KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Downtown Harrisonville's charm sat dormant for years behind empty storefronts, padlocked front doors, and boarded-up windows.
"I was here during the years when it was boarded up and quiet," said Kelly Filer, who was born and raised in Harrisonville. "You would just kind of drive through the square to get to where you wanted to go. You didn't go to the square."
Filer is now a small business owner, operating Artisan's Corner on Wall. A boutique-style business that houses hundreds of small vendors' products on multiple floors in the building.
In 2017, she purchased the building and began restoring it. The renovations took about two years and were completed when the business opened in 2019.
"It takes a lot of grit and sweat equity," she said.
It was also a major financial commitment, as it was for other business owners located on the downtown square.
While many storefronts on the square are in use and have been renovated, the east side of downtown Harrisonville remains vacant.
"This east side was kind of the last piece of the puzzle," said Cheryl Bush, a real estate agent with Crown Realty.
Bush listed and sold the buildings to a pair of private developers who are renovating the properties.
"They needed a lot and I think we got the perfect people that have bought them," added Bush.
The developers intend to turn the buildings into retail spaces. One could become a bookstore. Upstairs, it's expected that four to six apartment units will be built.
According to a 2024 publication by the University of Missouri Extension, Cass County has a 6% housing vacancy rate, one of the lowest in Missouri.
"Affordable housing, housing in general is always a need," said Bush. "It seems like the trendy thing is that people love to live in these lofts above the downtown area. We have some other ones in the area... The few that we do have here, the minute they're vacant, there's a line waiting."
Development in downtown Harrisonville has had its ups and downs over the years.
Del Dunmire, a Kansas City businessman who lived a unique life, acquired his fortune selling aviation parts, and at one point was convicted for robbing a bank.
Dunmire purchased nearly 80% of the properties in downtown Harrisonville to create an arts district in the community, according to an obituary report by the Kansas City Star.
The recent sale of the remaining buildings that had once been a part of Dunmire's estate was sold by another owner, according to Bush.
"These buildings would not have been standing if he wouldn't have at least maintained them," she said. "But it took a long time to get to the next step."
The next step is looking to the destination community so many have worked hard to create.
"It’s finally starting to feel what you expect of those downtown districts," said Jen Fizer, incoming president of Love the Harrisonville Square. "In the last six years, there have been probably a dozen or more businesses that have come into the square district."
Love the Harrisonville Square is an economic development nonprofit organization that prioritizes the growth of its downtown. The organization has also benefited from education and grant opportunities through the Missouri Main Street program.
Fizer explained that much of the Harrisonville community is benefiting from the sales tax generation that is created in downtown businesses.
"A lot of our sales tax comes from people who are outside Harrisonville," she explained. "We have a relatively small population, but we have a lot of amenities in Harrisonville."
Fizer and Filer both estimated that one in three daily shoppers that visit the square are from outside of the area.
"We are definitely becoming a destination, a day trip for sure," added Filer.
The new housing and business plans that are expected to be completed in Spring 2026 are laying the groundwork for what the Harrisonville community wants to become.
"It’s fun to see all these other operators just taking the risk, doing something difficult, and not being scared to just be all in," Filer said. "To bring something back to life that was dormant for a long time. It’s a neat story to be a part of."
