Flowers! Can’t help but smile when you walk by a colorful floral garden, a unique centerpiece or receive a blooming arrangement that fills your space with a soft, fresh scent. Waldo has a new flower shop, Botanica Flower Studio at 7443 Broadway—and I stopped by last week to find out more.
Owner Heather Coones has been a florist for eighteen years. Back in her college days at K State, she would walk the campus dreaming of owning her own shop. She earned a degree in geography as she loves to travel—and eventually got a job at The Fiddly Fig. After a while, she struck out on her own, doing wedding and special events out of her Leawood home. Finally, she just fulfilled her dream and opened the small shop, sandwiched between Hiles Two and Soap Station, a couple of storefronts south of Waldo Pizza. Heather grew up in Brookside, and explained why she picked this Waldo spot: “ I love this area. It’s a good location and I know the community supports local businesses. There is easy access to many special event locations. And I like to connect with people on a daily basis—flowers make people happy!”.
I asked Heather what makes her bouquets and arrangements different from others. Her approach is to offer a “really good value. When you order from me, I look at what flowers and greenery are at their best at the time, and I get my product from local growers as well as wholesalers. I like unique color combinations; I use lots of different textures, incorporating greens and herbs. I like to use flowers and greens that you don’t always see in a shop. The trend in arrangements now is the loose, gathered garden look —not a tight, stiff, rounded arrangement. I like to work with my customers to create something different that still looks fresh, eye catching and expressive.”
Botanica Flower Studio also has several kinds of vases and potted plants for sale; Heather plans to add Cedar Street Toffee treats for sale if you want to add sweets to your bouquet! Behind the store is a shady, cozy, open air patio that’s available for small private wedding showers. Current hours at the shop are 12-5 Monday through Friday; delivery is available. The best way to order a single special bouquet or arrangement right now is to email Heather from the website—however, walk ins are welcome!
Botanica Flower Studio is located at 7443 Broadway in wonderful Waldo!
Owner Spencer Woodard is a wholesaler by trade, owning Geo’s Foods. He’s been in the cheese business for fifteen years, was born and raise in Kansas City, and lives in Waldo. Spencer says he’s always wanted to open a gourmet cheese place in Kansas City, and after looking at a few other locations, decided on this spot at the corner of McGee and Gregory. “The word ‘cheese’ draws so many people” he explained. “ I always thought Kansas City needed a cheese shop. We love the neighborhood and being here, everyone is so supportive.”
As with just about every other locally owned Brookside/Waldo retail shop, there is an emphasis on personal service here. Chances are Spencer’s longtime friend Gary Seabaugh will greet you at the door and offer his assistance. If you call ahead, Geo’s will put together a special gift bag of cheeses, crackers, etc you can pick up ready to go. Or just stop in and browse—bring something special home for that last minute meal on a warm night!
So here’s how it works: bring in your jar, bucket, bottle, whatever (you can also purchase them at the store or take from the donated containers basket) and browse the shop, filling up on what you need: there are cleansers for your face/ body, laundry, and home. Weigh the contents on the scale and pay by the ounce—you can purchase as little as one ounce of product just to give it a trial run at home, or stock up large jugs to last several months. All soaps have no artificial scents and many are allergen free. There is also a “house brand” line of products that are mixed in Springfield. Annie and Adam also carry several essential oils if you do want to scent the soaps you buy. Both are very customer service oriented and will walk you through the options as to what would work best for your specific cleaning needs. This shop is perfect for your own personal shopping or to purchase special, unique scented gifts for friends and family. And of course, it’s very environmentally friendly!
Anne says ” We firmly believe that what we are doing is making a difference. We just want to be a utility for those who are already trying to make less impact on the planet. In less than two years our three shops together have kept over 30,000 containers out of the landfills, waterways, and even recycling centers.”
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 