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Impressions of Celebration, Florida

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The second half of my recent Florida vacation was spent in Celebration, Florida.  I’ve always been fascinated by this city, ever since I read about it back in the late 1990s.  My Orlando hosts, Mike and Julie Neal, write The Complete Walt Disney World guidebook and live in Celebration.  I spent one morning just walking around the various homes and main streets, getting a feel for this master planned community.

Developed by the Walt Disney Company almost 20 years ago, Celebration is a town of about 7500 persons. An example of “New Urbanism”, Celebration was modeled after a small town that has everything residents would want and need:   its own schools, golf course, fitness center, hospital, pool, parks and downtown retail/restaurant area.  When it was created, 5000 buyers entered a lottery for a chance to buy one of the first 350 homes for sale.  A totally planned and managed community from just about every aspect of everyday life, Celebration is like a Disney park—frees of litter everything just so, with coordinated colors and architectural styles, extensively landscaped and perfectly plotted homes pleasing to the eye.  Disney hired famous architects to design some of the public buildings:  Phillip Johnson, Michael Graves, and Robert M. Stern.  It is a very pretty town to tour —with everyone abiding by the very strict HOA rules and regulations.  It is reminiscent of another Florida town featured in the movie “The Truman Show” called Seaside.

As I walked through the streets, I saw neighbors chatting, golfers riding on the course, kids tossing a ball in the street island, residents biking along the sidewalks.  I kept thinking, ‘this is just like Brookside, isn’t it?’  Well….not quite.  The goal is the same: homes and shops in a centralized area, parks and paths nearby, foot traffic encouraged. Celebration is too new and controlled. It’s inviting in a perfect way.  This is not a criticism, but a comment.  I can see the strong appeal of living in Celebration, especially now as it’s more affordable because of the housing crash. The stores are mostly locally owned, and it’s small enough so you can easily walk or bike everywhere, get to know the merchants, participate in the neighborhood events.  There is virtually no violent crime here. Yet I doubt you would ever find anything out of place …there would be an instant citation from the homes association.   Keeping the exterior landscape and house coloring to particular types of plants, shrubs, paint shades gives each street a certain amount of pretty blandness.  That same strong codes enforcement control  keeps the property values high and establishes the atmosphere.  It also squashes some individual expressions of homeowners. Is that necessarily a bad thing?

On my walk, I did find one small, subversive expression high up in a second floor window.  There was a naked baby doll, lying on its side; eyes wide open, looking out on the street.  It made me smile.

Celebration offers the best of Brookside in many ways—the walkability, the close-by shops and amenities, the pretty porches and various home sizes.  It is comfortable, beautiful, safe, desirable, and friendly.  But can the heart and soul of a community be master-planned?  I suppose so, if all the residents agree to what the planners have established.  But if you want to color outside the lines, this isn’t the place for you.  I think I  could live in Celebration…I would have the house with the doll peeking out of the window!

Moving to Florida? Take Brookside With You!

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Back from vacation and it’s funny…Brookside was very much on my mind while I was in Florida!  My  host moved from his beloved Brookside home to Jacksonville almost two years ago….and he moved into a neighborhood very much like Brookside, called Springfield.  However, Springfield is an ‘up and coming’ area, as we real estate agents say.  There are beautifully renovated homes sandwiched between abandoned houses and vacant lots.  But anyone driving through can see and feel the potential…

Springfield is on the National Register of Historic Places, located just north of downtown Jacksonville.  Once a wealthy suburb (similar to the Hyde Park area in Kansas City), most of the homes were built in the late 1800s through 1920s.  I was surprised to see so many oak trees among the palm trees! (Curiously, no squirrels!?)   In January 2010, Southern Living magazine named Springfield the “#1 Comeback Neighborhood of the South”.  Springfield is very much a resident driven improvement project, with its own sustainability focus (www.sustainablespringfield.net) and neighbors committed to saving the historic homes in danger of demolition (www.preservationsos.org).  There is a Springfield Merchants Association (www.sambajax.org) and monthly potluck suppers hosted by homeowners.

So when my friend bought his home, he deliberately chose this area to help push it forward into a more stable neighborhood.  Of course, this happens house by house, small business by small business.  Not knowing many people in Jacksonville, he was surprised at the very strong sense of community in Springfield—neighbors shouting “Welcome to the neighborhood, thanks for moving here! “ and baskets of goodies left on his front porch.  He was so excited to find Three Layers Coffehouse, a small ‘loft-style café’ coffee shop/wine bar just down the street.  It’s the only business on the corner, with empty storefronts next door.  Still, it’s thriving with local residents.  It seems much easier to meet and strike up friendships when everyone is  living in the same area for a common cause—a  passion for historic, charming  neighborhoods with easy walkability, where local entrepreneurs and business owners are committed to making a difference in their own square mile of the world.

Brookside is an area years ahead of what Springfield is becoming …yet it is the very same emotional pull of a certain type of lifestyle that keeps Brookside thriving…and Springfield growing.  Thanks to the urban pioneers who recognize it is the unique and historic neighborhoods of a city that give it personality and flair.   These neighborhoods are worth preserving, no matter what city you live in!

During the second part of my trip, I stayed with friends in Celebration, Florida..and that will be the subject of my next blog. A neigbhorhood inspired by Brookside, but with a very different feeling.

Brookside’s 32cd Annual St Patrick’s Warm Up Parade 2012

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We are just a few days away from one of the most fun events of the year in Brookside:  the St Patrick’s Warm Up Parade.  It begins at 2pm on Saturday March 10, and lasts around 90 minutes.  The parade starts at 65th and Wornall, heads north on Wornall to 63rd St, east on 63rd to Main St, south on Main to Meyer, west on Meyer to Brookside Blvd.  The weather should be great!

2012 Brookside Warm Up Parade

2012 is the 32cd year for the parade.  According to LaDene Morton’s book, The Brookside Story, the first parade was started on a lark by the owner and patrons of Hogerty’s Tavern.  Virginia Kellog was running the merchants association at the time, and she decided to make the parade an official Brookside event.  The downtown KC St Pat’s parade was gaining in popularity, and Brookside would piggy-back on the celebration by having their parade a week early.

At first the ‘parade’ wasn’t very big.  It was mostly children from the neighborhood church and school groups who participated. One car would chauffeur the Grand Marshal of the parade.  Eventually, the parade grew in size and length to what it is today.  In the 1980s, the merchants started giving awards for various categories, including best music, best float and best theme.  The parade now has to limit entries, currently over 100, and regularly attracts local media coverage.  Local politicians and dignitaries to join in the fun, creating their own floats or walking along with residents.   This year’s Grand Marshals are Bob and Darlene Drummond, owners of Drummond Cleaners–a Brookside business since 1919.

One of the best things I like about the parade is that it’s a very easy parade to watch–you aren’t far back from the street so you get a good look at the floats and the riders.  It’s a true family affair, with many folks making it a party day on the front porch or lawn so friends can gather and socialize all afternoon.  The parade is one of the special annual events that makes Brookside such a special place to live.  Just be aware of the traffic closures and avoid the route area from late morning until late afternoon!

Brookside Author to Discuss “Pilate’s Cross” at Plaza Library Feb 23!

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What’s the best part about reading a non-fiction book?  For me, it’s the escape into another world.  At the end of the day, I look forward to surrounding myself with different folks, in another city, with various relationship dramas and situations to deal with.  Living with a good book for a few weeks is a joy, and sharing the experience with someone else is one reason why book clubs are so popular.  Having the chance to talk with the author of a favorite book—a thrilling meeting of the minds!

Alex Greenwood

Award-winning Brookside author J. Alexander Greenwood, who wrote Pilate’s Cross will speak at the Plaza location of the Kansas City Public Library on February 23 at 6:30 p.m. (Please click here to RSVP.) This crime thriller is based on a true story that happened in Peru, Nebraska. In the book, John Pilate and his new friend Kate investigate the unsolved mystery of the murdered president of Cross College. Greenwood gained access to actual police records, crime scene photos and news reports in researching the book. (Full disclosure, Alex is a friend of mine, thus this post to help promote this event.  But I did read the book and really enjoyed it–more so, I think, because I know the author!)

Thoroughly engrossing, the characters the author created will prompt your escape into this novel.  John is someone who is generally minding his own business and suddenly forced to take action because of particular circumstances.  How he gets through this ‘mystery situation’ will keep you turning the pages in this book!

They say ‘write what you know’, and Alex based John somewhat on himself.  Sexy and attractive Kate is a composite of women he’s known, including perhaps a particular girl he met in Nebraska. When asked about his favorite part of the book, Greenwood is particularly proud of the snappy dialogue between John Pilate and the sheriff.

“My grandfather, an accomplished author in his lifetime, instilled in me the value of having characters which are relatable to the reader,” Alex said. “You can have the greatest mystery plot around, but if the characters are cardboard, it won’t work.”

Alex said he was first inspired to write during numerous childhood talks about storytelling with his grandfather, Robert E. Trevathan. He fondly remembers seeing Trevathan–an award-winning author of dozens of Western and historical fiction novels–sitting alone at a card table outside a Waldenbooks store patiently waiting to sign a few books and talk about writing at an “author event” . “Ah, the glamorous life of the author!” Alex said. “I was hooked.”

“Pilate’s Cross” has been well received with several hundred fans–many who asked that Greenwood write a sequel.  That sequel was released this month.  Pilate’s Key sends John on another adventure, this time in Key West, Florida.  When I first met Alex, he was still writing the book–and now there is the sequel.  I so admire his determination to get his words out in front of book readers.  Self publishing his work through the web has brought him success much faster than trying to go the traditional publishing route.  He’s an inspirational example of what hard work, determination, and a lot of charisma can do to help achieve your personal artistic and creative goals.

For more info about the book, links to retailers and to watch the book trailer video, click here (or paste the link below into your browser):

http://www.pitchengine.com/pilatescross/mystery-thriller-sparked-by-1950-college-murders-spawns-second-book

If you are in a book club, Alex is happy to drop in for a discussion of the book (in person or even via Skype)!

“Pilate’s Cross” is available as an e-book through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and most other ebook retailers.  You can buy hard copies at the library event or by special order through Lulu, Rainy Day Books, I Love a Mystery, Barnes & Noble or other local bookstores.  Be sure to check out the Pilate’s Cross/Key Facebook page for special offers and updates.

Hope to see you at the Plaza library February 23!

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Pilates-John-Pilate-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B006XKH01S/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3

Lulu (paperback): http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/pilates-key/18843028?productTrackingContext=search_results%2Fsearch_shelf%2Fcenter%2F1

This Feels Strange

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Of course I’m talking about this weather!  As I look out the front window while I type, I see bare trees but blue skies and kids in tee shirts!

Dinner with neighbors Feb 1 2011 snowstormLast year at this time, I distinctly remember posting photos of various snowy sites around Brookside.  This winter, not even an inch of snow yet–not in this part of town anyway.  Now there are many people very happy about this warmer weather–myself included, to a point.  It’s been great for showing buyers homes in the area–no cutting cold winds or crunching down snow to make it to the front door of the house.  Don’t have to have the heat cranked up to keep the house warm.  We’ve been grilling on the  patio just about every weekend!  But in another way..I miss the normal winter weather…

January 2011 in Brookside

It’s fun for the kids to have that unexpected snow day…seeing them watch the crawl on TV, anxiously looking for their school name to pop up on the screen.  I love looking out the windows at night, seeing a ‘freshly fallen silent shroud of snow’ (thank you Simon and Garfunkel, for that lovely phrase).  Last year when we were snowed in, we had a pot luck dinner with our neighbors–no one was driving anywhere, everyone was home early from work and we threw together a tasty feast for our two families. Bundling up to go out and shovel snow–good exercise!  Watching the Brookside youngsters sled down Suicide Hill is a joy.  I like throwing on the flannel pj’s  and  burrowing under the down comforter to watch a movie while sipping hot chocolate, enjoying  the blissful cocoon of security inside while Mother Nature storms outside. Will any of that happen before spring 2012 hits?

Experiencing the very distinct change of seasons is one reason I couldn’t move out of the midwest. It would be boring to me, always having the same weather year round. So while I am grateful for this warm spell, I am hoping for a real midwest snowstorm soon, before the lilacs start blooming outside my kitchen window!

(Thanks to my daughter Siena for inspiring this post!)

Welcome 2012!

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This is the time of year for reflection, goal setting, remembering the good times and not-so-good times of the past year.  For me, I try to always take a positive attitude.  Even though the nation as a whole isn’t at its best right now, as individuals we have so much to appreciate every day.

Being a real estate agent, at the end of the year I always look back and reflect on each deal completed.  It’s especially fun to think about all the new people I meet through this business, many who become friends.  For example, I had dinner this week with  clients: the husband was the Sargent at Arms for the Senate and the wife is working on a new initiative with Michelle Obama on post-tramatic stress syndrome that will be announced later this month.  Fascinating stories to share!  How lucky I am that real estate brought me these wonderful new friends!

This past twelve months  I enjoyed getting to know Stephen and Tamara, Anna and Dave, Lisa and Keith, Diann and Jeff, Ron and his family..Bryant and Ruth welcomed their first baby and Brad bought another fixer-upper to work on.  Christina is at the UMKC dental school and Chris saved his first life as an ER doctor.  Think for a moment about the new people you met in 2011–some join your regular circle of friends, some are more acquaintances.  Everyone different, everyone contributes somehow to your daily life. It reminds me of the lyrics to “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent:

“Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes, how do you measure, measure a year?  In daylight, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee…”

I measure my year by the fun times with family and friends, the quirky cultural events everyone talks about, holidays spent in overcoats and shorts, vacation days and Facebook updates, memorable books and movies,  new music heard and meals shared… and the new friendships I’ve made.  I know 2012 will be just as memorable…a surprise of some sort every day, and thankful for it!

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.

Why Old Brookside is Still Trendy

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A couple of days ago the New York Times ran an editorial titled “The Death of the Fringe Suburb”.  You can read it (link below)  for a few days; I am not shortening the link so  if it doesn’t connect  you can search for it on the New York Times website:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/opinion/the-death-of-the-fringe-suburb.html?emc=eta1

The author, Christopher Bleinberger, makes several points that are relevant to our local housing market in the metro area and specifically Brookside.  Much of the housing boom in the late 90s through 2006 was high-end housing in outer ring suburbs (think of all the development near 159th and Metcalf,  Platte County, western Shawnee).  Since the crash, much of this housing is sitting empty–as the middle class lost jobs and gas prices outpace inflation, buyers (what few there are now) re-thought buying a home 20-30 miles from city amenities and office locations.

And who is today’s buyer?  The National Association of Realtors says one half of the total population now are baby boomers (born between 1946 – 1964) and Millenials (born between 1979 – 1996).  These buyers want urban downtown areas and suburban town centers (places like Prairie Village, Brookside, the Plaza area, Leawood). They want to walk to shops and restaurants, bike ride to amenities, use public transportation and not spend lots of time in the car. Mr. Bleinberger stresses that governments must give money to what’s known as ‘alternative transportation’ – buses, light rail, bike lanes–rather than only funding freeways and outer roads to nowhere.

I see this buying pattern with my own clients.  I am working with Millenials and Boomers, and both want the same thing:  updated homes in a neighborhood within a 15 minute drive of the office and walking distance of a grocery store, coffee shop, parks and other everyday city amenities.  They do not want the cookie cutter homes of the far-flung suburbs, which are generally built with cheaper materials than older homes.

That brings us to Brookside…and why this area (as well as Leawood, Plaza, Prairie Village, etc) will always be a desirable place to live.  For those homeowners who keep their properties updated and well-maintained, there will always be buyers waiting to make an offer.  Since 1920, homeowners have valued a Brookside address…and they will continue to do so for the next hundred years. What will the fringe suburbs look like 10 to 50 years from now??