Monthly Archives: December 2011

The Way We Were

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Original Art Deco light fixture

Just had to write a quick blog about this Brookside area listing in Brownwood Park!  What a fantastic example of the way we were…this home built during the Art Deco craze of the 1930s…

Brookside area Art Deco home

There is original tilework, so well preserved, in the kitchen and bath of this home.  Brillant colors, original cabinets, the built in cutting board…

Brookside area Art Deco home

Also, check out the crown molding at the ceiling…

The living room features the original fireplace as well.

Brookside area Art Deco fireplace

Now for many buyers, all this deco would be a turn-off.  They would see this house as ‘too much work’–ripping out the tile and replacing it, updating the kitchen and bath cabinets, the sinks, the flooring.  But there is someone out there who will buy this house specificically for the original art deco charm. 

Brookside area Art Deco bath

The craftsmanship that built this home…gone forever, I’m afraid.  Still, after decades of various owners and home style changes, the deco decor is still so easy to appreciate. What is the classic home style decor today that will still look so cool 80 years from now??

 

Holiday Gift Ideas from Brookside!

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What makes the best holiday gifts?  To me, it’s receiving something that’s a bit of a splurge that I wouldn’t normally  buy for myself.  Most everyone is more conservative with spending these days, so a little luxury type  gift that lifts spirits is so appreciated.  On my splurge list:  top quality coffee, a beautiful Christmas serving dish, fragrant soaps and lotions, pretty patterned leather gloves, a pedicure, hand made earrings.  As you are rushing around this week looking for those last minute presents, keep the splurge gift idea in mind.  And of course…shop Brookside!  Lots of splurge  —  and practical — gifts here.  Plus, the service is so much better than a cranky generic mall clerk and many shops offer free holiday wrap.  Read on for a few last minute gift suggestions from my neighborhood:

For Mom:  A night off from cooking!  Pick up a gift card from Carmen’s Cafe , Bella Napoli or Cosentino’s.

Jewelry  — or just about anything–from Stuff

Christmas decor from The Fiddly Fig

For Dad:   A massage from Massage Point, haircut from Brookside Barber Shop, services from Rydell Tailor.

For Grandma:  Scarf, jewelry or scented soaps from Worlds Window

Glass dishes from Shop Beautful

Scented candles from 5B Candlemaker

For Gen X and Y:  Gift card to Julian or The Roasterie

For kids:            Books from Reading Reptile

Card Games from Brookside Toy and Science

Bunch of hair ribbons from The New Dime Store

Gift card from Baskin Robbins/Topsy’s

I hope you find these suggestions helpful.  Shopping in Brookside isn’t a dreaded chore–you’ll find just about everything you need right here, with your dollars staying in the local economy.  Happy holidays and I hope your stocking is stuffed with a splurge gift for you!

It’s Christmastime and I Miss My Kids

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On Saturday I was baking gingerbread cookies for a cookie exchange party.  It was chilly and rainy, the kitchen radio playing good tunes, I was working the dough and then, shades of sadness moved in.  My kids are now old enough so that baking Christmas cookies with Mom is no longer an annual event.  They were gone, one working at the Dime Store, the other on the Plaza with friends. I was alone.

Naturally I started to think about all the holiday memories with the girls when they were small.   As we would drive through Brookside at night, Erin would shout out from her car seat “the lights, the lights!” all the way home.  We would make little gingerbread houses from graham crackers, frosting and candies.  I still have written Christmas lists, dictated to their babysitter, asking for ‘clicky-clacky shoes’ and a Barbie dreamhouse.  Erin cried for the first few years visiting the Crown Center Santa; I remember Siena stepping right up to plop on his lap. They would fight over who would put the angel on the top of the tree, and we would  leave out food for the reindeer as well as the Big Man.  On Christmas morning, they would carefully read each gift tag, stacking up the presents, so anxious to see what’s inside while Dad and I tortured them by saying ‘no gift opening until the coffee is ready!’.  We would drive for miles and miles over two days, visiting relatives and coming home late, both kids blissfully asleep in their car seats, holiday music on the radio. They were two normal kids, so excited about everything Christmas brings–not just the gifts but the music, the neighborhood decorations, the visits from friends, watching the holiday TV specials and….the annual tradition of making and decorating cookies with Mom. 

Well,  the kids are still here…not for long…and I’m still making Christmas cookies.  It’s mostly  a solo project now.  But the tradition will continue, as I know they will always enjoy eating them!  And although they aren’t around to help out,  it’s wistfully  sentimental to think about the memories of when they were kids at Christmastime. Those memories will out last the cookies…

How To Start Growing Your Business with Social Media

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I’ve been blogging for a couple of years now.  At first I thought, why should I blog? Because everyone else is doing it?  I  struggle with content and copy, trying to make it sound informative and friendly.  But because I run my own business, it was something I wanted to try to see if it would bring me more customers.  And it has. So with this blog I am going to credit my friend and social media consultant Mic Johnson at Blue Gurus for the inspiration to use social media to grow my business.

Mic Johnson of Blue Gurus

Mic Johnson, Social Media Coach at Blue Gurus

If you are already using social media to market your business, this blog is not for you.  For those of you who are not using it…you know you should be.  How to get started?  Why get started?  That’s what this blog is about.

I’m addressing the boomer generation and older here…those who just don’t see why they should spend time on various social media platforms.  Their business has succeeded without using these tools, why start now? They see social media as a chore, a time waster that may or may not bring measurable results. But using these tools is now a fundamental and permanent change in the way that companies do business.  Do you want people to know what is happening with your business…or don’t you?

If you know you need help getting on the social media rocket, Mic Johnson at Blue Gurus can help you. Plan  a consultation with them.   Blue Gurus is a young company, dedicated to helping small businesses implement a cohesive and comprehensive social media strategy that emphasizes a consistent message.  Yes, this is an obvious plug for Blue Gurus.  But they are different:  because of the way they work with their customers.  They don’t just sit down with the boss, take a few notes and come back later with everything up and running.  They take the time to show you how to work social media, step by step.  Talking with you and your employees, you learn how to create a LinkedIn profile, how to manipulate your WordPress website (which they will set up for you—see what they did for DowntownKC), how to manage your Twitter account and Facebook page, how to create a blog and tips for writing one.  Blue Gurus knows you have to work at social media to get it to work for you…and they will get you started.

Remember,  you have to keep up with your social media message… I think that’s the hardest part. It will pay off.  It has for me, and I’m nowhere near an expert at it.  I think the biggest benefit from using social media is that others can get a sense for your personality and get to know you before they contact you.  They will get ‘a feel’ for you and your services.  People will do business with people they like—social media can make that happen. And it can be an enjoyable, rewarding experience with the help of Mic at Blue Gurus.

Protect Your Brookside Home from Burglaries

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Last night I attended a Brookside/Waldo networking event at the Metro Patrol division of the KCMO Police Dept at 7601 Prospect.  The first bit of news I heard on arrival was that the cops had caught the guy who robbed McClain’s Bakery–twice!  They were waiting for him on the second event and picked up the perp the same day.  Thank you, officers, for your diligent policing of Brookside and our neighborhood shops.

I also talked to office John Trainor, who runs the Residential Surveys program for the department. This is a complimentary service, where John comes to your home and spends thirty minutes or so surveying your property from a security perspective. He will offer suggestions on ways to discourage burglars from making your house a target.  Usually these appointments are scheduled Monday through Friday, 11am-2pm, contact John via email to schedule a visit:  john.trainor@kcpd.org.

Another interesting fact I learned last night about break-ins:  50% of burglars go through the front door!  First they knock to see if anyone is home–if no answer, they will kick in the front door.  I asked about these thick, old Brookside doors–John said they are relatively easy to kick in, especially if the deadbolt is less than one inch long.  Also, most burglaries occur during the day rather than at night–I thought just the opposite.  Finally, approximately twenty cars per day are broken into in Kansas City MO.  Lock your car and don’t leave anything inside of value!

I hope this information is helpful to you–I’m going to schedule a visit with John at my own home.  Be proactive about protecting the contents of your home and vehicles–it just takes a little extra effort!