Boutiques headed to P&L District

By JOYCE SMITH
The Kansas City Star

The Kansas City Power & Light District plans to open a retail collective of seven locally owned boutiques this winter.

The Garment District will take up 4,000 square feet at 1350 Main St., district developer Cordish Co. told The Star on Thursday.

The shops will be sectioned off with furniture and displays and will surround a central concierge/full-service bar. The area, scheduled to open March 1, also will promote other district operations.

Boutique owners will pay rent to the district but pool their funds for a general manager, three or four part-time employees and other overhead costs, Cordish said.

The name plays homage to Kansas City’s historic Garment District, a textile hub that operated just blocks from the Power & Light District. The Kansas City Garment District Museum will lend a rotating display of artifacts for the space, Cordish said.

Rachel Pheffer, who operates an online design business called Urbantique, plans to open her first brick-and-mortar store in The Garment District.

“Everyone is always asking me to do my own store and I say no. The man-hours I would have to put in wouldn’t allow me to design, and the overhead is ridiculous to be on your own,” she said.

Urbantique will sell modern custom accessories and apparel with vintage touches. It also is branching out into collegiate items, so Pheffer wanted to be near the Sprint Center.

The other boutiques are:

•City Girls, a contemporary women’s boutique with locations in Gardner and Salina, Kan.

•Denim Couture, men’s and women’s contemporary clothing. It has a location in Overland Park.

•Imagery, the second area location for the designer clothing store for men and women. The shop was a Westport mainstay for 25 years before new owners relocated to Mission Farms in Leawood.

Co-owner Roberta Brown said: “We had a twofold reason for opening: to let the inner-city core know we are still around, and there are so many businesspeople working downtown and they need places to shop on their lunch hour.”

•Label, the first location for the men’s boutique offering one-of-a-kind T’s, button-ups and designer denim.

•Polka Dot Petals, the first location for the men’s and women’s boutique. It will offer such brands as Nicole Lee and Chinese Laundry.

•Two Chic Blvd., a women’s boutique that has one location in Overland Park.

Cordish on Thursday also said that The Polished Edge is coming to the Power & Light District.

The locally owned fine jewelry store, which has a location in Liberty, is expected to open at 1360 Main St. by late January.