Leather Trades Artist Lofts

I lived in Leather Trades for 2 years and it was probably the best apartment I’ve ever had for the money. Lots of space and amenities to take advantage of, and I always received a lot of help from the building’s manager, Jade.
Positives:
* Cheap rent for a incredibly updated loft.
* New washer/​dryer in the unit
* Secured parking beneath the building
* Pet friendly
* Great location (for the most part)
* Great kitchen
* Low cost of utilities (My largest electrical bill ever was around $ 50, but got as low as $ 20)
* Friendly management
* Solid sound-​proofing between units. I hardly ever heard my neighbors.
Negatives:
The biggest negative I had was my first loft at Leather Trades. I had one of the last available units upon their opening, and it was directly across from the sound room. I was told it was completely sound proof, but it wasn’t true. I constantly heard loud bands at all hours of the day, and it felt like they were playing directly in my unit. The idea of a sound room is great, but they didn’t put a lot of thought or effort into making it feasible for people who live on the same floor.
After a while I was moved to the 8^th floor, and I was lucky enough to have the same unit on a different floor. If I hadn’t met my fiancée I probably would’ve stayed there a number of years. The 8^th floor was quiet, and the people on the floor were pretty respectful.
However here are a few highlighted negatives:
* Like other reviewers said, some tenants are irresponsible and rude. There were a number of them who used the common room all the time, but never cleaned up after themselves.
* It is within walking distance of all major downtown attractions. However, cars were broken into plenty of times around the building. I can’t say there weren’t moments I was a bit nervous walking home by myself after a hockey game or a visit to a bar.
* You will get hit up for change every time you leave the door. Downtown St. Louis has a bit of a problem with the homeless. Most of them are very nice, but it gets a bit irritating to be asked multiple times for money on a simple walk around your neighborhood.
* There were some great artists in the building, however the worst artists were the ones that had their art hanging everywhere. It’s a bit embarrassing walking past some of the pieces when you bring people to your loft.
If you want a cool place, you are an artist, and you live on a smaller budget, Leather Trades is worth checking out. It isn’t perfect, and there is plenty of things that will frustrate you about the building, but trust me when I say the positives far outweigh the negatives.
Also, I wanted to note that another review says they nickel and dime you upon leaving. I had 2 different units in the building and received my full deposit back on both units. If you take care of your place you’ll have nothing to worry about.

While I agree with both of the reviews to a certain degree, those ‘committed artists’ you speak of are dwindling at a quick pace. The majority of the original tenants are no longer there, for good reasons. My boyfriend went through multiple interviews to finally get a loft there. Since then and after some of the originals moved out, the building manager has had a poor judge of character as to who she has let in over the past year. I have a dozen or so friends that are living in lofts downtown and Leather Trades is by far the least cared for or appreciated. While I am a believer in low rent opportunities such as this, this one in particular is the poster loft pertaining to the negative issues that may come along with tenants of low income housing. And God forbid you have a dog. You are apparently either letting it piss in the elevator or if one is seen without an owner, the dog will be escorted out of the building as if it is a random drunk. I had no problem with any of the residents directly, I blame the building manager, who is almost never there. They will also nickel & dime you when you decided to leave.