Category Archives: Brookside Community News

KC Restaurant Week Jan 13-22, 2017

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registerheader-h1During the holidays, you can stuff yourself with tasty home cooked meals and special treats.  Now it’s January…and time to eat more during KC Restaurant Week!

KC Restaurant Week is a benefit for three local organizations:  Boys Grow, Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired and Cultivate Kansas City.  Participating restaurants donate a portion of money collected from each meal to these groups.  Each eatery offers  a special lunch ($15) and dinner ($33) during the ten day event.  This is the best way to try new restaurants in all parts of the metro area.  Just scrolling through the website, looking at all the artfully plated food will stir up cravings!

Reservations are highly recommended through Open Table.  This year, 143 restaurants are participating.  I’ve listed the Brookside/Waldo restaurants below:

Avenues Bistro

Charlie Hooper’s Bar and Grille

Michael Forbes Bar and Grille

Waldo Pizza

The Well

Thank you for supporting locally owned businesses during KC Restaurant Week!

JFS Opens 2cd Location in Brookside East

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Happy New Year and welcome 2017!  What changes will the new year bring for our Brookside/Waldo neighborhood?  Last year I wrote several posts about the emerging Brookside East corridor along E 63rd St.  And the first blog of 2017 will  to tell you about a non profit  opening in this hip small business area.  Jewish Family Services, or JFS, is expanding its services to Brookside East, scheduled to open January 17 at 425 E 63rd St.

 

JFS actually started as a support system for immigrants 115 years ago. You may be familiar with their main building at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, and they also started Menorah Hospital. They chose Brookside East as a second location to deliver better access to clients who live in this area and rely on bus transportation. This building also allows for a much larger food pantry and extra space for growth.

 

jfsJFS is a non profit , United Way organization, funded by donations and grants. They offer several important services for the area: a food pantry, mental health counseling, chaplaincy, career services, emergency shelter referrals and assistance for older adults. Their mission is to support and strengthen lives throughout greater Kansas City regardless of faith, age, culture and lifestyle..so all are welcome. (They also welcome volunteers!)

 

A unique aspect of this new location will be the artwork. Over 52 works of art have been donated by Rita Blitt, who designed the memorial for the Hyatt Regency skywalk collapse. Rita will have several paintings and one sculpture in the building.

 

JFS-Brookside East will have regular business hours of 8am-5pm Monday through Friday; the emergency hotline number 816 333 1172. They are planning a Grand Opening for the community after the building is open and the staff is settled in.

 

Brookside Home Sales Report-Nov 2016

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As we come to a close on a very active real estate market for Brookside…prices are continuing to rise as demand is still strong, particularly in the $400K and less price range.   Here is the single family home sales report for Brookside (zip code 64113) for November  2016, and comparisons to last year:

November 2016

Median list price:               $350,000

Median sales price:           $349,000

Average days on market:     35

Number of homes sold:        25

(Lowest sales price was $202,000; highest sales price was $750,000).

You can see that sellers are getting virtually the asking price during contract negotiations.  Thirteen of the homes that closed last month were at or above asking price.

November 2015

Median list price:                $315,000

Median sales price:            $312,000

Average days on  market:      39

Number of homes sold:          19

Compared to November 2015, prices are up 11.68%. Part of that increase is due to lack of inventory–very often sellers will have multiple offers on  homes that are updated and  well maintained.

Now let’s check year to date figures:

2016, January to November

Median list price:         $357,700

Median sales price:     $352,500

303 homes sold; average 35 days on market.

2015, January to November

Median list price:         $330,000

Median sales price:     $325,000

315 homes sold; average 39 days on market      

Home prices in Brookside are up 8.46% YTD.  

Currently there are 37 active single family listings in the Brookside zip code of 64113. Just seven of those homes are priced at $400K or less.  Ten homes are listed at $998,000 through $2,400,000.  

(All information taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)

BKS Artisan Ales Plans Early 2017 Opening in Brookside East

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You’ve heard the rumors….here’s what we know so far about yet another locally owned business coming to Brookside East. It’s  BKS Artisan Ales. I recently spoke with  Brian Rooney about his plans.

Brian has been a home brewer for several years. He’s won awards for his beer in a few competitions and decided to “take the hobby a little bit further” by opening to the public. He wanted to stay in his neighborhood of Brookside, and rented space from Butch Rigby at 633 E 63rd St.  (This building is also home for Farm Dog Studios, Amina Marie Millinery and Golden and Pine).   Brian owns the business along with his wife Mary and a few silent investors.

This brewery will be different than many of the craft brew places that have opened up the past few years. Brian explained BKS Artisan Ales will be open from noon – 5 on Saturdays, with a possible expansion to Sundays after getting established in the space. There will be eight taps and his bottled beer for sale. No food service—however, visitors are welcome to bring in their own eats to enjoy while sampling the beers.

One of the reasons Brian decided to open his own place was to offer some interesting brews you can’t find elsewhere. He will not brew the same beers over and over—what’s offered will be constantly changing. He has a passion for brewing, and explained he’s not “money driven” with this new business—he’s doing it to give people “a different experience” . There will be two sides to the space: the beer production side and the tasting room with approximately fifty seats.

bks

The space build-out is on track to be completed by this month.  Outside, there’s progress:  the patio was recently poured and a garage door with awning and fencing has been installed.  BKS Artisan Ales plans to open in February or March of next year.  

Of course, once the business is open and running….I’ll let you know through the blog.  Brookside East is the hot new area for businesses in our neighborhood–special thanks to Butch Rigby for making it happen and encouraging entrepreneurship in Brookside!

 

Annual Kristkindl Markt in Brookside This Weekend

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Don’t you enjoy all the annual holiday themed events that happen each year?  These are the friendly and festive happenings that never get tiresome:  driving past the Plaza and Crown Center light displays; seeing Santa at the mall; picking out a tree and stopping for hot chocolate on the way home. Am I getting too nostalgic??

marketThis weekend, Dec 2 and 3, 2016 is the 34th annual Kristkindl Markt at the Country Club Congregational Church in Armour Hills, 205 W 65th St.  This is a free, family centered event that draws big crowds to the neighborhood.  There’s a Biergarten with German food and live music; homemade cookies for sale, the ever-popular Gingerbread House making for kids and several vendors selling crafts and gifts. 

Hours are 5-9pm Friday and 10-7pm on Saturday.  The narrow streets around the church will be crowded with cars, pedestrians and traffic–best to park several blocks away and walk to the church.  Another Brookside holiday tradition–all are welcome!

Shop Brookside/Waldo on Small Business Saturday!

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small-business-saturday-2016-bannerForget shopping on Black Friday in a crowded mall with indifferent store staffers…..come to Brookside/Waldo and shop locally owned businesses!  Your money stays in the community…and you will find unique gifts for everyone !

And if you are headed into Brookside…be sure to make time to explore the new shops in Brookside East:  HAMILTON, Season + Square, Golden and Pine, Farm Dog Studios.

Local restaurants and cafes will be ready for you with nourishment and beverages when you need a break!

Finally, on Small Business Saturday, American Express card holders can take advantage of special offers.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and thank you for supporting our locally owned Brookside/Waldo businesses!

HAMILTON (the shop!) Now Open in Brookside East

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Yet another new boutique has opened in Brookside East…just in time for holiday shopping!

hamilton-store

 

Katy Hamilton, owner of Shopgirls at 6245 Brookside Plaza , opened HAMILTON last month at 6215 Oak Street, just south of Plate and Season + Square. It’s a cozy and welcoming space, perfect for browsing and checking out items you’ll want to buy for yourself and others.

hamilton-katy

 

The tagline “neighborhood style for all” reflects Katy’s products: she features men’s and women’s clothes from local designers, Charlie Hustle tee shirts, locally made jewelry (including unique necklaces with letter charms from the KC Star printing presses), Kansas City skyline socks, candles with surprising scents and other uncommon items. At stores like this, it’s always interesting to see how the owner has made the space unique: Katy used discarded pallets from Sutherlands to build the dressing rooms, hung stain glass windows from her first Brookside home and is replacing a section of missing hardwood floor with pennies. It’s a very unique, stylish, and comfortable shop.

hamilton-dressingBesides selling these products, Katy is giving back to the Brookside neighborhood she loves so much by hosting special events for the public. Her boyfriend Adam Galblum is a jazz musician with the band Hot Club KC, so she’s planning micro-concerts, DIY workshops on how to make jewelry and spa items plus special Thursday evening local maker trunk shows.   Later on, Katy wants to debut her own exclusive clothing line.

Stop in and welcome HAMILTON to Brookside! Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-6pm at 6125 Oak St. Follow the shop on social media to keep up with special events: Facebook/hamiltonkcmo; Twitter/hamiltonkcmo and Instagram/hamilton.kcmo.

Halloween in Brookside!

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Happy Halloween everyone!

The weather is great for the annual Brookside Trick or Treat Street this afternoon!

brookside-trick-or-treat 

 

From 4-6pm today, costumed kids will be walking along 63rd St between Wornall and Main, collecting treats from Brookside merchants.  Several parents will be dressed up as well–often more so than the children!

Please be extra aware of pedestrians as you drive these streets tonight–the event takes place during a busy traffic time. 

Neighborhood Café – Now Open in Waldo

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I was trying to think of full service, big menu breakfast spots in Waldo….came up with Classic Cookie at 75th and Wornall and Game Day at 8950 Wornall. Now there is another option, Neighborhood Cafe, at 7531 Wornall next to Lew’s . It opened at the end of August and is already drawing breakfast crowds on the weekends.

cafe-wall

Veteran’s Wall at Neighborhood Cafe

Neighborhood Cafe is more than just breakfast…they offer a large menu featuring ‘home style’ cooking: meatloaf, liver and onions, burgers, open faced sandwiches, hoagies, ‘skillets’ and on Sundays: all you can eat fried chicken. All of the baking is from scratch (biscuits, pies, cornbread) and breakfast is served all day. No matter when you choose to dine here….the server brings you a cinnamon roll with water upon being seated! Like the original Lees Summit location, decor features reprints of front page newspapers commemorating significant events and a Veteran’s Wall displaying photos of those who have served.

cafe-tony

Tony Olson, Owner, Neighborhood Cafe in Waldo

So what’s the background here? Tony Olson and his wife Kelly own the successful Lees Summit spot,  and were approached about opening another restaurant in Waldo. Tony spent some time here, liked the ‘small town’ feel and the active business association–and decided to expand. Tony told me the cafe has had ‘a very warm welcome’ from area residents and other business owners. This place is large–plenty of tables and booths, plus counter seating and another section that can be used for private events. I haven’t eaten here (yet!) — but I will say I was welcomed with a warm smile and friendly greeting when I walked in for the first time.

You can read more about Neighborhood Cafe on their website–and check out the extensive menu. Current hours are Sunday through Thursday, 6am-3pm and Friday/Saturday 6am-9pm. Tony hopes to be open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday at some point. Stop by and check out another locally owned business in Waldo!

Brookside Home Sales Report – Sept 2016

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Home sales in Brookside are still strong as we head into the fall season…and prices continue to rise.  Here is the single family home sales report for Brookside (zip code 64113) for September 2016, and comparisons to last year:

September  2016

Median list price:               $380,000

Median sales price:           $375,000

Average days on market:     44

Number of homes sold:        29

(Lowest sales price was $180,000; highest sales price was a cash purchase of $1,285,000).

You can see that sellers are getting very close to the asking price during contract negotiations.  Eleven of the homes that closed last month were at or above asking price.

September 2015

Median list price:                $375,000

Median sales price:            $362,500

Average days on  market:      34

Number of homes sold:          22

Compared to one year ago, more homes sold in September of 2016 and at a higher median price…a few more days on market.

Now let’s check year to date figures:

2016, January to September

Median list price:         $359,750

Median sales price:     $356,000

250 homes sold; average 35 days on market.

2015, January to September

Median list price:         $326,777

Median sales price:     $325,000

269 homes sold; average 38 days on market.     

Fewer homes have sold, pushing prices up due to a lack of inventory.  Brookside home values are up 9.5% YTD compared to 2015!

Currently there are 44 active single family listings in the Brookside zip code of 64113; just over half (25) are priced over $500,000.  The median list price is $637,000.

(All information taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)