Start by searching for the company's name on the Missouri Secretary of State's "Business Entity Database" online. You just might find an old address or other contact information. Some 19th-century manufacturing companies are still in business; of course, most are not.

You may also contact the City of St. Louis Recorder of Deeds, Archives Services section. They can help you with basic searches of city business records as far back as the late 18th-century.

Shopping for antiques is a popular past-time in St. Louis. Antique Row, located on Cherokee Street between I-55 and Jefferson Ave in South St. Louis, is full of interesting shops, including a bookstore, a cafe, and a florist.

A few antique shops are located in the Central West End on or near Euclid Ave.

Also South Broadway in the Carondelet area has several interesting shops that sell old, nearly antique items.

And don't forget thrift shops like Goodwill Industries, the Salvation Army, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. All three have major stores located on Forest Park Parkway near Sarah Street in midtown St. Louis.

The Salvation Army also has a store on Cherokee Street, just blocks from Antique Row, and Goodwill has a store on Morganford Road near the southern edge of the city.