House of Soul’s Nichol Stevenson and Drexel Stith as they put the finishing touches on the venue ahead of its grand opening weekend October 18-19
This upcoming weekend is a long time coming for Nichol Stevenson. It marks the grand opening of the House of Soul, a live music and entertainment venue she envisioned when she and fellow co-founders Angela Brown and Rochelle “Coco Soul” Walker established the monthly open mic series Café Soul 13 years ago.
While speaking about the traveling musical evening that was hosted by some of the most popular clubs on the local scene, Stevenson talked about having a permanent venue that caters to the R&B/Soul community of St. Louis.
“I was tired of moving around,” Stevenson said. Café Soul outlasted several of the clubs that hosted them over the years. “About seven to ten years ago I said, ‘I want my own space – and I think I can do it.’
