OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — It’s that time of year again.
With the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars to clinch the AFC Championship, the team’s merchandise is flying off the shelves of our businesses.
Luckily, there’s no shortage of ways to get a bite of KC pride.
“Today begins the hard work for us,” said Robert Duensing, owner Greetings from the bakery and cafe in Overland Park.
The Chiefs season is usually the sweetest season for them with lines going out the door for people to grab their favorite cookies decorated like Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Isiah Pacheco jerseys.
Best Regards tends to sell out of their seasonal cookies on game days.
“This is a challenge for us and any other bakery out there … there’s a narrow funnel of what we can do, and there’s a huge demand,” Duensing said.
And while that demand remains strong, Duensing has a theory as to why their cookie sales dropped last season between the playoffs and the AFC Championship.
“I call it the New England effect,” he said. “I think the fans have started to take it for granted that we’re going to the Super Bowl every year.”
Instead, he encourages fans to stay engaged in the present.
“As a fan, I’m excited about the possibility [of going to the Super Bowl]” Duensing said. “As a company, we don’t give it a second thought. We’re 100% focused on getting through this week.”
Duensing expects to sell about 2,000-3,000 cookies this weekend.
“You’ll never see us complaining about that,” he said.
The same feeling applies to the boutique Shop local KC.
Owner Katie Mabry van Dieren has two locations — one in Leawood and the other in Midtown. Each pair of Chiefs themed earrings, hats, stickers and shirts are made by local artists.
“They can get things here that they might not see elsewhere,” said Mabry van Dieren. “It’s not mass-produced, so you come and get something here and you might be the only one with it.”
Chiefs are her best-selling trinkets, but everything KC has to offer makes her business boom.
I never thought that sports would have such a big impact on us, she said. “Kansas City loves Kansas City, so anything with Kansas City on it always works well because I think we’re just proud here.”
In doing so, he proves his belief that when Kansas City wins, everyone wins.
“Sports and shopping, I never thought they would go hand in hand, but they do,” said Mabry van Dieren.