One man’s death means big change is coming to ‘antiques row’ in KC neighborhood
The curio cabinets are empty of their curiosities.
The items that once jammed the aisles and rose to the rafters inside The Georgian Village antique shop on the northeast corner of 45th and Bell streets are gone.
Just to west, at 4448 Bell St., a dumpster sits outside a Queen Anne “painted lady” home-turned-shop that, itself, was packed with antiques. Down the block, to the east, a “Building For Sale By Owner” sign has been posted outside the two-story, circa 1910, West Plaza Antique & Art District building.
What is to become of the buildings has yet to be determined. What is certain is that future of the West Plaza’s “antiques row” — a three-block strip of antique, curio and architectural salvage shops that line West 45th Street from State Line Road to Wyoming Street— is about to change.
‘Spirit of the district’
The reason is that on Dec. 10, Melvin Dwain Smith — who owned six large parcels on W. 45th Street, some with multiple addresses, each containing a crowded maze of antiques — died at age 83 in his Kansas City home in the company, his obituary said, of “his beloved cats, Boots and Buddy.”
Smith’s daughters, Jody Beynon and Jami Pryor, have since closed down the stores and put the properties up for sale as they remove their contents to be liquidated. Beynon said that, in honor of her father, her hope, and that of her sister, is to sell at least one of the properties to an individual who shared his passion.
“His desire was that we would find someone that wanted to continue to have antiques,” Beynon said. “And continue the spirit of that district.”
Other antique shops on the block include Christopher Filley Antiques, 1721 W. 45th St., and Modern Love, a mid-century modern furniture store, 1715 W. 45th St. Beynon said they have spoken to a couple of potential buyers who said they are interested in keeping Georgian Village, 1714 W. 45th St., as an antique store.
“Obviously that would be our hope to be able to honor dad’s wishes that way,” Beynon said. “If, for some reason, a buyer in that particular arena doesn’t come forward, then, yes, obviously we will entertain other options.”
No interest in running an antique business
Beynon said they are not looking to rent to tenants. They are looking for buyers for their multiple properties, which they currently own under the company, registered with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, as Forty Fifth Street Market Place LLC. City records show that the company owns properties all on and around W. 45th Street at 1615 W. 45th St., 1708-1714 W. 45th St., 1812 W. 45th St., 4444 Bell St., 4448 Bell St. and 4501 Genessee St.
“Our goal is to keep the antique district an antique district,” said Pryor. “We’re in talks with a lot of different people, but nothing’s sold. So if somebody wanted to come forward, we would love to have a conversation. But that was always his dream to keep that area — keep it going, and make it better. . . .
“One of the things that really surprised us is how many people came out of the woodwork and just said, ‘We really want this to remain an antiques district.’ Our thought was probably somebody was going to just want to come in and doze it all down and do something different. But that doesn’t seem to be the direction of those that have interest. So we’re grateful for that.”
State records show that Smith registered Forty Fifth Street Market Place LLC (also listed as 45th Street Market Place LLC) in 2016. But Benyon said her father began selling antiques on the Kansas side of 45th Street and State Line about 20 years, before moving to Branson, Mo., where he opened antiques stores.
He returned to Kansas City, she said, and had the opportunity to buy the shop at 1812 W. 45th Street, on the northeast corner of State Line Road and W. 45th Street, from the previous owners, Art Dimsdale, who then ran it as European Express.
“He was a huge history person,” Beynon said of her father. “Loved history. When he was very, very young, his first job was as a school teacher, which didn’t last very long, because he kind of got the bug for antiques.
“My mom and dad would go out and take the money they had, buy a few things, put it in her house. They would sell it. They’d turn around, use that money, buy more things. A lot of antiques dealers started buying from him, and his business grew. Then he started going overseas and buying containers.
“And he just, he was very passionate about history and antiques and super, super smart, and an amazing businessman. I mean, my sister and I would joke with people all the time, ‘Dad was the only person that could buy something that was a dog of a piece of property, and he could turn around and make money on it.’”
Smith, Beynon said, had battled cancer for 15 years, and had beat it into remission, until it returned.
“My sister and I have no interest in running an antique business or being landlords to commercial property,” Beynon said. “We’re just wanting to facilitate getting people here, to keep the area active. I mean, it’s been sad that the stores have been closed since December 10, when he passed.”
Enough antique shops
A few area residents found walking recently along West 45th Street are less excited about the idea of more antique shops.
“It’s sad definitely that that guy passed away and that those antiques are gone,” said resident Chelsea Borntrager. “I’ve been there several times. There’s so much stuff in there.”
In December, the West Plaza Bodega opened on the block at 1702 W. 45th St. Yarn Social, a wool store that offers classes and caters to fiber artists and crafts people, opened in 2018. Borntrager said she would rather see more places along the block that allow people to gather and meet.
“A restaurant? A coffee shop?” she suggested.
Kristen Stark, strolling the block with her 1-year-old daughter, Hadley, and nephew, Simon, who is also one, felt the same.
“We have 1-year-olds. So it’s great to walk around the block, go to the bodega and have coffee,” she said. “There’s a little empty kind of area right next to it. For the summer, it would be great to have like drinks in the patio, live music, really help bring extra business there. It would be really great.
“It’s very fulfilling to have a community, and people that you see nearby, people you half-know, say ‘hi’ to, that kind of stuff.”
More antique shops?
“Maybe not as much,” Stark said. “There’s so many.“
This story was originally published February 10, 2026 at 6:19 AM.
