LEAWOOD, Kan. — Two months ago, 41 Action News featured Blue Chip Cookies in Leawood in the midst of the Kansas City Chiefs' championship run.
It was only last month that the shop was busier than ever. So busy, it had to limit orders ahead of Super Bowl LIV.
Now, thanks to a stay-at-home order across Kansas City amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying massive job losses, business is down roughly 70%.
"We're just trying to hang on long enough, keep the doors open to still serve the community delicious cookies and be able to pick right back up where we left off when all this passes by," Blue Chip Cookies owner, Jennifer Balsbaugh, said.
Of course, the bills are still coming due each month, so she's working hard to make enough to cover them one customer at a time.
It's a struggle Brandon Jordan, who owns Revo Cup two doors down, understands.
"It's extremely hard for everybody," Jordan said. "It's not just us. It's the entire community. Everybody's been affected by it."
Blue Chip has called Town Center in Leawood home for more than 25 years. Revo Cup has only been open for three months.
"We're fighting it out," Jordan said. "That's the best thing you can do."
Balsbaugh shared a simple message for the Kansas City community: "We really need your help."
For the people dealing with job loss, she said, "Trust me, we understand. Even something as small as sharing a small businesses Facebook post or just commenting, getting the word out to others, is really helpful right now."
There's more than proximity in a shopping center keeping these two businesses afloat for now, because they're supporting each other.
"It's going to take the whole community for our small businesses to survive," Balsbaugh said.
