Crown Center Adds Shop Local KC Store to Retail Choices
Crown Center Shops celebrates 50th year with 95 percent occupancy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 30, 2023) — This weekend, Crown Center will welcome a retail store highlighting Kansas City artists and makers that will bring the shopping center’s retail occupancy rate to 95 percent. Shop Local KC, a gift shop featuring the work of more than 50 local artists and craftspeople, plans to open a new location in the Crown Center Shops this Saturday, April 1.
Crown Center becomes the third retail location for Shop Local KC. The locally made gift and flower shop concept first opened in Midtown Kansas City in 2021 and in Leawood in 2022.
Shop Local KC is an extension of founder Katie Mabry van Dieren’s other passion project,
The Strawberry Swing Indie Craft Fair, established in 2011. The company also operates a curated online marketplace at shoplocalkc.com featuring more than 300 Kansas City artisans.
“This is our third store opening in three years, and we’re so excited about this Crown Center location,” said owner Mabry van Dieren. “It will be great to be in a destination for out-of-town visitors who come to Kansas City. Crown Center is such a fixture of Kansas City, and we look forward to being part of it.”
The 2,000-square-foot storefront on Level 2 of the Crown Center Shops, situated across from Toy Time, has been renovated and updated. Shop Local KC also commissioned local artist Morgan Elliott to paint a large mural (20 by 10 feet) on the wall of the store that says “Hello from Kansas City” surrounded by flowers.
Mabry van Dieren expects the mural to be a popular backdrop for visitors to take photos with while they are at Crown Center. As another new offering for the Crown Center area, she plans to sell a selection of grab-and-go fresh flower bouquets and small vases, as well as dried floral arrangements.
“We’re proud to continue to bring innovative retailers like Shop Local KC to Crown Center, especially as we celebrate our 50th year since the opening of Crown Center Shops in 1973,” Stacey Paine, president of Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation. “Not many retail centers can claim a 95 percent occupancy rate, but our focus on showcasing local businesses to our various local, regional, and national visitors is working well.”
Shop Local KC will feature the work of many local, women-owned businesses including:
· Shop Annie Austen (Annie Austen) – local influencer, maker of jewelry, and curator of vintage goods
· Messner Bee Farm (Rachael and Erik Messner) – local beekeepers offering honey, candles, lip balm, and more
· Yal & Yana (Beth Massey) – all-natural bath and body products
· Crown & Heart (Sara Kharatyan) – hand-painted porcelain jewelry
And many other artists and craftspeople.
“We love the locally owned focus of Crown Center,” Mabry van Dieren said. “Almost all of the other businesses at Crown Center are locally owned, and that’s good for Kansas City. It’s the perfect place for us to be.”
Shop Local KC at Crown Center Hours: Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Media Contacts:
Anne Deuschle, Integrated Marketing Manager, Crown Center
Anne.Deuschle@hallmark.com | 816-274-5916