My friends Jeff & Randy Vines, the owners of STL Style House in St. Louis whom I profile in the book, have come up with a brilliant idea to spread the love for their city. They have created a project call the St. Louis Group Hug. Over the next few weeks they are encouraging local citizens to“scour the city for your favorite people, places, and objects—ones that define our city and/or help to explain why you love St. Louis—and HUG these subjects for the camera. Get a friend to snap a photograph of you with your arms wrapped around your favorite St. Louis building, business, monument, person, etc.”
On June 2nd they are hosting a party at their store for a viewing party of the photo submissions. They will gather other lovers of the city and who knows what other ideas, projects and actions may result. I am sure beer will also be involved.
These guys are total lovers of their city – in what they do both personally and professionally. Their enthusiasm for the city is infectious and I can’t wait to see the results of this event. Small things like this that engage people, invite them to contribute and make them smile create an enormous amount of emotional capital for places.