Blue Moose It is!

Lane4 Announces New Tenants for Red Bridge Shopping Center

By Kathy Feist

Rumors have been circulating for months. And now Lane4 Property Group has confirmed it.

Blue Moose Bar & Grill will be the newest tenant at the Red Bridge Shopping Center at Holmes and Red Bridge Rd. It will be located on the southeast corner in the space formerly occupied by Dos Hombres.

“The secret’s been out a little bit,” says Brandon Buckley, vice president at Lane4.

A second tenant, Silks & Pole Aerial Fitness, a fitness boutique, will be located around the corner on the south side of the shopping center, near the Christian Science Reading Room.

“It’s a quirky thing,” says Buckley. “But we kind of like quirky things for the shopping center.”

On the west side of the building, Edward Jones Investments has expanded into a second space. And on the north end, the former Homer’s coffee shop is undergoing substantial changes before its future occupant is formally announced.

In one year, the center has gone from 47 to 75 percent capacity.

Blue Moose Bar & Grill

Blue Moose Bar & Grill in Red Bridge will be the seventh location for restaurant group KC Hopp’s Blue Moose franchise. The first opened in Prairie Village in 2002. Other locations include Overland Park, Lenexa, Topeka, Manhattan and Lawrence. The Red Bridge location will be its first in Missouri.

“Blue Moose has a ‘Tavern in the Village’ feel,” says Buckley, referring to its rustic interior. “They have a wide-ranging menu–from fish tacos to steak–and a good price point.”

Some of its more popular menu items include “Build Your Own Mac and Cheese” and Boulevard Wheat Beer-Battered Fish & Chips. The restaurant boasts fresh ingredients as well as 50 beers on tap. It also offers Sunday brunch.

“We are very excited to bring our Blue Moose Concept to the Red Bridge Neighborhood.  We have wanted to be in Southwest Kansas City for many years and this location is perfect for the Blue Moose.” Said Ed Nelson, President of KC Hopps. They plan to open in the Fall.

Silks & Pole Aerial Fitness

Silks and Pole Aerial Fitness ushers in the newest trend in fitness to the area. Popularized by Cirque dul Soleil trapeze artists, this genre of fitness combines exercise, creativity, flexibility and music.

Owner Amina Ricca combined pole and silks exercise by connecting the silks to the pole. She keeps it fun and easy for beginners, even offering private bachelorette or birthday parties in addition to regular fitness classes. Classes will include a mixture of pole and aerial skills, chair dance, Caribbean dance and more. It is open to those age 17 and older.

The studio will also have a Mariposa Juice Bar offering raw fruit and vegetable juice. Nutrition counseling is also offered.

Ricca says she chose the Red Bridge location because it’s “a small step” from Overland Park and other surrounding cities, such as Lee’s Summit.

The addition of Silks & Poles Aerial Fitness will bring the trend directly to Kansas City, offering a new unique fitness experience to the center.

Edward Jones Expansion

Edward Jones Investments has been at the Red Bridge Shopping Center since 1987. So maybe it was time for an expansion.

Financial Advisor Bill Hudson expanded into the neighboring space, once a tailor shop, thereby doubling the square footage of his office. No longer cramped quarters, his office now has a spacious waiting/gathering area and elegant conference room.

“The space enables us to host more events,”  says Hudson. He recently hosted a South Kansas City Chamber of Commerce gathering there.

Hudson shares the office with his office administrator Diane Perkins and financial advisor Cole Hart.

Hudson took over the investment firm after his father Richard Hudson retired in 2009. Richard started the business in Grandview in 1982.

Hudson says prior to Lane4 taking over the property, he had considered moving the business out of the shopping center as it became increasingly in disrepair.

Buckley is glad they chose to stay. “As a tenant that preceded the renovation of the center, it’s nice to see that they are in it for the long haul, and also making an investment into the center,” he says.

Hudson is happy with the shopping center improvements. “Our clients are happy there are more lights. And they like the extra landscaping,” he says. The increased parking and security cameras are also a plus.

Hudson could think of only a few more improvements. “Now what we really need here is ice cream, coffee and breakfast!” he hints.

Wonderscope

Earlier this year, Wonderscope Children’s Museum and Mid – Continent Library announced their intentions to develop a 50,000 square foot state-of-the-art building which will house a 30,000 square foot Children’s Museum and a 20,000 square foot public library branch at Red Bridge. They are currently working on designs for the facility and undergoing a capital campaign to finance the project which is targeting 2018 for groundbreaking. Alongside the other tenants, the addition of the children’s museum will attract new customers and offer new education opportunities to the surrounding communities. “We are committed to making Red Bridge a unique community-oriented shopping center, so welcoming new experience-based tenants to complement Wonderscope gets us one step closer to achieving that,” said Buckley. “We look forward to releasing more new tenant announcements soon.”