ST. LOUIS — A pair of St. Louis business owners are suing their landlords after lead contamination forced them to close their café on Delmar.
Brew Tulum owner, Laura McNamara, said they are speaking out in hopes of change.
Nestled between Union and North Kingshighway Boulevards, the Delmar Maker District is a spot for change, and McNamara saw that spark.
"I really like that idea of revitalizing, bringing life to an area," she said.
McNamara and her husband wanted to be a part of that vision, so they opened up Brew Tulum, a specialty coffee and Mexican eatery, in September of 2022. A business that's roots were planted on the beaches of Mexico.
"We even had clients come in when we had pop-ups and they'd show up and say, 'Hey we were at your coffee tasting down in Tulum, and then the next thing we see you're doing is you're popping up a few blocks away,'" she said.
Unfortunately, that dream was a short-lived reality, after their 1-year-old son, at the time, tested positive for lead contamination.
"Not only that but he was high enough whereby regulation, the pediatrician had to notify the city and state of a case of lead toxicity in a child under six years old," she said.
Quickly after, McNamara and her husband also tested and their numbers came back even higher than their son's.
That's when, according to McNamara, they decided it was time to get their business swabbed for dust.
"The current regulation by EPA, if you look it up online, is ten micrograms per square foot on the floor, and this swab came back at 88, so we're talking almost nine times over what is deemed as safe," she said.
Following that discovery, McNamara thought they were all on the same page to get this safety hazard fixed.
After temporarily closing down to clean, McNamara said the company the building owners hired wasn't certified to clean and prevent lead.
According to our partners at the business journal, an attorney representing the landlords at Bridge Delmar LLC, said they hired a risk assessor who found no hazards.
"We had hoped that we could open back up. We'd hope that eventually the situation would be seen for what it was, but it wasn't," McNamara said.
Now a blank sign hangs where the sign 'Brew Tulum' once lived.
The husband-and-wife duo closed down in November 2023 and McNamara said now they hope this lawsuit can bring some change for the community.
"As we dug into this, there is a complete lack of proper oversight and regulation in this. I was a little bit baffled," she said.
Despite the closed doors, McNamara believes this is the sign of a bigger problem in the city.
"It sheds light and then illuminates that our place is probably not the only one with a similar situation," she said.
McNamara and her husband are trying to keep their business alive through pop-ups and catering events, but she said, it's an ongoing battle and they're struggling financially.
Donate to Brew Tulum here.