What a great idea….Brookside does it again! The first PatioFest is tomorrow night and everyone is welcome. Come out and celebrate the Summer Solstice with your neighbors and friends! The shops will be open till 7 as well.
There will be live music at several places in the core area of Brookside-including near Jalepeno’s, the Brooksider, Brookside Toy and Science and Foo’s. Check the website for details on who is performing where and exact showtimes.
The Waldo Astoria…does that name sound familiar? Longtime Waldo residents may remember the dinner playhouse at 73rd and Washington, which originally opened around 1924 as the Waldo Theater. That building is long gone…but the name, Waldo Astoria, now refers to a new event space in Waldo.
The newly opened Waldo Astoria is different: it’s an event space, it’s an overnight guest house; it can be a live music venue; it can be a special private retreat space; there are so many possibilities! So let’s dive in and learn about this new spot you may be visiting sometime soon.
Owners Traci and George Ismert, along with partner Joe Hendrickson, have operated businesses along the short block of W. 80th Terrace for several years. The Ismerts renovate and build homes through their company Old Glory Neighborhood Improvement Company, Inc, and Joe operates Hendrickson Tree Care Company. Formerly a airplane parts business, the building across the street from them came up for sale and the Ismerts decided to purchase it. After a full renovation with Joe’s help, they decided to operate it as a multipurpose venue. Honoring part of Waldo’s history, they named their new venture the Waldo Astoria.
The renovated building is divided into two distinct areas. The front part is similar to a house, with a living room, dining room, full kitchen and sleeping accommodations for up to 16 people. Head downstairs to the back of the property and find a large, open space featuring a long bar, high ceilings, and a double garage door that opens to a fenced yard with a concrete pad for a live band. This space can host up to 100 guests, depending on the room set up. And if you book this space for a private event, you can choose your own licensed caterer and bring in alcohol for serving. There is plenty of free parking outside. You can rent just the guest house or the event area; they will not book two different parties at the same time in the different spaces.
Waldo Astoria would be a perfect spot for a wedding, graduation party, family reunion, corporate retreat, holiday party, seminar — so many possibilities! The Ismerts and and Joe are also hosting events open to the public-the next one is a live music event on June 30, a benefit for the Veterans Community Project.
Be sure to follow their Instagram page for updates. If you would like a tour of Waldo Astoria, contact them through their website.
Have any driving plans tomorrow morning? Note the Hospital Hill run will have streets shut down from downtown KC through 63rd St in Brookside till noon or so.
Here’s a map of the route and running times. Plan ahead!!
Encouraging children to discover and explore their interest in arts and music is a priority for many parents. Here in Brookside, there is a new locally owned business that can help–HeartBeat Studio.
Founder Christi Coffey offers year round classes at her central Brookside space, including special summer camps. There’s a music room for guitar, piano and voice lessons; a large space for dance and theater classes and an art room for working with clay, fiber and print making. All of the summer camps are themed–including one on Taylor Swift, of course! Year round classes are offered for ages 1-18; the six week summer camps are geared toward ages 4-13. In addition, Christi hosts the “Kid’s ARTventure Night” on the first Friday of each month. For $35, you can drop off your youngster at 5:30pm and come back at 9:30 for pick up…and enjoy an evening to yourself! HeartBeat Studio hosts birthday parties too.
Christi has a BFA in musical theater from SE Missouri State and has been teaching in the arts for twelve years. She worked at the Coterie Theater, the Jewish Community Center and KCYA. During the pandemic, she purchased a Tippi Toes franchise which she still owns. “I love teaching” says Christi, ” and childhood is the most important time in life to explore the arts. I love to see a shy kid blossom and gain confidence through classes–art can help a child grow emotionally”. Brookside was her preferred location for the new business as she saw a real need. “There are so many families in the area, wanting this type of service”. I think this is especially true for summer camps as most families have two working parents. Christi doesn’t have much free time but when she can relax, she enjoys her backyard ducks and tending her large vegetable/fruit garden in Hyde Park.
HeartBeat Studio is located at 6314 Brookside Plaza, next to Jalapeno’s.
Last month I attending a public meeting at Hale Cook Elementary, hosted by the Kansas City Public Schools. KCPS is proposing turning the former Bryant School into housing for teachers. Bryant was built 1915-1938 on just over four acres of land at 319 Westover, and has been vacant since 2009. Whatever happens to this property, it will affect home values and the immediate neighborhood. As a Realtor, I wanted to find out more about the plans….and share them with you!
Jesse Lang and Shannon Jaxx, who both work in “repurposing” closed schools for the district, moderated the event; Superintendent Dr Jennifer Collier kicked it off by talking about increased enrollment in the district schools and the recent hike in teacher salaries. When KCPS conducted a survey of first year teachers, one of the questions was about housing. The survey indicated teachers are having trouble finding affordable housing and would prefer rents of $800-$1000 per month close to the schools they work in. KCPS feels converting Bryant to teacher housing would help some of these staff people. Several school districts around the country have built apartments specifically for teachers; California is “leading the way”, also Chicago and Newark. Locally, the Guadeloupe Center recently broke ground on a 50 unit apartment complex near their elementary school.
In addition to the proposed renovation of Bryant, Dr Collier talked in detail about the $650 million in deferred maintenance of the district’s current schools, which they hope to address via COP Bonds and a spring 2025 General Obligation (GO) Bond, which would require voter approval. These measures would not fund the Bryant project.
Approximately 50 persons were present at the meeting and overall, there didn’t seem to be any strong objections to the teacher housing proposal. I jotted down several notes and have summarized the information in quick bullet points below. You can also find slides from the presentation here.
*The land Bryant sits on is divided into four tracks, currently zoned for single family or school use. KCPS would need to have the neighborhood “restrictive covenants” changed to allow the apartments. KCPS will also apply to have Bryant on the National Register of Historic Places to qualify for tax credits.
*Approximately 27-40 units would be built, with the possibility of a few single family homes (at market sale rate) on the eastern track.
*No projected cost was mentioned for the project. Several for profit and nonprofit developers have expressed interest in submitting a proposal. Philanthropic support will be needed to keep rents below market value. KCPS needs to decide if the land would be a long term lease or sale to the developer.
*Other alternatives for this property are: demolish the building and KCPS keeps the site as a vacant lot; or sell it to a developer for new, market rate single family homes.
*It was also mentioned that KCPS is “evaluating” the current Southwest High School building for a third middle school location. It is not being considered for teacher housing.
The next steps are this: over the next several months, KCPS will solicit feedback from the community, make a recommendation to the school board and in the Fall, “proceed with critical actions”. KCPS promises to “participate in good faith negotiations with the property owners” and will “solicit community feedback prior to choosing a developer” if the teacher housing proposal goes through.
KCPS wants your feedback! You can complete a survey online by May 17. I’ll plan on attending other public meetings related to this topic and keep you updated via the blog—thanks for reading!!
This is the weekend to be out and about in the neighborhood! Soak up the warm weather and charming atmosphere of Brookside and Waldo by spending some time at these free events:
Now in it’s 38th year, the Brookside Art Annual kicks off Friday night at 5pm. Recognized nationally as one of the country’s premier art fair events, you will see so many attractive and yes, some unusual pieces here; and at various prices. Local Brookside vendors will have food and beverages for sale; bring the little ones for some kids’ art activities on Saturday. The Brookside Art Annual continues through Sunday at Brookside Road and 63rd St.
Waldo is also hosting it’s Spring Fling on Saturday May 4 from 10am-5pm, at the northeast corner of Gregory and Wornall. Here you will find some vendor booths with services and various items for sale; food available also for purchase.
Please remember to be extra careful when driving around Brookside and Waldo over the weekend; there will be even more pedestrians and strollers walking to these events.
Celebrate Spring and our neighborhood this weekend by getting out and enjoying art, local food and visiting with neighbors at the Art Annual in Brookside and Waldo’s Spring Fling. Events like these are what make our area special!!
The CCVI Trolley Run in Sunday, April 28–this Sunday!
Because of all the construction centered around 75th and Wornall, the starting point for the race is now 73rd Terrace and Wornall at 8am. Expect streets to be blocked for several hours Sunday morning. Here is the updated route for reference:
Did you know that Waldo has a special events venue? I did not—until I was invited to a kick-off party at 75th Street Events last month. This is a very versatile space that you should know about—and yes, it’s locally owned and operated by Waldo residents!
Located at 214 W 75th St, just east of the 222 Waldo Flats apartments and directly north of the CVS, 75th St Events hosts weddings, bridal/baby showers, corporate meetings, fundraisers, family reunions, and birthday celebrations. The concrete floors, high ceilings and large, street facing windows offer lots of flexibility setting up the venue for each individual client. The space can comfortably hold just over 100 persons, depending on room arrangement. Owners Laura and Howard Turley explain: “It’s a very flexible space where you can create your own vision. It feels open and welcoming for 30 people or 90 people”. There is plenty of room for tables, chairs, a/v equipment, dancing, a band, and mingling. Parking is free around the back.
Howard Turley grew up in Kansas City—you may have heard of his father, Dr John J Turley, who was a local optometrist. He was instrumental in forming the Waldo Area Business Association and the Trolley Track Trail. Years ago Dr Turley bought the building the venue is housed in and passed it on to Howard’s brother so it’s still in the family. Howard and his wife Laura moved back to Kansas City from El Paso several years ago, and had always wanted to open their own business. Having a background in wedding consulting and hospitality, the couple decided Waldo needed its own events venue and opened 75th St Events in July 2021.
There is one special feature that makes this place different from most rented spaces: customers may choose from any licensed caterer for food service, and can supply the alcohol for the event. That’s not the policy at many event venues, and it can save a lot of money for those with a tighter budget. In addition to the main area, there is a cozy private room in back perfect for a bridal party; a lounge area off the main room; a small catering prep kitchen and outdoor deck. The Turleys offer very personalized service to their customers, too. They are on site for every event, working with clients from the initial contact through the day of the event. You can choose from various pricing and packages, included a small wedding package that takes care of all the details.
Laura and Howard love working and living in Waldo and both enjoy seeing how the area is growing. Howard says “We make a point to know every business in this area. We want to be good stewards of the neighborhood by offering this space, and focus on excellent customer service”.
For a tour of 75th Street Events or more info, visit their website.
Seems like there is always something going on in Brookside..and yet, here’s another new event to check out….The first annual Brookside Brunch Walk!
Several restaurants, such as Brookside Barrio, Michael Forbes, Red Door Grill, the Roasterie and others are offering special menu deals from 10am-1pm tomorrow. In addition, retail shops such as Brookside Toy and Science, Stuff, Corner Candle Shop and EB&Co have special deals going on as well. The official Brookside website doesn’t have a page dedicated to this event, but you can check the Brookside Facebook page and find a few posts listing more info on the offers.
Take advantage of our warm Spring weather and stroll around Brookside tomorrow, enjoying a hearty brunch and shopping the specials. Our locally owned and operated businesses appreciate you!
What is Hemma Hemma? You may have driven by the location at 7122 Wornall and the sign caught your eye..the name is unusual! Hemma Hemma is actually three culinary concepts in one location; so you have numerous ways to experience this newer Waldo, woman owned local business.
Walk into Hemma Hemma and you’ll be in the “bodega marketplace”— a full service coffee/expresso bar featuring fresh pastries, a comfortable lounge area and a refrigerated section of soups, entrees and sides for quick grab and go options. To the right of the bodega is the “hot line”—a cafeteria style selection of hot breakfast and lunch options that you can take to go or enjoy at a table in the sunny dining area. (Note that just about everything here is made in house, and selections change often.) The third space is the large Studio+Events room that offers several hands on cooking classes.
Hemma Hemma owner Ashley Bare is from Kansas City; she studied French and art history at KU and comes from a “big medical family”. After college she was an au pair in Switzerland and then decided to go to culinary school in New York, following an inner passion for food. She became a private chef and also developed recipes with cookbook authors. Ashley started meal prepping for clients during the pandemic out of her home; demand grew so much that she started looking for a commercial kitchen. After a location in the Crossroads fell through, she found this extra large space in Wlado and the landlord offered her a “great deal’. She created the Hemma Hemma concept and opened last September. (Ashley still offers the meal prep service called “Fill Your Fridge” –see the website for details.)
If you’ve not been to Hemma Hemma yet—try it! Ashley says there are several ways to “build a meal” on the hot line so you can personalize what you want. She strives for “high quality, normal food with a twist. Many items are vegetable forward and seasonal” so there is always some variety, including vegan and gluten free items. Best sellers include the miso chicken meatballs, salsa verde chicken enchiladas, lasagna, grilled cheese with tomato soup, and the vegetarian breakfast casserole. I sampled the pineapple guacamole during my visit and it was addicting!
Hemma Hemma has very convenient parking; there are spaces in front of the shop or the surface lot shared with the Fresh Green dispensary to the south. Hours are Monday-Friday 7:30-4; Saturday and Sunday 8am-3pm. Try someplace new for breakfast or lunch and stop by Hemma Hemma!
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 