It’s an annual event, open to all! People love Waldo for it’s unique and quirky shops and restaurants…and it’s walkability. The Shop Small Waldo Crawl starts tomorrow (Thursday December 4) and continues through Saturday.
There are several Waldo businesses offering giveaways and special deals, so as you browse and shop be sure to ask about the Shop Small promotion. A few of the participating businesses are Green Utopia, Callie Mae’s Barkery, Armour Oaks, Eclectics, Bramble and Stem and Boru. Thank you for supporting our locally owned businesses in Waldo!
Brookside loves bagels! And finally, the long awaited Luca Bagel has opened at 633 E 63rd St. It’s a real treat to have a freshly baked bagel–and we are lucky this storefront landed in our neighborhood. If you shop at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market, you’ve likely seen the very long lines at their pop up tent on Saturdays. This is a high quality, Jersey style bagelthat people will wait in line for.
Luke Salvatore
Luke Salvatore is the owner of Luca Bagel; if that name sounds familiar, it’s because he and his brother operate Providence Pizza in Grandview , and have since expanded to two other locations. A few years ago, Luke began experimenting with various recipes and started selling the bagels on Saturday mornings at the Grandview restaurant. Talking with friends involved with the OP Farmer’s Market, he decided to open a stand there on Saturdays. Word spread about the tasty treats and long lines started forming well before the market’s 7:30am official open time. At this point, Luke was still baking at the Grandview store and with the “massive” response to the OP pop up, he started to look for a brick and mortar location. He thought the Brookside would be a good spot because customers spoke fondly of the old Bagel and Bagel store that was here for many years. Plus, he knew the neighborhood liked to support local businesses. When the former Mattie’s vegan restaurant space opened up–it was “the right place at the right time” according to Luke. I asked him how many bagels they typically bake over the weekend–about 4000 pieces.
Besides your typical bagel toppings (a gluten free option is available too), Luca sells breakfast and lunch sandwiches. Popular breakfast orders include the traditional bacon, egg and cheese option and the tomato, cucumber, lox, onions and capers combination. Lunch sandwiches feature a pastrami on bagel and the “Jersey pork roll”, offering thinly sliced, Taylor ham shipped in from New Jersey. And for a sweet treat–the traditional black and white cookie is baked on site! This new location can be as popular as the OP market site; peak busy times are Saturday and Sunday around 10am so plan accordingly!
Stop by Luca Bagel, 633 E 63rd St, and check it out–the vibe inside is laid back and relaxed, with a friendly staff and catchy music on the sound system. This place definitely has it’s own funky personality. Luca Bagel is open every day except Monday.
This is the way to holiday shop: early in the seaon, in locally owned shops and in a festive atmosphere!! This weekend is the Brookside Holiday Season Opener and you are invited!
The festivities kick off tomorrow (Thursday November 13) at 5pm with live music, a visit from Santa, sweet treats and the official tree lighting at 6pm at Bank Midwest Plaza, 6246 Brookside Plaza, just west of Cru Bistro and Bottles.
Our local merchants are offering food specials, giveaways, complimentary refreshments, merch discounts and fresh holiday gift ideas all weekend–so come by and join in the fun! The Holiday Season Opener runs through Sunday.
Thank you for supporting our local Brookside restaurants, shops and services throughout the year. The holiday season is a special time to browse and buy–starting this weekend!
It’s the big one….the Garmin Kansas City Marathon happens tomorrow, Saturday October 18, and will delay traffic through KC’s core from 7am through the early afternoon.
You can find the course map here; it’s a challenge to see with the small print because this run covers SO many streets. Expect streets to be blocked off from the City Market south through 75th St; and Broadway/Ward Parkway east to the Paseo.
As I drive along Main Street in Waldo, I’ve watched the new construction going on at the SW corner of 77th and Main. The builder has been working on this project for over a year…and the units are finally finished. So, I went by last week to snap a few photos and find out the details.
First up, you should know that John Notblit and Rick Didier are the builders. They have built several single family homes in Waldo–and these sell pretty quickly when they come up for resale. On the 77th and Main corner, there was one house on the large lot, and Noblit Didier had their office next door. When the homeowner told John he wanted to sell– a deal was made. It took over a year and a half to plan the buildings and another year to build them.
John Noblit
Why so long you ask? John explained these are the first units built under KCMO’s new 2021 energy conservation code. Noblit Didier hired Midwest Energy Consultants to model each unit to meet the new requirements. Insulation inspections, duct leakage tests and blower door tests had to be performed in order to meet the updated city requirements. These are very energy efficient units!
Three separate buildings were constructed; each are two story units with a bedroom and full bath on the first level (plus a 1 or 2 car garage in back), and a second bedroom with full bath on the upper floor, in addition to the kitchen, living area and outdoor deck. Each apartment comes with appliances, including the washer/dryer, and are all electric. Internet access is paid for and management takes care of yard maintenance and snow removal. Noblit Didier has designed and remodeled homes for since 1999, and John included the special features tenants would appreciate: walk-in closets, a pantry with electrical outlet, quartz counters, custom cabinets, stylish light fixtures and sturdy manufactured decks. Rents for the two car garage units are $2900 per month; the one car units are less.
“Rick Didier and I have been building and remodeling in Waldo for 25 years and we are proud to be part of the area and community and we look forward to continuing redevelopment opportunities as they arise”, says John. If you are interested in seeing one of these townhomes for yourself, contact Ellis Real Estate Services. They are move in ready now!
Attention neighbors and friends!! The annual Waldo Fall Fest is tomorrow, Saturday October 11 from 10am-6pm.
This is a free, family friendly event, happening at the parking lot on the northeast corner of Gregory and Wornall. Several vendors are participating: locally made jewelry and crafts, clothing, services and businesses. Of course, there will be food trucks, kids’ activities and music.
Help support our unique Waldo community and join in the Fall Fest fun tomorrow–see you there!
On September 25, KCPS hosted another meeting to discuss options for repurposing the former Bryant Elementary School at 319 Westover in Brookside. I was reading over my blog post about the meeting KCPS hosted about this same topic in May 2024…and last week’s meeting was very similar to the 2024 meeting. The school district wants community input on reproposing the site and ultimately, it’s up to the school board as to what will happen.
It seemed clear to me that KCPS would prefer to use this site for teacher housing; and based on current deed restrictions, the land can be only be used for a school or single family homes (see chart above). Through “condemnation authority”, teacher housing could be an option. KCPS has no plans to reopen the building as a school; nor are they considering other “school purposes” allowable such as a school library, warehouse, museum. As at the previous meeting, Shannon Jaxx (former KCPS employee, now a consultant) said about 25-45 apartments could fit on the site; rental rates would be well below market value for the teachers. It also seemed those in attendance, at least 100 persons or so, would prefer to use the land for new single family homes. Concerns expressed about the teacher housing included: the impact on nearby homes regarding traffic and home values; adding too much density to the area, and KCPS’ ability to manage and maintain the apartment building.
After several questions and comments from the audience, each person was able to indicate, based on two different colored dots, their preferences for how the site could be used and possible concerns. Because of the current (to me, confusing) land restrictions, it wasn’t clear if KCPS would consider asking for a rezoning of the site to use for another purpose (for example, a park or senior center/senior housing). Also there was no discussion how something like the teacher housing idea would be paid for. I suppose they leave that up to the potential developers!
The next steps are for KCPS to solicit proposals for the site over the next several months and then present options to the community next summer. After a proposal is chosen, negotiations would begin and additional community meetings would be held. The final decision on what happens to the site is up to the KCPS school board; 5 of the 7 members must agree for the project to move forward.
If you would like to give your comments on the project options, take this survey:
Forward thinking entrepreneurs who start businesses are the people who power our economy. You may have thought about starting a business, being your own boss…then, due to logistics and money and assorted other reasons, decide against it. Fortunately Brookside and Waldo have several risk takers, bringing new and different businesses to our area: think Cafe Corazon, Betty Rae’s, Goofball Sk8boards…and now, Local Liquid.
John Couture
“Nobody is doing this anywhere in the country,” says owner and founder John Couture. You may remember that name from his former Brookside business, Bier Station (now City Barrel Pizza and Patio), which focused on offering local craft beers — at the bar and to go–while also promoting community engagement through various special events and fundraisers. After ten years, John decided it was time for a change and sold the business to City Barrel. The new venture, Local Liquid, is “almost like Bier Station for your home–we are introducing people to different locally sourced beverages”. Local Liquid brings regionally made beer, wine, spirits, coffee and more to you, delivered by a friendly driver who doesn’t accept tips. (The company believes in paying a living wage). Look at their website and scroll through over 50 local makers offering alcoholic and NA beverages, sparkling water, cocktail garnishes and syrups, kombucha, THC infused drinks and gift boxes of goodies. The most popular option right now is the subscription coffee delivery–every week (or two weeks, monthly, it’s up to you) Local Liquid brings freshly roasted coffee delivered to your front door! “We are doing a lot of community building here” John explains, “elevating the local beverage community and promoting fresh new tastes to discover”. It’s a different business model, boosting local makers, and customers love the convenience and choices.
Local Liquid is a simple service to use: sign up for the items you want on the website, and the purchase will be dropped at your door–the van makes deliveries Wednesday through Friday each week. You’ll get a text with a drop off time frame and again at delivery. (Note: alcohol requires an at door personal exchange). There are no subscription fees–you can schedule regular delivery or a one time purchase. Gift cards are available too–the perfect present for someone who is a challenge to buy for!
Want to learn more? Stop by the Pre Game Pour event (in conjunction with the Caffeine Crawl) at the Local Liquid headquarters, 6500 Troost, on Sunday Oct 12 from 1-4pm. There will be samples of various beverages, mini games and prizes, plus the German Shopping Cart Archery challenge! You can purchase tickets here. (Chiefs play that evening FYI!).
Local Liquid–another unique, innovative business for Kansas City, homegrown via Brookside. Check it out and thank you for supporting our local entrepreneurs!
A week or so ago, I attended the Waldo Tower Neighborhood Assn meeting, which included a presentation from Jesse Lang and Shannon Jaxx from the Kansas City Public School district regarding the former Bingham school location, now a vacant lot. Does this sound familiar? In May 2024, I attended a similar meeting regarding the empty Bryant school building in Brookside (319 Westover). This meeting was very similar to the Bryant meeting; KCPS is soliciting public feedback for the reuse of these two sites. Here’s a brief summary below:
You may remember at one point Walmart wanted to build a neighborhood market at this site; homeowners nearby rejected that idea. One of the main issues here regarding redevelopment is the lot, bounded by Wornall, Wyandotte and 77th St has no direct access off Wornall. Vehicle access from Wyandotte can be tricky as it’s narrow residential street, in terms of parking, additional traffic, construction vehicles and supplies going in and out of the area. Still, the land could be used productively, and KCPS would like to repurpose it for teacher housing (as originally suggested for the Bryant location). Other ideas mentioned include housing for seniors, tiny homes, a mixed use of residential and commercial; community amenities such as a public pool, dog park, athletic fields or community gathering space, a hotel or homeless shelter. There has also been a discussion of relocating the Waldo Library to this site. Jaxx and Lang indicated there are developers interested that would submit proposals and specific costs once the options are narrowed down. How any project would be paid for was not mentioned that I recall.
KCPS wants community feedback; I think there may eventually be a survey posted on the website for input. Formal next steps are:
November 2025: Marketing Bingham and other sites
February 2026: Proposals Due
Spring 2026: Reuse Proposal Presentations
Fall 2026: Select a Proposal / Contract Negotiations
Prior to Sale: Finalize the Community Benefit Agreement
A couple of other notes to share: The former Southwest high school will eventually reopen as a middle school. As for the Bryant repurposing project, an update will be provided at a community meeting Monday Sept 29, 6pm, at the Country Club Methodist Church, 400 W 57th St.
(Disclaimer!! I am not a trained reporter and information here is based on my personal notes! There may be a few errors.)
Brookside is hosting another Sip & Shop tonight, Sept. 18, from 5-8pm…looks like the rain will be finished up way before then! Stroll along 63rd St and browse through the shops, sipping drink samples and checking out the in store specials. Be sure and stop at one of the food spots for a bite or leisurely dinner while you are out! Thank you for supporting our locally owned Brookside businesses!
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 