KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated eleventh studio album Thursday night, The Tortured Poets Department.
New merch, food and more around the album are generating record sales for Kansas City businesses.
"We've been Swifties for a while and it's fun for her to be so relevant in Kansas City," Sophia and Izzy Compagnone said.
The new album is not just breaking records in the amount of times it's been streamed.
"It's been a really big help sales wise for small businesses," Cassidy Garr with McLain's Bakery said.
Dolce Bakery and McLain's Bakery are both watching their poetry themed items bring record-breaking sales.
"We sold more pre-orders for the Super Bowl than we've sold for any holiday in the 16-and-a-half years of business, and we're in line with that right now." Dolce Bakery owner Erin Brown said.
People are standing in lines lines to get their fill.
"Taylor Swift has definitely helped indie record stores and supported them in really great ways," Judy Mills, owner of Mills Record Company, said.
Mills sees how Taylor Swift has saved record stores.
"It's brought us a new customer, and it's so heartwarming to watch a 5-year-old buy their first vinyl, and for that reason alone, I'm always going to welcome the Swifties," Mills said.
And the story is only starting, but Kansas City knows this one all too well.
