KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.
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For several years, the Kansas City Chiefs' success has provided a significant economic boost to local businesses during the postseason.
But this January may look different, prompting clothing stores, sports bars, bakeries and retail shops to adjust their expectations.
The Chiefs' loss to the Texans has left fans and business owners processing the possibility of the end of an era that brought extra sales and viral moments to local establishments.
"It's like Christmas died early for me," Lynn Schmidt, known as Weird Wolf, said of the disappointment felt across Chiefs Kingdom.
The city and Chiefs fans find themselves somewhere between denial and acceptance of the possibility of an early end to the season.
"In the end, doinks, downs and drops cost us all of that," Schmidt said.
Schmidt, who has been a superfan since 1971, showed us his Chiefs den and signed memorabilia.
"It spans a lot of years. Otis Taylor, Bobby Bell, all the way up to Travis Kelce," Schmidt said.
He remembers the decades of losses before the recent championship runs.
"It was always, next year, maybe next year, maybe next year," Schmidt said. "It was that same thing over and over again, and finally we had this opportunity where we've run through this great run of games of Super Bowl playoffs. And you almost forget what it was like prior to that."
Despite the recent disappointment, business owners acknowledge the fortunate run they've experienced.
Laney Toigo said Pink Dinosaur has been open for five years, meaning the Chiefs' success coincided with the Zona Rosa boutique's growth.
"Postseason is our busiest time of year; it's usually pretty crazy for us," said Toigo, assistant manager at Pink Dinosaur. "We start our postseason designs before the season really even starts because it's expected to get that far and do really well."
Pink Dinosaur ships merchandise out of state and serves shoppers from in and out of town, making the postseason a significant revenue driver.
However, this season's woes present an opportunity to focus on other designs and events.
"World Cup coming to KC, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's Day are always pretty busy for us, and I feel they get overshadowed by the Chiefs' postseason a little bit. So we are excited to focus on that a little bit more as well," Toigo said.
No matter what happens, Toigo trusts Chiefs fans will rep their KC gear all year round.
At Eileen's Colossal Cookies, the bakers and decorators hope Chiefs fans continue to order their sweet treats even in the offseason.
The cookie shop experienced its own taste of Chiefs-related success through a viral social media moment, a cookie cake decorated in honor of the time Jason Kelce, Travis Kelce's brother, jumped shirtless out of the stadium box.
"We've been very fortunate as Chiefs fans," said Josh Crawford, owner of Eileen's Colossal Cookies in Liberty.
Like many other businesses, Eileen's Colossal Cookies factored playoff sales into winter revenue expectations.
"It was a nice little buffer until we hit Valentine's Day," Crawford said.
However, Crawford understands the importance of diversification.
"We don't want to rely on our sports teams to make money for us," Crawford said. "There's plenty of different options that we pivot outside the store to buffer business when it's a little bit slower."
With Sunday's must-win game against the Chargers inching closer, fans and business owners are feeling the nerves.
"I'm a little bit in denial as well. I'm like, it's not over," Toigo said.
For longtime fan Schmidt, the rollercoaster of emotions doesn't mean the end of his unwavering support.
"It's what happens, we have to roll with it; you still love your team," Schmidt 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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