The hot weather and high temperatures finally broke!!!! Time to get outside and enjoy the *somewhat* cooler fresh air!! Tonight is the perfect time to take an evening stroll in Brookside, and participate in the Fall Sip and Shop!
Our local merchants are offering drink samples and special discounts tonight all along 63rd St from 5-8pm. You can also grab a snack or complete meal at one of the several restaurants in the area. Please come out and support our locally owned businesses tonight in Brookside!
Tis the season for road construction and street improvements! Fortunately Brookside is benefiting from some upgrades as well. Our tax dollars are working to improve the neighborhood!!
You have likely noticed the construction work going on now at 62nd Terrace and Brookside Plaza in the parking lot behind Bela Napoli and The Roasterie. The 63rd St and Trolley Track Trail Project outlines plans for the trail that (sort of) runs through the parking lot behind the Roasterie. When the work is completed, we will have a dedicated, 8 foot wide “multi-purpose” lane to accommodate the trail walkers and runners from 62nd Terrace to 63rd St. Additional plans call for extending this lane through to Meyer Blvd and improving the park area on 63rd St by Starbucks (no funding yet for these plans). You may remember several public hearings were held over the past year or so to get community input on the proposals. Here’s a link with more details.
It will be a little inconvenient for drivers and pedestrians in this area for the next several months…but ultimately, a welcome neighborhood improvement!
Every coffee shop has its own vibe… often a reflection of the management’s personality. There is a noticeable difference between walking into a Starbuck’s versus The Roasterie! Waldo has a new coffee cafe with its own distinct atmosphere, very much reflective of its owner, Brian Denman.
Apparition Coffee opened last month in the same space as the former Second Best Coffee, at 328 W 85th St. When I stopped by on a Monday morning recently to chat with Brian, business was brisk! Brian has extensive experience with coffee culture; as a youngster, his parents took him to cafes often and he enjoyed the sense of community and welcoming environment. In his late teens, he knew owning such a place himself would be “a fun thing to do”. He put this dream aside for a few years as he played bass in metal bands and toured the country. In 2016, he moved to Kansas City to be with his girlfriend (now his wife), and decided it was time to explore a career change. He worked at a few coffee shops including the popular Blackdog Coffee house in Lenexa. He also opened his own place in downtown Kansas City.
When he learned this Waldo space was available through a fellow employee and friend, he decided to go for it. He wanted to merge his fondness for heavy metal music and coffee…so that’s the distinct vibe you will experience that sets this place apart from others: a personally curated music list by Brian, with an emphasis on metal bands. He thought the name Apparition fit because the shop’s logo is a graphic ghost.
There are three popular specialty drinks unique to Apparition: The Beet Down, the Tarragon Lie and, of course, The Apparition. Employees make all the flavorings in house (except for caramel); the beans are roasted locally by Flowstate Coffee. Baked goods are homemade by another employee (hand pies and scones); cookies are from CookiT bakery. The breakfast burritos are popular here (with meat or vegan) and the wall menu notes that specialty milks are “FREE AF”–no upcharge! Works by local artists on the walls are available for purchase.
Apparition Coffee fits so well as a locally owned Waldo business– the staff is friendly and personable, prices are reasonable and parking is easy! “I’d like to give a big thank you to the whole neighborhood and our staff”, says Brian. “Everyone has showed us a lot of love and it’s been very cool”. Check out the Apparition vibe for yourself; hours are 7am-2pm Monday through Friday and 8am-2pm Saturday.
The (former) Bryant Elementary School, at 316 Westover in Brookside, has been vacant for decades. You may remember that several months ago the Kansas CIty Public Schools system wanted to solicit proposals to redevelop this building into teacher housing for the district. That idea was rejected by the community, and now KCPS is considering proposals for new homes on the site.
There was an open meeting for the community last month to hear details on the three proposals. I was unable to attend–it was on Friday, June 26 right in the middle of all the World Cup festivities and I was hosting out of town guests! However, you can view the proposals online and participate in a survey about the options. Each proposal is a little different: one proposal wants 20 single family homes*; another proposal outlines single family homes/townhomes and an early childhood center on the site; and another offers 14 homes. I read through all three and some were more detailed than others. It is helpful if you read the Q&A section as well, which is a summary of the questions asked at the meeting and the answers given. KCPS says it will chose from one of these three proposals.
If you live in Brookside, please take a few minutes and give your opinion! The survey is open until the end of July. You can read the proposals and the Q&A remarks here:
The other day I was walking over to the pharmacy in Brookside and noticed a new shop: Paws and Purrvisions. It’s actually been open since December but I just now noticed it! So I stopped by to chat with the owner and find out more. This is just the kind of place our pet loving neighborhood likes to support!
Marielle Kokos
Owner Marielle Kokos spent twenty years in tech sales and “decided to try something new and start my own business”. She has always loved animals and volunteers with sheltered animal organizations. She decided to open a pet focused retail shop and wanted to be in Brookside because it is so walkable–so many residents walking their dogs along the trail! Paws and Purrvisions is in the former Edward Jones space at 6241 Brookside Plaza, just north of Cru.
I asked Marielle what is unique about her store. “I feel we have a large selection of sports themed merchandise for pets, which is very popular, along with a big selection of cat toys, enrichment games, fun, fluffy play toys and bulk treats. I also welcome suggestions on items to carry from my customers.” She continued: “Another unique aspect is we offer pet photography six times a year and custom pet portraits all year long”. There is a section in the store for breed specific jewelry and pet memorial necklaces; a subscription box service is available plus several different kinds of treats made by Kansas City area companies. A section of the store is dedicated to donations: gently used towels and sheets, toys, and treats that a particular pet didn’t care for. Giving back to the community is a major part of the mission at Paws and Purrvisions! On the website, you can see all the various pet rescue services Marielle is involved with.
If you haven’t visited this new shop yet–plan to drop in, say Hi and check out all the interesting items available for your pet. Paws and Purrvisions is open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm and Sundays from 11-5.
Summer is peak season for farmers’ markets and local Brookside/Waldo residents have two markets to support! The Brookside Farmers’ Market is open every Saturday morning in the parking lot at HJ’s Community Center. Also keep in mind the Waldo Market, which is open every other Saturday:
This is a smaller market, with a wide variety of items for purchase…in addition to vendors offering fruits and vegetables, other items can include doggie treats, spices, coffee, snacks and baked goods. If you haven’t been to the Waldo market yet…it will be open this Saturday June 20 at 7850 Holmes.
Thank you for supporting local businesses. They are what make our neighborhood thrive!
There are special celebrations planned all over the city the next several weeks, as we welcome visitors from here, there and everywhere coming to KC for World Cup games. From Lawrence to Lenexa to Lees Summit–communities are setting up special watch parties and get togethers for residents. Waldo has four free events planned for the community so … note these dates on your calendar!
On each Wednesday from 4-7pm (note: none of these dates are game days), stroll over to the parking lot in front of Waldo Pizza at 75th and Wornall for a soccer celebration! With a special theme planned for every Wednesday, each event will be a little different. There will be live music, activities for kids, special commemorative merch to purchase and pop up vendors.
Come and celebrate this international sporting event with your friends and neighbors during Soccer in the City….in Waldo!
This blog is going to be a little different, but still highlighting a new local business. The Shoreline Market + Cafe is not a storefront in Waldo, but the owners are Waldo residents!
Amy and Sameer Saleh
Amy and Sameer Saleh have lived in Waldo for the past two years. His mom’s side of the family grew up in Kansas City and Sameer grew up a Chiefs fan living in California. After caring for family out west, they decided to move back to the area and raise their two children here. Amy has been baking sourdough bread for many years and in 2025, they started Walnut Date Bakery out of their Waldo home. As so many side hustles do, the business kept growing and the couple decided there was a larger market for their “health forward” baked goods. The couple recently rebranded as Shoreline Market + Cafe, a nod to their years in California.
Besides selling a variety of freshly baked breads, Amy and Sameer make their own cream cheese and butter, nut milks, kale chips, sourdough bowls, bagels and doughnuts. That’s a lot of options!!! Sameer says “95-98% of the ingredients we use are organic. We don’t use any refined white sugar and naturally sweeten the dough with dates, agave and maple syrup”. Two of the more popular items are the sourdough doughnuts fried in olive oil, and the various flavors of focaccia , using in season ingredients like asparagus and tomatoes.
Where can you buy these tasty treats? The business grew so fast, they no longer operate out of their Waldo kitchen. Look for Shoreline Market + Cafe at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market, every Saturday. For photos of the tasty treats and more info, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
Are you starting to think about making plans for the weekend? Here’s a suggestion– take the Waldo Brews Tour! This event was so popular last year, the Waldo business association planned another one for 2026.
This is a hop on/ hop off tour, stopping at various beverage shops and bars in the Waldo area…. a tea shop, coffee cafes and bars, each with it’s own unique vibe and drink specials for the day. The $20 ticket includes a commemorative tee shirt, koozie, and transportation to each stop. You can purchase tickets now or the day of the event: check in happens from noon-3 Saturday June 6 at City Barrel Pizza+Patio on Gregory. Kick off your tour at noon or …start a little later in the day; buses run until 6pm.
Thank you for supporting our locally owned Waldo merchants!
Waldo has a new healthy breakfast/lunch spot I am excited to tell you about! We seem to have plenty of fast food options in the neighborhood…fewer fresh, made to order, budget friendly options. Safi Fresh will satisfy this craving!
LaRonda LaNear
President and Founder LaRonda LaNear started her catering company, We Got It Covered, in 2017. She has always enjoyed cooking and turned it into a career, specializing in catering for corporations and office parties. A few years later, she decided to try for a food spot at the new KCI airport and opened the first Safi Fresh there next to the children’s play area and across from Stockyards Brewing. Airport visitors appreciate the option of having locally based, quick and fresh portable meals so…LaRonda decided to bring her concept to Waldo.
Safi Fresh (safi means pure or fresh in Arabic and Swahili) offers smoothies, salads, bowls and wraps for breakfast and lunch–vegetarian and gluten free options too. Two of the most popular items include the Jamm’n Salmon and Chicken Avocado wrap; prices range from $12-$16– very reasonable for the fresh items and portion sizes. Safi Fresh also has a rotating lunch special every week: a wrap or bowl with chips for $13.
LaRonda says she’s “always been a gym rat” and interested in “a better way of eating”. Her slogan Eat In Colors is fitting–her food is full of vegetables, beans, fruit and proteins–all the healthy items you want to eat…but don’t always have the time to make at home! She chose Waldo for her storefront because her landlords are fair and supportive of her business–Safi Fresh is located in the same building as another locally owned Waldo establishment: Emilie’s French Teas at 8131 Wornall. LaRonda also shared with me the exciting news that she will open a 6 month Safi Fresh pop up for the World Cup festivities in the 18th and Vine area at 1512 E. 18th St, featuring some exclusive food items. “There will be an onsite bar and TVs. I want to create an experience highlighting the history of Kansas City for locals and visitors” . Thiswoman is growing a small empire!!
You’ll find Safi Fresh at 8133 Wornall on the south end of the building; park on W 81st Terrace. This is a small storefront with a few stools if you want to eat in–most diners pick up and go. Hours are Monday through Friday 10am-3pm; Saturdays from 9am-3pm. Follow Safi Fresh on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and check out their menu here.
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 