Changing for the seasons

Perhaps it was a simpler time when Englewood Plaza was considered one of the earliest suburban shopping centers in the area.

Originally a trolley stop in a sparsely developed residential area, Englewood developed into a quiet middle-class neighborhood in western Independence. It was Main Street, U.S.A.

The town prospered throughout the 1920s and during the Depression years. This was the town that Leo Walker, Englewood businessman, grew up and lived in a home where the medical building on Winner Road now stands.

In the 1960s, Leo Walker razed several greenhouses on the northeast corner of Winner and Appleton streets to make space for the development of Walker Center. The modern, L-shaped plan with a side parking lot created 7,400 square feet of commercial space, which housed Walker’s Flower Shop, Petey Childers Prescriptions, Johnnie’s Englewood Café, a beauty salon and law offices.

Today, this complex is the Englewood Café and Changing Seasons Gift Gallery. Changing Seasons owners and residents, Russ Lawrence, Stacie and Monte Short, Tammy Parsons, Darlene Carpenter and Jeff Lacy pooled resources and opened the shop in November 2004. Shortly after the store opened, Russ Lawrence and Jeff Lacy became the sole owners. They grew the store and expanded it to offer gifts, home décor accessories and a full-service florist, and the amazing talents of Russ Lawrence.



Request for Walker history

“I am on a hunt for more memorabilia about Leo Walker,” said Russ Lawrence, managing owner of Changing Seasons. “If anyone has photos, objects, brochures, newspaper articles or anything about Leo Walker or about Englewood, I would like to make them part of a permanent display at the store. Please contact me.”

There is still a touch of Walker left in the store including original copies of his bi-monthly magazine about flowers, original shelving, light fixtures, and marks on the wall where Walker’s office was located. Monte Short and Kent Roscher painstakingly restored Walker’s door to the flower refrigeration area.



Lawrence and changes

“I’m a hillbilly and I am proud of it,” said Lawrence, who grew up in the Ozarks. He explained that for the first 11 years of his life he lived in foster homes. As a child his only entertainment was drawing and dreaming – mostly about gardens. These dreams were conducted “under the bed,” hiding from the childhood reality of foster care. Eventually his aunt and uncle adopted him. Lawrence conducts a toy drive each Christmas, “Janie’s Toys,” –  in memory of his adopted mom – for the Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Agency.

Not being satisfied with just a store, Lawrence now offers his services as a wedding planner including cakes, limousines, photography, hair and receptions.

Lawrence comes with talent in this area as he was a wedding consultant for the rich and famous in Florida. His affinity for flowers comes from years of business experience at local flower shops and as a garden manager for a local, major home supply store. With this knowledge he has started the Englewood Botanical Gardens at 1701 S. Hardy, which is open to the public. The garden is several blocks from the store. This year there will be children’s activities in the garden.

His talents were recognized at the Greater Kansas City Home Show with “The Senses of Japan,” complete with pagoda, walkways, streams, and a sampling of Japanese gardens. On Sundays at 8:20 a.m., he has a segment on Fox 4 Kansas City, “Russ Lawrence – The Garden Guy,” where he presents tips on gardens, home improvement and décor.

Other store activities are cut-glass jewelry classes. Under Lawrence’s excellent guidance, I made a spectacular necklace, and I have no talent. Also planned for the summer will be water color classes and stained glass classes. He also has a large pottery collection.

The store is aptly named, and each season brings new events. Summer is filled with classes at the store and at the Botanical Gardens. Fall is bountiful with autumn colors and Halloween and Thanksgiving activities. The winter brings Christmas, and snow outside the shop “on cue” automatically at 7 p.m. This year Santa will have live reindeer. The winter also brings Valentines Day, and spring is filled with the Easter Social. The store changes all year long.

A man of many talents, Lawrence recently painted a floor-to-ceiling mural of Fairmount Park c.1935 displayed at the Sugar Creek City Hall.

Changing Seasons will have a booth at the Slavic Fest, today.

You may reach Russ Lawrence at 10900 E. Winner Road, Independence 816-252-3372, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by  e-mail at csgiftgallery@sbcglobal.net or visit www.englewoodstation.com.