KIRKWOOD, Mo. – Since opening in 1947 at the corner of South Kirkwood Road and Monroe Avenue, not much has changed at Spencer’s Grill.
The familiar diner with the neon sign and clock holds a peculiar distinction among locals.
“Supposedly, it’s the oldest neon sign and clock west of the Mississippi,” George Mahe, dining editor for St. Louis Magazine, said. “In any case, it’s a really cool sign. You see that lit up at night and the train station in the distance. It’s about as Americana as it gets.”
But last week, Spencer’s quietly closed its doors, wrapping up more than seven decades of business.
“It’s always unusual when a place closes,” Mahe said. “But especially a place as storied as Spencer’s Grill. It’s been around for 77 years. The bigger they are, the harder they fall. That’s three generations of diners that can tell stories about the place. That’s that many people that are going to be upset.”
Current owners Hannah and Alex Campbell would not speak on camera but said they’re looking for the right owner who could give Spencer’s new life.
“Spencer’s over time has had seven or eight owners,” Mahe said. “Several in the same family. All with the same mindset of really great food and great conversations. It’s kind of like a Cheers bar where everyone knows your name, and if they don’t, the owners make sure they all do.”
The owners said they’re hoping to find someone to “carry the torch, who believes in Spencer’s Grill as much as (they) do.”
In the meantime, as drivers and pedestrians make their way along the Old Route 66 corridor to the picturesque train station or one of the many Kirkwood businesses, Spencer’s Grill sits frozen in time, waiting to come back to life as a familiar food destination for breakfast and continuing conversations from diners that date back to the 1940s.
Afterall, it’s more than just a 47-seat diner in downtown Kirkwood. It’s part of the storied history of this little town.
The clock on the outdoor neon sign remains stuck at 5:08. How long it’ll be that way is anybody’s guess. It’s right at least twice a day.
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