Warehouse expansion complete: 12,000 sqft, climate-controlled.

The warehouse expansion we started last summer is complete. Our footprint at 11122 Olive Blvd in Creve Coeur has grown from 7,500 to 12,000 square feet. New climate-controlled zones have been added specifically for wool regalia (Grand Lodge officer coats, sashes) and lambskin aprons, both of which are sensitive to Missouri summer humidity if not stored properly.

The new racking system supports 12,000 SKUs, up from 6,800 previously. That expanded inventory capacity allows us to hold Scottish Rite and York Rite regalia in standing inventory rather than ordering to fulfill (which was our approach through 2022). The result: faster ship times on Concordant Body orders and reduced dependence on wholesaler back-order timing.

Faster pick-and-pack cycles are another consequence. Our standard order turnaround has dropped from 48 hours to 24 hours for in-stock items. Bulk lodge furnishings that ship LTL freight still take 3 to 6 weeks depending on custom specifications, but standard regalia and ritual equipment orders now leave the yard the business day after order placement.

The expansion also gave us room for the custom jewel department to have its own dedicated bench area. Dana’s workstation is now separated from the pick-and-pack floor, which was overdue. Custom jewels are precision work; the shared warehouse acoustics were less than ideal.

Marcus and his shipping crew handled the transition without a single missed ship day. That is worth mentioning: we ran the expansion in-place, with the racking installer working around our normal operations. Not a single order was delayed by the construction.