I had exactly 42 minutes to spare.
If Waze (my preferred map app) was correct, I could make a detour, spend 22 minutes at a side stop, pick up the road again, and arrive at my final destination in Kentucky right on time.
I approached the greater St. Louis area at 9:10 AM.
The traffic gods were working in my favor. I took the plunge and detoured.
At exactly 9:30 AM, I arrived at Sign of the Arrow, located at 9814 Clayton Road in St. Louis, Missouri, just as the shop opened.
The trick, of course, was going to be getting out of the shop in 22 minutes. (I’m not very good at getting out of needlework shops in 22 minutes.)
The Sign of the Arrow is a needlepoint and gift shop located west of downtown St. Louis proper, not too far off I-64 (which also worked in my favor).
If you are an enthusiast of needlework stuff, it’s definitely worth a stop!
It’s a sunny, bright shop, very clean and tidy, open and airy, with lots to explore.
Predominantly, it’s a needlepoint shop focusing on painted canvases.
Opening to one side of the shop is a very nice classroom area, where a morning class was just getting underway.
The opposite side of the shop to the classroom entrance is mostly a gift shop, featuring lovely boutique style gifts, some of which are St. Louis-specific stationary and art prints by local artists.
The walls on the stitching half the shop are covered with colorful canvases, with racks of canvases placed here and there as well.
From what I could tell from the ones I could see at eye level, these are all high-quality, skillfully painted canvases – and there are sooooo many of them!
Although I’m not generally a needlepointer, I have worked a few painted canvases in my life. They always remind me of vacation.
Admittedly, I am beguiled by splashy, bright, fun canvases, and I am drawn like a magnet to tropical fish-themed ones.
My budget, however, is another question altogether. I had the leave that fish on the wall, despite the look of longing in its eye. I know it wanted to go with me.
The shop has a vast selection of strap and belt canvases, too – along with beautiful purses that you can customize with needlepointed straps.
It also looks like they offer a top-notch finishing service for needlepoint goods. Looking at some of the samples in the store of the finished belts and straps, I have to say, they were impressively done. Really meticulous and beautiful.
Even if you’re not a needlepointer, needlepoint shops are not just about canvases.
They’re also about that common denominator in all stitchery: thread!
Sign of the Arrow is no exception. There is a Giddy Abundance of thread in this shop.
You know what I mean, right?
Racks of threads dripping with skeins of all kinds of textures, types, and colors?
The Great Wall of Thread that makes your little heart go pitter-patter?
As I departed, I thought, “Wow! What a nice shop!” It’s a very pleasant establishment and the people were all super friendly.
You’ll be happy to know I made it out of the shop with two (very) small purchases, sticking to my budget like a good girl. I could have done some serious damage, though – especially buying threads that I would have loved to review for you! But alas, I had to play it safe.
I was rather proud of myself for getting out in 24 minutes and in sticking with my allotted budget. That was a rare experience, indeed.
The shop visit was well worth the detour, so if you’re ever traveling east or west on I-64, swing by The Sign of the Arrow in St. Louis!
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