Trick or Treat in Brookside Today!

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trick or treat

It’s the annual Trick or Treat Street in Brookside…happening today from 4-6pm along 63rd St between Wornall and Oak.

Shops and merchants will be handing out candy and goodies for all neighborhood kids…and their parents!  Please be aware this area of 63rd St will be very busy with pedestrians later this afternoon–try to avoid the area if possible.  Be very careful if you must drive through! And if you want to watch the parade of trick or treaters–just walk over and admire all the clever costumes and cute kiddies.

Thank you for supporting our locally owned Brookside and Waldo businesses!

Welcome “Jorgy” to the Brookside Shops!

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Jorjy

Jorjy in the Brookside shops

Brookside’s favorite baby shop Lauren Alexandra has a sibling!  Located right next door, it’s called Jorjy, a “thoughtful furnishings and giftables” store.  Owner Pamela DiCapo decided to open Jorjy after getting so many requests to supply furnishings and decorate rooms other than a nursery.  Jorjy, named after a much loved family dog, opened in September in the former Shop Beautiful space at 320 W 63rd St.

 

j wallStep inside Jorjy and you’ll find attractive art prints, pillows, bedding, jewelry, books, accessories and a large selection of  barware.  Pamela also carries a fabric and wallpaper line exclusive to this store, and plans to start a wedding registry.  After the success of Lauren Alexandra, she explains this next venture “was a natural progression.  I felt there was a void on the marketplace.  I love designing and collecting  beautiful home products”.  This shop is perfect for picking up something unique and special for yourself—or as a gift.

 

j pam

Jorjy owner Pamela DiCapo

At one time, Pamela was a real estate agent..but she always had a knack for home design.  She pondered being a talk show host or starting a mail order catalog.  After finding a small wood craftsman to create a table and chairs for her children, she decided to open a children’s boutique.  Her Brookside store was featured in the Kansas City Star and a Designers Showhouse…and sales took off.  That was 25 years ago!  She’s kept the business going despite the recession and internet competition.  “Brookside residents are incredibly loyal to the retail stores and restaurants here, and there’s a real comraderie with the other shop owners.  We are all very supportive of each other”.  At Jorjy, she’s added a full time designer besides herself and can decorate/redesign any room in a home.

Jorjy is open seven days a week, in the heart of the Brookside shops.  Don’t miss the beautiful window display as you stroll along 63rd St!  You can reach Pamela at hello@shopjorjy.com or check out the instagram page:  @shopjorjy.

j bedding

Waldo Home Sales Report – Sept 2019

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Wonderful Waldo gets it’s nickname not only from the many eclectic, locally owned shops and eateries–also for it’s wide variety of housing stock!  Last month the lowest closed price was $65,000 and the highest was $403,500.  Let’s look at the stats:

September 2019                                         September 2018

Median list price:     $210,000                Median list price:     $195,000

Median sales price:   $207,500               Median sales price:   $196,500

No. of homes sold:       22                         No. of homes sold:   34  

Days on market:         12                           Days on market:       31

Fewer homes sold last month, in a shorter amount of time…less supply usually means  higher prices.  Now for year-to-date numbers:

Jan-Sept 2019                                              Jan-Sept 2018

Median list price:    $225,000                  Median list price:    $199,925

Median sales price:   $220,795               Median sales price:  $200,250

No. of homes sold:    269                          No. of homes sold:       308

Days on market:        9                              Days on market:          19

Houses are selling fast in Waldo (I’m using the boundaries of State Line to Holmes and Gregory to 85th St) and sellers are getting very close to asking price.  YTD, values are up 10% over 2018.   Currently there are 33 active single family homes listed in Waldo, with a median list price of $220,000 and 27 days on market.

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

Armour Hills Home Sales Report-Sept 2019

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Armour Hills continues to be one of the strongest Brookside subdivisions in terms of desirability for buyers and homo appreciation.  It will be interesting to see how Armour Hills finishes out the year–with single digit or double digit percent increase over last year.  Here are the stats for last month:

Sept. 2019                                                    Sept 2018

Median list price:      $342,500                 Median list price:      $307,497

Median sales price:   $342,500                 Median sales price:   $300,000

No. of homes sold:      8                             No. of homes sold:       6

Days on market:         3                              Days on market:         22

Not only were prices up compared to last year, four of the homes sold were at or over asking price–and went under contract in just a few days.  Below are the YTD figures:

Jan-Sept 2019                                                 Jan-Sept 2018

Median list price:     $345,000                    Median list price:     $315,000

Median sales price:   $345,000                  Median sales price:  $315,750

No. of homes sold:     69                              No. of homes sold:    62

Days on market:     11                                  Days on market:       10

The highest closed price so far this year in Armour Hills was last month at $506,000; the lowest for the year is $241,000.  Home values are up 9.2% over same period last year.  Currently there are three homes listed in Armour Hills, with a median price of $339,900 and 54 days on market.

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

Brookside Home Sales Report-Sept 2019

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Home sales are slowing down across the metro area compared to the earlier in the year; a slowdown when the weather cools is typical.  Here are the stats for single family home sales in Brookside (using zip code 64113) for last month and a YTD comparison:

Sept 2019                                                             Sept 2018

Median list price:     $347,500                         Median list price:     $400,000

Median sales price:  $350,000                         Median sales price:   $390,000

No. of homes sold:     18                                  No. of homes sold:       23

Days on market:         4                                    Days on market:          32

Brookside had it’s highest closed sales price so far this year last month:  $2.6 million.  The lowest closed price was $239,500.  Median sales price was lower than last year.  Here are the YTD figures:

Jan-Sept 2019                                                     Jan-Sept 2018

Median list price;     $389,475                        Median list price:     $399,925

Median sales price:   $380,000                      Median sales price:   $390,000

No. of homes sold:      234                              No. of homes sold:    224

Days on market:            21                               Days on market:        18

Just about the same number of homes sold in the same amount of time as 2018; median price is down 2.5%.  There is still a strong demand for Brookside properties–most notably in the $350K and less price category.  Currently there are 38 active single family listings in Brookside, with a median price of $459,500 and 60 days on market.  The lowest price is $214,950 and the highest is $7.7 million.

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

Waldo Home Sales Report-Aug 2019

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Slipping in this Waldo home sales report on the last day of September!  In two weeks, it will be time to check this month’s stats!  Waldo home prices continue to climb–and homes are selling fast. Here’s the info for Aug 2019, using the Waldo street borders of State Line to Holmes and Gregory to 85th:

Aug 2019                                                                         Aug 2018

Median list price:     $222,400                                     Median list price:    $198,975

Median sales price:  $217,750                                    Median sales price:  $198,500

No. of homes sold:      36                                             No. of homes sold:     38

Days on market:         5                                                Days on market:      25

About the same number of homes sold last month compared to same time last year, but in a much shorter period of time and at a higher price.  Here are the YTD numbers:

Jan-Aug 2019                                                                   Jan-Aug 2018

Median list price:     $225,000                                      Median list price:     $199,450

Median sales price:  $221,500                                      Median sales price:   $200,000

No. of homes sold:     235                                              No. of homes sold:     270

Days on market:        8                                                    Days on market:      17

Double digit increase YTD–10%!  Currently there are 24 active listings in Waldo, with a median price of $229,500 and 41 days on market.  The lowest priced home is $74,000 and the highest is $399,900.

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

 

 

Armour Hills Home Sales Report-Aug 2019

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Whew, the Armour Hills subdivision in Brookside continues to rise in value compared to the Brookside zip of 64113 as a whole.  I think this is primarily due to location, the park amenity, the range of home pricing, a strong homes association and the charm of the neighborhood.  Sales are steady, prices are up. Here’s the stats:

Aug 2019                                                       Aug 2018

Median list price:     $377,500                  Median list price:     $327,450

Median sales price:   $374,250                 Median sales price:   $322,500

No. of homes sold:     6                              No. of homes sold:     10

Days on market:        5                                Days on market:        22

Fewer homes closed last month compared to a year ago–and look at the days on market:  homes went under contract within just a few days of listing.  Below are the year-to-date stats:

Jan-Aug 2019                                                   Jan-Aug 2018

Median list price:     $345,000                      Median list price:     $315,000

Median sales price:   $345,000                     Median sales price:    $320,000

No. of homes sold:     61                                No. of homes sold:     58

Days on market:         15                                Days on market:      9

Home values are up 7.8% YTD over 2018.  That’s impressive.   I’d like to buy another house in Armour Hills now–to have when it’s time to downsize to one level living!  Currently there are six homes for sale, with an average list price of $389,975 and 16 days on market. Prices range from $229,900 to $519,000 (!)–over $500K is rare for this subdivision.

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

 

Brookside Home Sales Report-Aug 2019

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The peak spring and summer buying season is over, and as we get closer to the holidays, there will be fewer listings that pop on the market.  For Brookside, (using zip code 64113) last month’s stats were similar to a year ago–with higher median price.  Let’s break it down:

Aug 2019                                                               August 2018

Median list price:     $385,000                           Median list price:     $354,500

Median sales price:    $380,000                         Median sales price:    $338,750

No. of homes sold:       26                                  No. of homes sold:      28

Days on market:        26                                      Days on market:      22

The lowest closed sales price last month was $275,000 and the highest was $973,000.  Now let’s look at year-to-date stats:

Jan-Aug 2019                                                        Jan-Aug 2018

Median list price:     $389,950                           Median list price:     $399,900

Median sales price:   $380,000                          Median sales price:    $390,000

No. of homes sold:     217                                  No. of homes sold:      201

Days on market:        22                                      Days on market:        18

Prices are down 2.5% compared to same time last year; however I think that could be caused by more lower priced homes selling later in the year. Overall, I expect Brookside home values to be higher than 2018 at the end of the year.  Number of homes sold and days are market are running similar to 2018.

Currently there are 42 active listings in Brookside, with an average list price of $479,975 and 40 days on market. Prices range from $229,000 to just under $6 million.

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

 

EB and Company Opens in Brookside

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EB shopWe have another new locally owned business to tell you about in this week’s blog…EB and Company, an ‘inspired accessories’ shop now open at 326. W 63rd St, between Wornall and Brookside Blvd.

EB EmilyOwner Emily Bordner has always had an entrepreneurial spirit—inheriting it from her parents.  She had a regular corporate job at Hallmark as a merchandising designer, and started a side business making leather handbags.  She expanded into online sales and pop up shops—then decided to open her own retail place here.   She chose this location in part because she knows a handful of shop owners who love being in Brookside, and she worked at Bella Napoli while in college.    “Brookside has a long tradition of supporting locally owned businesses.  It’s really cool to be the new kid on the block, sandwiched between the long term businesses here”. 

So..about the store:  Emily’s goal is to “own the accessories niche”.  She carries several leather bags (made in the Crossroads and featuring domestically sourced leather); earrings, headbands, barrettes, scarves, rings and lip tint from SKIN KC.  Prices are very reasonable, ranging from $20 to $180.  The styles are current and classic at the same time:  tortoise shell, metals, warm and cool colored materials. You may have already seen some of her offerings at Made in KC.

eb frontEmily will host the grand opening of her store on September 28, with specials, beverages and a pop up store to be determined.  See more about EB and Company at the website or on Instagram @eb.and.co.   Hours are Monday through Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 12-5.  Stop in and browse through EB and Company the next time you are in Brookside!

 

Littlest Bake Shop–Treats with Big Flavor

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insideIt’s usually those cozy, quiet little food shops that supply the best atmosphere for a short caffeine stop, a shared treat with a friend or a corner to relax and read for a bit.  I’m thinking of places like Second Best Coffee, Heirloom,  or the Unbakery. And now Brookside and Waldo have another option:  The Littlest Bake Shop at 645 E 59th St–a vegan and gluten free bakery.

iris

Owner Iris Green is an experienced baker–she’s published her own cookbooks on Amazon, and recently moved back to KC from Los Angeles with her toddler. She was doing pop ups to sell her cupcakes at this same space (it was Pirate’s Bone) and when that business  relocated to the Crossroads, Iris decided to move in.  She bakes everything on site, using local and seasonal ingredients.  Flavors change depending on what inspires Iris and what is fresh–she usually always has a vanilla and chocolate cupcake and cinnamon rolls, but for something different, she’s offered rose muffins with marzipan filling; blackberry peach cobbler, or whatever Iris can dream up with the seasonal produce she finds.  That’s the real treat–trying a flavor you weren’t expecting!

patio

Besides  muffins, mini pies and cupcakes, Iris has several beverages for sale:  coffee drinks and  egg creams. She makes all her flavored syrups from scratch, too. Iris told me she thinks of her store as “vintage concept with with a contemporary flair”. Her shop is small yet inviting:  some tables and chairs, a counter with stools, and a shaded patio out the back door!

The shop has limited hours right now (Friday noon-7, Saturday and Sunday 10-3), but that’s part of the fun–drop in on a whim to see what she’s cooking up today!  Iris will also take special orders.  The Littlest Bake Shop is located at 645 E 59th St–just west of Chai Shai. 

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