Many consider the “heart” of Waldo to be the intersection of 75^th and Wornall, where there are several shops, bars and eateries.  So many choices!  And a new one has been added to the mix:  Social, at 7425 Broadway, just north of Waldo Pizza.  I stopped in earlier this week to find out more about it…

Local owner Shawn Larson  (along with Tyler Humar, who also owns Brickhouse)  has several years’ experience in the restaurant business, most recently at Sol Cantina on Martini Corner.  He loves the vibrant feel of Waldo, and thinks Social fits in well with the other three bars just a few steps away.  “I’m friends with all the bar owners, and this place is just another option for people to visit”.  Social is billed as a sports bar, where anyone can come in to “watch sports and have a good time” according to Shawn.  He specifically designed the tables so that from any angle, there’s a good view of a screen.  And the centerpiece of Social  is four large screens on the wall behind the bar, that can broadcast four separate channels or be combined to be one gigantic screen showing one event.  This is a big plus for those really important games that everyone wants to watch—it’s almost like you are at the venue surrounded by other fans.

There’s a couple of unique things about Social that set it apart from other bars:  they have a generous happy hour schedule, including all day on Mondays; Tuesday through Thursday from 3-7 and Fridays from 3-9pm.  If you want to play, there’s  a couple of dart boards, and a cool shuffleboard table with a suspended glass top—easy to eat and play at the same time.  If you need a bit of fresh air, step out on the small patio in the back.  On Thursdays, Social offers live music and a DJ plays on weekends.  “People love the atmosphere and feel of this place” says Shawn.

As for the food…all your bar favorites are here, including tacos, burgers (double stacked, brisket blended and fresh, not frozen), salads (that can double as a wrap) and some specialties:  the Nashville hot chicken sandwich is a big seller, and the Popper Burger, which has bacon jam, jalapeño honey cream cheese and Sriracha aoli.

Social is open every day from 11am-midnight; Thursday, Friday and Saturday they close at 3am.  Stop by Social and check out Waldo’s newest sports bar!

Like the rest of Brookside, Armour Hills homes are experiencing record setting prices and going under contract quickly!  Take a look at the price jump from just one year ago!!  Here are the numbers:

April 2021                                                             April 2020

Median list price:     $400,000                         $340,000

Median sales price:  $415,000                        $336,500

No. of homes sold:     7                                      6

Days on market:          1                                      20

Buyers paid an average of 3.75% over asking price last month.  Homes went under contract within a day.  Here are the year-to-date stats:

Jan-April 2021                                                     Jan-April 2020

Median list price:        $369,900                       $339,950

Median sales price:    $397,200                       $337,500

No. of homes sold:     17                                   13

Days on market:          1                                      32

Compared to last year, home values are up 17%!  It’s a great time to be a seller, especially if you have an updated, well maintained house. Currently there are three homes listed in Armour Hills, with a median list price of $315,000 and 6 days on market.

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

We have another new business to welcome to Brookside—Westlake Ace Hardware at 104 W 63^rd St, in the former Tuesday Morning space.  Although Ace Hardware is a national chain as a coop owned dealership, Westlake’s is the largest wholly owned and operated dealer for Ace, locally owned and headquartered in Lenexa KS with over 145 stores and 5000 employees.  I recently stopped by and looked around the space, and chatted with manager Amber Murfin.

My first question was why Westlake decided on this location.  Amber explained “They wanted to try a smaller footprint for a store and have loved the Brookside area for many years and have long looked for a suitable location. And there is so much foot traffic here along 63^rd St.”  With a smaller store, it will be challenging having a large selection of spring flowers and herbs available for purchase, however Amber plans to offer those popular items.  Right now they are stocked up on all kinds of grilling supplies and tools, on display as you walk in. A large selection of regional barbecue sauces and spices just past the entrance is a permanent fixture for the store.  Amber also looks forward to changing the window displays every month, going along with the Brookside tradition of enticing passersby  via those creative presentations.

Besides the usual hardware store stock of paint (Benjamin Moore here), tools, plumbing and cleaning supplies, etc, Westlake offers key cutting services and key FOB programming, window and screen door repair, Toby Tobin Dyna Green bird seed and yard products, plus glass and plexiglass cutting .  They also deliver, and will pick up something from another store they may not have in stock at the Brookside location to get it to the customer.   Friendly smiles and an offer to help find particular items greet everyone who walks in the front door.

Amber is very excited to manage this new store. She’s been with Westlake for over twelve years, working her way up from an inventory position, eventually managing three different stores, most recently at the Westport location.  She loves teaching and learning, and looks forward to getting to know regular customers and becoming part of the Brookside/Waldo neighborhood.  She remarked, “I’d like to say a big thank you to the community here.  Everyone has been so welcoming and supportive”.

Our new Westlake Ace Hardware is open 7:30am-8:00pm Monday through Saturday, and 9:00am to 6:00pm on Sunday.  Watch their Facebook page for grand opening specials starting in mid February.

All last year I was reporting the fast home sales and high sales prices of Armour Hills homes. So how did the year end up compared to 2019? I’ve got the stats for you here; first will report on the December 2020 home sales.

At first glance, it looks like home values dropped quite a bit compared to December 2019. But look at the number of homes that closed: in 2019 it was just two; last month 15 homes closed! That’s unusual for the month of December. In addition, homes went under contract quicker–during colder holiday months during a pandemic. Let’s look at YTD numbers for the past five years:

Comparing home prices from 2019 to 2020, there was an increase of only .9%! I was surprised it wasn’t more–many Armour Hills properties sold for way over asking price, by several thousands of dollars. However if you compare 2018 to 2020, values shot up 9% and since 2016, up a whopping 25% in five years. Many homes went under contract within a week.

Currently there are no homes for sale in Armour Hills. Two properties went on the market last week; both were under contract within one day.

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