KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Kansas City is preparing for the World Cup by investing in local businesses and bringing new life to empty downtown storefronts through the Open Doors grant program.
The program offers grants to both business owners and landlords. One of the first recipients to open a new storefront is Birdies, a women’s boutique founded by Peregrine Honig.
The business officially moved from its old location down the block to a larger, newly renovated permanent space on Sunday, April 26.
"I'm hoping that we represent our city, and represent Open Doors, and represent this idea that you can be independent in the Midwest and really anywhere, because that's the goal," Honig said.
The move was made possible with the help of a $20,000 grant for Honig and an additional $10,000 for the landlord. The Open Doors program also allows the business to pay reduced rent for its first six months. Honig noted that without the grant, the move would not have been possible.
"There's this idea that art is the ability to turn material into thought, and in the case of open doors, the material is space. So it is really just what you're able to do with space," Honig 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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