KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A shopping center in South Kansas City is seeing growth and development after about two decades of being stagnant.
"A while ago it was Devry and the shopping center wasn't as developed. There weren't too many people," said Cathy Alegre, who both went to Devry and lives in South Kansas City.
Now, there is a different energy at the center located at Holmes and Red Bridge. Construction is buzzing, coming soon signs are hanging and the developer Lane4 said they are 80 percent leased.
Silks and Poles Aerial Fitness and Juice Bar opened in the Red Bridge Shopping Center on Friday.
It's a place Alegre plans to visit.
"It will bring a lot more people to the area. I'm excited," said Alegre.
Owner of Silks and Poles Aerial Fitness and Juice Bar Amina Ricca said they do silks, poles, silks and poles, Caribbean Dance and aerial yoga.
Ricca said a large part of the reason she went with Red Bridge Shopping Center was to work with Lane4.
The group invested about $9 million into the property, fixing the roof, outside of the building, landscape and some windows.
Voters approved a one-cent community improvement district tax back in 2015, all to bring business' like Ricca's to the area.
"The concern was - when you see that happen the surrounding neighborhoods start to deteriorate. So we brought that back up," said Councilmember Scott Taylor, who describes the center as a trendy, small, locally-owned district.
Lane4 is still looking for some tenants, but big moves are on the way.
Crows Coffee is in the rehab stage and a construction worker said they are supposed to open by February.
Other locally-owned businesses, like Blue Moose Bar and Grill are also set to open.
Euston Hardware already opened in the shopping center.
Wonderscope Children's Museum is set to break ground next to the shopping center in March.
All the development makes Ricca believe her business will climb to new heights.
"Being a part of this larger scale project is what I wanted when I came into this shopping center," said Amina Ricca.
Ricca's studio will have its first official class on Monday.
