Two Very Different Downtown Retailers on Main Street Close
February 28, 2019 | Kevin Collison | 2 min read
Two very different downtown retailers on Main Street, one a national chain, the other a homegrown pastry shop, have closed their doors.
The JoS. A. Banks clothing store at 1320 Main, one of the earliest tenants in the Power & Light District, closed in mid-February. Brioche Pastry Shop at 2000 Main closed this week.
Attempts to reach the corporate owners of JoS. A. Banks and its landlord, the Cordish Co., were unsuccessful. The family owners of Brioche also could not be reached for comment.
JoS. A Banks opened its Power & Light District store in 2009, one of several hundred around the U.S.
Brandon and Ida Kelley started their first Brioche in Jefferson City in 2009, and began their cozy, Crossroads Arts District bakery six years later.
In a weekend post on their website and Facebook page, the Kelley’s said they closed after being unable to reach a lease agreement with their landlord.
JoS. A. Bank clothing closed in the Power & Light District at 1320 Main.
They also announced a GoFundMe campaign to sustain themselves during the transition.
“It’s with a very heavy heart that we have to announce that Brioche Pastry Shop was not able to come to a lease agreement with balanced and mutual terms that would allow us to continue at our current location,” according to their post.
“Brandon and I are heartbroken to leave the community we have come to consider our own and the suddenness of this departure leaves our family in a very tight spot.
“Our hope is to find a new home to keep this shop alive in some capacity. We have put everything into this business for over three years here in Kansas City and we don’t plan to go down without exhausting every available option.
“This fundraiser is being created to raise money to go towards our living and storage expenses while we scramble to plan and execute the next phase of our business.
“We are grateful to every customer that came into our shop and supported us with their business and their warm company.”
“We welcome your ideas and we welcome your continued support through this extremely stressful and unfortunate turn of events.”
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