By Leslie Collins
Northeast News
April 6, 2011

Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce (NECC) believes Independence Avenue has untapped potential.

Ethnic stores line the Avenue, featuring products like spices, perfumes and rugs from around the globe.

It’s an international marketplace, but the drawback is in the marketing, said Northeast Chamber President Bobbi Baker-Hughes.

A number of store fronts don’t display English translations and a majority of store owners market solely to friends and family.

Baker-Hughes wants more than friends and family to shop at these stores. She wants all of Kansas City to view Independence Avenue as the international marketplace and a hot spot to shop.

To crystallize a vision for Independence Avenue, NECC is hosting a trip to Lawrence’s Massachusetts Street on Friday, April 29. Business owners and residents of Northeast are invited to attend.

Cost is $35 and the schedule includes meeting with Downtown Lawrence Executive Director Jane Pennington to discuss how Lawrence successfully promoted and utilized its downtown, a walking tour of downtown and meeting with Lawrence’s city and chamber members to discuss developing a successful downtown district. Cost of the trip also includes transportation and lunch at Aimee’s Cafe on Massachusetts Street. The trip is being held in conjunction with Lawrence’s “Final Fridays Art Walk” on Massachusetts Street.

Mastermind behind the trip and NECC board member Tom Soptick said the American Planning Association (APA) ranked Massachusetts as one of its top ten streets in the U.S. for 2010.

Soptick first thought of planning the trip following a PowerPoint presentation to the Chamber by University of Missouri-Kansas City students. Led by UMKC Professor Michael Frisch, the urban design class walked up and down Independence Avenue and devised plans on how to improve the area.

“I walked away with such great ideas. It was just an incredible, wonderful presentation,” Soptick said.

When Soptick viewed a news clip about Massachusetts Street’s APA award, that cemented his plan.

“When I saw that, I thought, “Gosh, that’s what Independence Avenue could be, so I proposed the idea to Bobbie Baker and she just went nuts and said, ‘Tom, that’s a great idea.'”

To attend the trip, payments must be received by Monday, April 25, at the Chamber office, 6400 Independence Ave., Kansas City, MO 64125. Make checks payable to NECC.

Transportation, provided by the Salvation Army, will leave at 1 p.m. April 29 from the Don Bosco parking lot, 531 Garfield Ave., Kansas City, Mo., and return later in the evening. One bus will leave Lawrence at 5 p.m. and the other will leave at approximately 6:30 p.m.

“It will be fun, it will be educational and just a great time,” Soptick said.

For more information call Rebecca Koop, (816) 231-3312.