day and very in character with our Scot heritage. I had thought the following, but mom voiced it. “Your father is giving his crews the day off.” “it’s to wet to lay brick and block, y’all go home” Though I no longer live in the St. Louis area. My father started out as a “cub” bricklayer, working for his father. the first job he worked on were the units of the Coral Courts. many structures around town. including Plaza Frontenac. The curvilinear walls around the Zoo and the great ape house (For which my mother teased him no end),my father literally has a hand in. With the brick buildings ,sidewalks, and even streets. I still enjoy my visits to St. louis. I feel my familys’ connection to the area. I honor my father and my grandfather,and my great granfather by displaying their tools on a wall in my brick MCM home. They carry the scars of a craft, and others carry the sheen of many years of hand held use. Some of these pieces are over a century old. Thgough not monetarily, I can say my ancestors, along with thousands of other hardworking souls, literally built St. Louis.