KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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While Kansas City Chiefs fans won't be celebrating another Super Bowl appearance this year, local businesses are finding ways to adapt and stay positive about the missed opportunity.
I spoke with Brookside Party Warehouse before last year's Super Bowl. Even though this Super Bowl Sunday doesn't have the same excitement for Kansas City, I checked in again.
Jerri Brandon, owner of Brookside Party Warehouse, told me that the first quarter of the year is typically their slowest period, especially when they're not preparing for Chiefs Super Bowl parties.
"I stock the way I always do, but we're going to be blowing up hearts instead of footballs," Brandon said.
Despite the Chiefs' absence from the big game, this is a busy time for holidays. Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras and even the Olympics provide plenty of reasons to celebrate.
But Brandon has another major event on her radar this year that she believes will be bigger than the Super Bowl and the Olympics combined: the FIFA World Cup.
She said she'll give football its last weekend to shine before it gets replaced with soccer.
"We're gonna let football have its last weekend, then we'll move on to ... the next big event for Kansas City, which is the soccer tourney," Brandon said.
Brandon said that Kansas City had parties before the Chiefs were consistently making Super Bowl appearances, so celebrations will continue without them.
"We're gonna watch the big game, and we're gonna have some product here for that. I've still sold a ton of Chiefs this last week," Brandon said. "They're buying it for something, and I don't think it's to start a bonfire."
Brandon is optimistic about returning to the Super Bowl soon.
"Next year is going to be that year, so it's going to be fine. It hasn't slowed my sales down on Chiefs stuff," Brandon said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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