KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Veronica Chavez grew up in the restaurant business, watching her parents grow Palomino's Mexican Restaurant.
She now helps run the restaurant in Independence.
"The customers. I think that’s what keeps us thriving in this part of town. I mean, there's not too much around us," said Chavez.
The business next door to Palomino's is closed. So is the one across the street.
"Just over the years, a lot of businesses have come and gone," said Chavez.
Down US 24 Highway, the vacancies are worse. Entire shopping centers are empty. 'For Rent' banners hang in the windows and 'for lease' signs are posted in the ground.
Might have come close to be being blown away but that’s not stopping my @41actionnews story for tonight: vacant storefronts, this time in @CityOfIndepMO pic.twitter.com/85hhwArkET
— Ariel Rothfield KSHB (@arothfield) April 30, 2018
"It's a big concern," said Independence Mayor Eileen Weir. "It's a big concern to me, it's a big concern to council members in that district that we are seeing a lot leaving."
Weir told 41 Action News she believes consumers' behavior contribute to vacancies.
"Consumer habits of buying things online has seen a shift in retail, so we are not seeing a huge demand," she said. "We can make people maintain their properties but we can't make people come into an area that doesn't support what they are trying to accomplish as a business."
Independence is in the middle of its Corridor Code Enforcement Program, helping clean up US 24 Highway. The city is also focusing its efforts on housing, increasing the city's population, focusing on industrial and office.
