KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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Downtown Market, located at 1103 Grand Boulevard, remained open and operating on Wednesday, despite the landlord issuing a 10-day termination notice to the tenants on Oct. 29.
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the termination notice was a result of collaboration between the city and private property owners. It's a relationship his office has worked to strengthen to enhance safety in and around downtown.
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According to the lease termination notice, Professional Building LLC notified Downtown Market LLC of alleged lease violations including liquor sale violations and failing to comply with laws and ordinances in accordance with the lease.
An employee inside the store Wednesday said management received the 10-day notice and they are "taking care of it."
The employee said the owner did not wish to add to that comment.
The termination notice says if the tenant failed to vacate the premises within 10 days, the landlord would take legal action to recover possession of the premises.
According to the termination notice, Professional Building LLC says the the market is operating primarily as a liquor store and the principal business of the store is not grocery sales, which it says violates the Permitted Use portion of the lease.
The notice also alleges Downtown Market LLC of damaging the reputation of the landlord, Professional Building LLC, and the building. Professional Building LLC says it has incurred additional security expenses because of the "environment" Downtown Market LLC has created, per the notice.
“Yes, the business owner and the property owner are in some communication," Lucas said Wednesday. "I think the lawyers are dealing with those issues now.”
Lucas' office sent a formal cease-and-desist letter to Downtown Market LLC in September, according to Lucas' press secretary, Megan Strickland. The letter documented city code and liquor code violations, according to a press release.
“We’ll continue to light them up with different violations, and ultimately there are processes the city itself will take to close the structure," Lucas said.
According to a press release from Strickland, from August 2023 to 2025, a documentation of incidents at Downtown Market include repeated 911 disturbance calls, drug activity, public intoxication, a shooting incident in January, among other incidents.
Customers have mixed reactions on the safety of the store.
"I've seen some idiots do some hooligan stuff in there," said customer Daniel Abraham.
Some say external factors play a role. Abraham said he "wouldn't blame everything on that store."
"Well, it's not the best area," customer Jay Shoenhair said.
Lucas said the city will continue to enforce ordinances.
“I know there are some who ask, ‘Is this going after a business unfairly?’" I think this is anything but," he said Wednesday.
KSHB 41 News reached out to the law firm representing Professional Building LLC and has not yet heard back.
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