ST. LOUIS — It's been months since anyone sidled up the bar at Parlor, weeks since the arcade games glowed brightly.
This business — and others with Sean Baltzell at the helm — had closed for coronavirus when Baltzell was suddenly and simultaneously in the center of a social media firestorm.
"Leadership is a tough position to be in," Baltzell said. "You're under a microscope, but we will try to move forward and be better and listen and learn and continually create a better environment."
Baltzell's been accused of creating a toxic work environment, one with verbal harassment and physical altercations, allegations he denies. He's since filed a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit against people who he believes organized the social media campaign, pledging any damages or settlement money to non-profits.
"They say [business] is a war without the bullets, right? Business can be heated. It can be intense. There are definitely moments of intense passion, right?" Baltzell said.
But former employees tell 5 On Your Side they witnessed the violent behavior first hand.
"I've seen him verbally and physically assault anywhere from customers that were strangers to people he had known for a long time, to his friends, to his business partners, to my own employees," former Parlor General Manager Andrew Orlando said.
"I've seen customers get punched a couple of times for sure," Neal Emery, another former employee, said. "I've seen him go into other businesses and kind of be a bully."
While Baltzell was accused of violent outbursts, another allegation surfaced for an investor: sexual assault. Baltzell says they investigated the claims, severing ties with the man involved.
"When we learned about that, we were just as shocked as anyone," Baltzell said.
The months that followed have been tough -- emotionally and financially -- in a neighborhood centered around the tight-knit service industry. Last month, painters created a mural facing Manchester Avenue with the message "consent is my love language," a direct response to the allegations centered around Baltzell's businesses.
"It's hard not to think that obviously," he said. "I feel that I completely agree with the message, you know, so I have no qualms with that mural. I think we need more murals down here and more positive messaging."
As Baltzell prepares to reopen his businesses, he says he plans to implement changes, including more women in management roles. Though some say they
"It was just overwhelming, and most of us said there's no way that we can move forward working with a person like this," Orlando said.
"I trusted the guy, and now I don't," Emory added.
Baltzell acknowledges he won't be able to change everybody's mind since "everybody will always have their opinions," but he does add "what we can do is listen to the accusers and listen to anybody who has had a negative experience and try to grow from that."
Baltzell says the reopening dates for Parlor — and neighboring bar Takashima Records on the eastern end of The Grove — are pending.
Contact reporter Sara Machi on Facebook and Twitter.
