Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Blakely
Jennifer , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After graduating from Hazelwood Central. Having no direction I took a job at Marshall’s. After a couple years I became a Merchandise Manager throughout the St. Louis area. In my late 30s I was looking for a new direction with 2 small kids being shut down in a building for 50-80 hours a week was not working. I partnered with Shane Mayer and we took on Pinnacle Plus a commercial cleaning company. Once we became a couple traveling with now 4 kids became an issue. We had a crazy idea to start a pet and family friendly boutique hotel that was the answer to traveling with large families or groups. . This is what settled us in Pacific. We broke ground on The Landing Hub in 2019. After opening in fall 2021 with the standard construction and Covid delays we were on our way. Designed from the ground up my experience in merchandising really paid off. Our knowledge from owning a cleaning company was age changer. Pacific was growing but still needed more. We love visiting cigar bars when traveling. It’s an amazing welcoming environment. We started thinking. This could be an amazing addition to Pacific. The building 115 W St. Louis street became available. Built in 1890 as the first bank in town. Still has the 1901 Diebold bank vault we transitioned into the humidor. Perfect 1,500 sq ft space was perfect. After 2.5 years open it’s become a destination for people and a home for locals. Groups out to celebrate, singles looking to work on their laptop , men and women. There are no strangers. Last year we were chosen as one of the top 10 cigar bars in the country. Opening The Cigar Vault has introduced us to so many people. It’s given us the ability to get involved with the community. This year The Chamber of Commerce voted both The Landing Hub and The Cigar Vault for business of the year.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The construction was the easy part. Realizing that our cigar and bourbon knowledge was just the top of the iceberg. We have a tremendous staff that has become a family. We are outgrowing the bar and starting to reconfigure shelving to house over 120 bourbons and 50 beers. Our crafted cocktails are a crowd favorite. It’s a constant ongoing learning process for both businesses
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I love to create. The Landing Hub is full of either my photos, artwork, repurposed furniture. I start creating accent walls out of whatever sparks my interest it’s a great environment. But The Cigar Vault. Not a corner in there isn’t full of some treasure. Everything is repurposed. People come in 3 times a week and are always finding something new.
What makes you happy?
Spending time with our kids. 3 in college 1 in high school. Our days of shuffling them around to friends and sports are over. We look forward to our time with them. Traveling is our hobby. We are constantly on the go whenever we can get away.
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