Guess Who's Buying The Plaza

🏌️‍♀️KANSAS CITY GOLFERS & ROYALS FANS🏟️ We're excited to announce that Kauffman Stadium will be transformed into a newly designed, one-of-a-kind 9-hole golf course Oct 6-7. Secure your spot to play Stadiumlinks for the first time ever in Kansas City!

Business

The Plaza’s New Owners

Happy Thursday, Kansas City! A Texas firm that owns the Highland Park Village Shopping Center is looking to acquire the Country Club Plaza as well.

• New Ownership: HP Village Partners have a tentative agreement in place to acquire the Country Club Plaza from Taubman Centers and Macerich Co. who purchased the property in 2016.

• Better Direction: HP Village Partners, who have ties to the Hunt family, are credited with turning around the Highland Park Shopping Center by bringing in several high-end retailers and revitalizing the dying shopping center.

• Help Wanted: The Plaza’s current owners made headlines by defaulting on a $295 Million loan earlier this year. Another sign that change in leadership is needed comes in the Plaza’s occupancy rate dropping lower each year.

If things go smoothly, the deal should close by the end of the year. This would make HP Village Partners just the third out-of-town owner of the Plaza since it opened in 1923.

Awards

Bet On This Horse

Lenexa-based distillery, Union Horse, competed last week in the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, leaving with double gold and gold.

• Win-Win: The Local distillery shined by bagging a double-gold medal and "Best American Single Malt" title for Rivalist American Single Malt, along with a gold medal for Reunion Straight Rye.

• High Praise: The competition, spanning international giants to craft producers, recognized Union Horse's exceptional craftsmanship and innovation.

• Decade In The Making: The brand’s flagship whiskey, Rivalist, was unveiled in 2022 after seven years of development, boasting a blend of odyssey, chocolate, and caramel malted barley, aged in new American oak barrels

Union Horse whiskeys can be purchased at most liquor stores in the area. To see the real action, you can book a distillery tour on their website.

Opening

Not Your Father’s Sushi Joint

Kata Nori, a sushi bar, recently opened in the Crossroads. This one, however, is probably unlike any other sushi restaurant you’ve had before.

• Gassing Up: Owned by co-owners Kyung Kim and Nam Phan, Kata Nori serves hand-rolled sushi rolls that are rolled directly in front of you- a technique called temaki.

• Fresh Eats: Unlike omakase, where the chef chooses for you, this 24-seat sushi bar is one where you simply tell the chef what you want from a menu and he rolls it right in front of you leading to a delicious mixture of crispy seaweed, warm and cool fish.

• Change Can Be Hard: From head chef Anh Pham, the menu consists of handrolls made with avocado, crab, or Japanese A5 Wagyu beef. Beyond the handmade rolls are other delicious and fresh items like crudos, sashimi, and more.

Kata Nori is located at 404 E 18th Street in the Crossroads. They are open from 5-11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 5-10 on every other day except Monday. As luck would have it, they also started welcoming walk-ins this week. 😉

KC Daily Picks

In Other News

• ⚾28th Out Of 30: Despite a small uptick in attendance since the All-Star Break, the Royals ranked 28th in attendance among MLB teams.

• 🏢The Future Of Work: The Downtown Office Summit will host a panel on the future of office spaces as remote work continues to rise.

• 🎸Street(car) Performers: The KC Streetcar is willing to pay musicians $300 to play a 90-minute set to bring holiday cheer.

• 🏥Fortune 100: Not the list of US billionaires, but Advent Health recently was named a top 100 hospital in the US.

• 🥤Getting Dirty: The company that became TikTok famous for “dirty soda” is coming to Kansas City.

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