The budding romance between pop superstar Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce is transforming the city from a national destination into an international hotspot and revitalizing small businesses along the way.
“Everyone loves a love story,” said Jessica Palm, vice president of the Kansas City Area Development Council, which is responsible for bringing businesses and talent to the region. “Kansas City is the backdrop for the development of this love story.”
On the map, Kansas City is located in the heart of the United States on the Missouri-Kansas border. And for 150 years, the two-state community has used a heart as its symbol and “Sharing the KC Love” as its motto, reflecting the hospitality that visitors find among locals.
“When I started in this role, we talked about Dorothy and Toto,” said Palm, who has held the role for 13 years. “Now we’re talking global stages and the international entrepreneur and pop star hanging out in Kansas City.”
According to Visit KC, the Eras Tour pumped $48 million directly into the city. Combine that with Swift's date with Kelce, and the city is buzzing about all the hangouts the two go to and the businesses they support.
“It’s time to be in Kansas City,” Palm said. “If you’re trying to get a reservation on Prime Social, good luck.”
Prime Social is Cameron Mitchell's restaurant where Swelce (the internet's funny portmanteau for the couple) dined after Swift's first NFL appearance. The trendy spot has received 4,900% more Google searches since the September Hangout and is just one of the many businesses getting a Swift boost.
You dressed me and said I was your favorite
Chris Harrington and his girlfriend Kathryn Cacho run a vintage store-turned-gift shop in Kansas City: Westside Storey. On Oct. 22, the pair put together a box of five vintage sweaters and a custom hat after receiving an online order. When Harrington double-checked the delivery address, he noticed that the box would be going to Swift's warehouse.
Cacho took a video of the package and posted it on TikTok before sending it out.
On December 10, when the Chiefs played the Buffalo Bills, Harrington noticed Swift wearing a rare black and red sweatshirt from the '90s at Arrowhead Stadium. The sweatshirt he sold.
“She got a sweatshirt that's considered a 'Grail' sweatshirt in the Chiefs community because it's a very hard sweatshirt to find,” said Harrington, 38. “That sweatshirt was in my closet two months ago. And then to see it on Time Person of the Year, one of the biggest pop stars in the world, wearing it, is huge.”
A week later, on December 17, Swift wore Cacho's Kut the Knit hat with a red line around the crown and a black 87 on the brim as a nod to Kelce's jersey number.
Swift's father Scott appeared in a red sweatshirt, also packaged in its original packaging.
Cacho's phone exploded with text messages and DMs from social media. Her hats sold out and received 200 orders through her website. Harrington's business did 10 times as much business as usual in the days following the football games.
There are still three sweatshirts missing, so football fans stay tuned.
More: Could the Chiefs be “America’s Team”? According to the data company, Swift could give the team an edge over the Cowboys
Say you'll remember me sitting in a private room
Gary Worden received a call on October 24th around 8:30 p.m
“Usually that's when I get a call that something's broken or maybe there's a flood,” said Worden, who runs the Argentine steakhouse Piropos in Kansas City. “But my manager said, 'Taylor and Travis are here!' So I said, 'Give them the private room. Make sure the staff stay calm and don't make a fool of themselves.'”
Since Swelce dined at Piropos, which translates to “If beauty were a sin, you'd never be forgiven,” it's been harder for diners to get reservations. The business recorded growth of about 20%.
“I hate turning people down,” Worden said. “We took as many as we could, but it was very, very busy.”
It had been foreseeable for a long time
This may just be the tip of the Swift iceberg for Kansas City. Palm is preparing for a growth spurt in 2024.
“Word is getting out in Kansas City,” she said. Panasonic, a Japanese company, is building a $4 billion plant for a 4,000-employee operation to make batteries for electric vehicles. Brittany Mahomes, wife of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is an owner of the KC Current and National Women's Soccer League stadium, which will be the world's first venue for women's professional sports. And the airport just opened a new, single terminal.
“I can’t go to a meeting without the first three questions being about Taylor Swift,” Palm said. “What does this mean for Kansas City?” Or wow, did you see that Travis Kelce’s jersey is the number one jersey in the UK?”
With Kelce purchasing a new multimillion-dollar home and Swift spending more time in the Midwest, the only question that remains is: Will the City of Love become her primary home?
Follow USA TODAY Network Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.