Hello Brookside neighbors! You’ve probably noticed we are getting a national, corporate spice shop at 6245 Brookside Blvd (site of a former Hallmark Gold Crown store) called Savory Spice Shop. The store expects to open sometime this month.

When I heard about this new place, I immediately thought “Brookside already has a spice shop” – do we need two of them? Because the Brookside shops on the north side of 63^rd from Wornall to Main were recently sold to First Washington Realty out of Maryland, we may  see more national brand stores moving in and fewer local store operators in the future.  Still, we Brookside residents love to ‘shop local’ – that’s what makes our area so special – and our locally owned Season+Square shop will now face competition from a 34 chain store operation a few blocks away.

Andrea Joseph, Owner of Season+Square

Last week I stopped by to chat with Andrea Joseph, owner of Season+Square at 6205 Oak.   Andrea’s shop, opened in February 2014,  is successful, catering to casual home cooks and professional chefs from around the metro. Customer service and product knowledge, so extremely important in any store, is outstanding here. Gradually, Andrea has been transitioning to more of a ‘lifestyle’ shop, offering much more than spices and assorted food products. Besides the huge selection of spices and salts here, you’ll find unique cocktail products (bitters, syrups, mixers); plus oils, vinegars, teas, jellies, cookie mix, exclusive laundry products, soy candles, organic bath products, napkins,cookbooks, fresh Ibis bread (on Saturdays), specialty chocolate and candies. Soon the shop will also sell locally made jewelry and art.  Andrea focuses on working with vendors that give back to their communities in some way, and she knows the story behind every product sold in the shop.

Food sample from Plate-served during their fundraiser.

Another exciting development here is “Plate”—the modern Italian restaurant she is opening next to her store. Focusing on local, fresh food and ingredients, Plate has hired an experienced Kansas City chef, and local architect HIVE is designing the interior. There will be a full bar, seating for 60 and happy hour Tuesdays-Saturdays from 3-6pm. The goal is to open by the end of the year.

Changes are always happening in Brookside and Waldo; shops and restaurants come and go. There surely is enough business for everyone, as customers visit various establishments and experience the differences between them.  What are the differences between the new corporate spice store and locally owned Season+Square?  Visit both and find out for yourself!