KC retail outlets hit the brakes, adjust hours, offer delivery amid Covid-19 outbreak

The retail landscape has shifted dramatically due to the coronavirus pandemic, with major closings nationally and across the Kansas City area.

Nordstrom, Macy’s and Ikea are among the national chains temporarily closed, along with many other specialty stores. Other shops and shopping centers are reducing hours.

Here are some of the changes you need to know about:

• Leawood’s Town Center Plaza will temporarily be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, except for Sunday when it plans to open from noon to 6 p.m., until further notice. It also is offering up the center for local, state and federal agencies tasked with the containment and ultimately the eradication of coronavirus, maybe as a distribution center for medical supplies or other items.
• The Country Club Plaza also announced shorter hours — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday thru Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
• Independence Center will be open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, but doors will open daily at 9 a.m. for mall walking.
• At Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, more than two dozen retailers were temporarily closed Tuesday, many with signs mentioning Covid-19 concerns.
• The Northland’s Zona Rosa is open regular operating hours but retailer and restaurant hours vary.

Many Town Center Plaza retailers also are temporarily closed or operating limited hours. Banana Republic shut down its fitting room.

Tables and chairs were removed from the Oak Park Mall food court, as well as the cafe at the Barnes & Noble in Town Center Plaza with dine-in service banned.

The normally heavily shopped Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas City, Kansas, was nearly empty of shoppers Wednesday morning.

There were plenty of parking spaces at McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants with dining rooms closed and take-out still available, along with drive-thru and delivery.

Starting Wednesday, the new Fareway Meat Market in Waldo reserved 8 to 9 a.m. for customers who are 65 and over, expecting mothers, those living with a serious chronic medical condition, and anyone with an underlying medical condition that increases the susceptibility to serious illness from COVID-19.

Hy-Vee stores are reserving time from 7 to 8 a.m. daily for those shoppers considered high risk. It also will close at 8 p.m. to give employees more time to restock shelves, clean and sanitize, and spend more time with their loved ones.

As schools shut down, Brookside Toy & Science is getting orders for games, puzzles, crafts and science kits from parents hunkered down with their children. One adult customer was buying games to FaceTime with friends.

“We have everything you need for the next three hours of your life,” said owner Holly Pollard, who recently purchased the shop. “Financially, of course, it is scary. But this is something I don’t have control over, none of us do. But we are all in this together. I’m just trying to stay positive.”

The shop also is offering curbside pick-up and is setting up for delivery.

Brookside’s World’s Window shortened hours but will schedule private shopping times for those who want to shop in the morning in its “quiet, freshly-cleaned store.”

The owners said this week has been the hardest in the nearly 36 years the store has been open.

“Even during 9/11 people chose to come in, seeing this as a beautiful, spiritual place. Now they are coming in or calling in because they understand the value of small businesses and they are doing the best they can to keep supporting us,” said Jan Buerge, owner with her husband, Lonnie.

A customer purchased a $200 gift card saying she knew she would use it later. Another longtime customer had a birthday gift shipped.

“We had a customer come it to support us yesterday. She said she loved that she was getting a new top but she said she didn’t know when she was going to be able to wear it,” Buerge said.

Staff writer Eric Adler contributed to this report.