Park Place was featured in a special section of The Sun on September 30th, 2009.
"If you didn't know that Leawood had a downtown area, then look again. Park Place provides that rich downtown area, all within a short walk of the new Aloft Hotel.

Park Place truly has everything a busy family needs, providing residents with great shopping, dining and amenities in a beautiful tree-lined pedestrian-friendly area. Guests can park in the convenient covered garage and spend the day, visiting the one-of-a-kind shops and eateries that showcase the area's best styles and tastes. Patrons can even walk across the street and see a movie at the Town Center AMC.

“Park Place is more than a shopping center, it’s truly a destination,” said Rebecca Garry, marketing director for Park Place. “We offer visitors a multitude of options, from shopping, to dining, to a stroll in the park or a skate around the ice rink from November to February!”

Currently, Park Place is home to some of the area’s finest retail shops, art galleries, salons, and eateries, with many more to follow in the coming months.  Barkley Square is right in the center of all the action and serves as a gathering spot for children and adults and offers great people-watching year round, whether it's watching kids play in the grass while enjoying some Paciugo Gelato during the summer, or ice skate in the winter.

One of the current tenants, Annabelles, 11547 Ash, is a haven for those who believe true luxury is measured in thread count. The boutique offers exclusive French and Italian linens, goose down bedding and fine bathroom furnishing, as well as delicate sleepwear, adorable infant wear and christening gowns, lotions, home fragrances, jewelry and gift items.

Mother and daughter team Betty and Lisa Payne have owned and operated the boutique, in its current and former location, for 17 years.

“We carry anything a woman likes,” Lisa said. “We wanted to have not the most expensive items but the best of every category. It's not about price; it's about quality.”

Customer service is the key to a successful business, Lisa said.

“We do complimentary gift wrap and we go out of our way to make it special – every package has a flower inside, on top when you open it,” she said. “I care about our reputation. A lot of stores don't care about their customers like that today. You've got to be able to answer their questions and treat them like they want to be treated.”

Lisa said she is excited about what's to come at the ever-expanding Park Place.

“This is a beautiful street, it's not the same old thing,” she said. “Every storefront is different. We have a beautiful area here with local shops with the owners in the store. How often do you see that?”

Inspired by a weekend trip to Los Angeles, Susan Wilson opened Envy Boutique, 11543 Ash, which she owns with her daughters Lindsey Wilson and Courtney Kopmeyer. Susan had dreamed of sharing a business with her daughters and said this is her opportunity to bring unique clothing and accessories to the Kansas City area.

“My sister and I are the buyers, so we carry lines that we love and they're items that sell well for us,” Kopmeyer said. “Our customers are women from 18 to 60, with the average age of women who shop here being 25 to 40. We carry contemporary women's clothing.

“We have a lot of younger moms who shop here, like myself, so I make sure we have a lot of cute, casual clothes. But we also have fun stuff you can go out in with your husband or boyfriend or girlfriends.”

The store opened three years ago in downtown Overland Park before relocating to Park Place.

“We love it here,” Courtney said. “The traffic is better...it's a nice area. Once everything gets built up, this is going to be awesome.”

Living up to its name, parking is easy at Park Place. There is a covered garage with almost 600 spots, as well as additional surface and street parking. Convenient access to stores means it’s great for pushing a stroller or just taking a leisurely walk on a beautiful day. There is a quiet, neighborhood-like feel, shielded from the noisy streets.

This is the environment that Jeff Alpert and Melanie Mann envisioned when they first began developing Park Place. They wanted it to be the first development of its kind in Johnson County, and to embrace the complete lifestyle from living to playing to working, and every activity in between.  Now with Aloft opening, the area feels even more complete. “Everyone is ecstatic about the hotel opening,” Garry said.  “This is just one of the many wonderful amenities Park Place brings to the community and we couldn’t be happier with the result.” 

For more information on the stores, eateries and amenities of Park Place, call (913) 381-2229 or visit www.ParkPlaceLeawood.com."