KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
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Historic Independence Square is welcoming FIFA World Cup 26 visitors with a new story trail built around "Lionel Messi A Little Golden Book Biography," as small businesses across the Kansas City area prepare for a surge of soccer fans.
Twenty-three shops are participating in the trail, with pages from the book displayed in shop windows, guiding visitors around Independence Square and into stores they might not otherwise visit.
Jeff Rogers, executive director of the Independence Square Association, said the trail builds on a concept introduced last summer and in use at parks and other places across the country.
"We thought it'd be a fun thing to do throughout the downtown, a way to encourage people to walk around, look into shops maybe they don't usually look into, and be able to entertain kids at the same time," Rogers said.
When Independence Square decided to do a story trail for the second straight summer, giving it a World Cup theme was an easy choice.
Don Corwin, whose wife owns Mixed Mutt & Company, a dog boutique in downtown Independence, said the energy around the tournament has already translated into sales.
"I'm very excited about the World Cup," Corwin said. "I mean, it's the world's largest sporting event, and it's right here in our own backyard."
Soccer-themed dog jerseys have been a popular item this summer.
"We've had people come in and get the jerseys for Argentina and get Mexican jerseys, the FIFA 26 licensed jerseys and the Messi jerseys," Corwin said. "So, yeah, we've seen a bunch of soccer fans come through."
Nanette Pickens, owner of Pickens Sweet Treats, said her shop has been preparing for the influx of visitors.
"We're super excited for the World Cup to be here," Pickens said. "We're excited for all of the tourists to be here."
Pickens said her shop has been stocking up and decorating ahead of the tournament.
"We did a lot of projections and tried to make sure we'd have all of the product we need," she said. "We've made these super cute soccer cookies, we've got some World Cup flags going up, we have designed our A-frame — we are ready."
Foot traffic around Independence Square has already picked up.
"We've started to see some of the tourists that are here for FIFA coming in here at the Independence Square," Pickens said. "We have one of the KC Connect bus stops just across the street, so it's super easy to get here."
Among the soccer fans wandering Independence Square on Tuesday were Clay Kremer and Garrett Ansiel, who traveled from Medina, Ohio, and Lexington, Kentucky, to watch Messi play in Argentina's opening game against Algeria at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Ansiel, an Argentina fan, said the experience of watching Messi in a World Cup setting is unlike anything else.
"It's pretty crazy," he said. "I've watched him, I think, four times now in the MLS, so it's a pretty surreal experience to go watch Messi play."
Kremer has also seen Messi play before, but has never witnessed a goal in person.
"If he could score, that'd be awesome," Kremer said.
Messi obliged with his first career World Cup hat trick, which propelled him into a tie for the most goals all-time in tournament history (16) with German legend Miroslav Klose.
Rogers said the story trail and the World Cup moment represent something larger for the community.
"It's just a way to hang out with people that you know who are already your neighbors, doing something fun that culturally will always be a significant moment that happened in the life of this area," Rogers said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI before being supplemented and edited. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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