Once upon a time, before the two-day shipping and targeted ads, shopping was an event. You dressed up. You lingered. You tried on perfume just because. And if you were in Kansas City, you probably did it at Halls.
For over 100 years, Halls Department Store has been more than just a place to buy beautiful things — it’s been where Kansas Citians registered for weddings, bought that first big splurge, and taught their kids how to behave around glass chandeliers. While many department stores have shuttered, Halls remains — timeless, storied, and uniquely KC.
From Cards to Chandeliers
You might know the Hall family for Hallmark, but Joyce C. Hall had more than greeting cards up his sleeve. Just a few years after founding the now-global company, Hall dipped into the retail world, opening the first Halls location along Kansas City’s famed Petticoat Lane.
In 1965, it staked its claim on the Country Club Plaza with a jaw-dropping 55,000-sqft store that spanned an entire city block. That Plaza location wasn’t just shopping — it was a spectacle. Picture Baccarat crystal chandeliers, ebony-adorned pear wood furnishing, and fine fashion from around the globe. And if you were a kid in the ‘70s or ‘80s? You definitely remember being whisked away from the Steuben glass gallery.
A New Era at Crown Center
As Crown Center rose just south of Union Station, Halls had its eye on the future. The Crown Center location opened soon after, and in 2014, Halls consolidated all its operations there, closing the beloved Plaza storefront. While some mourned the loss, others embraced the new digs — still elegant, still curated, and now conveniently nestled among a shopping district built by its very founders.
Today, you’ll find high-end fashion, unique gifts, and Hallmark’s signature attention to detail all under one roof. Think designer handbags, on-the-scene style experts, and yes, complimentary gift wrapping with golden bows.
Nostalgia, Wrapped in a Ribbon
What keeps Halls close to so many Kansas City hearts? The memories.
Online commenter Carol C. recalls hitting the post-Christmas sales like clockwork: “I used to visit Halls on the Plaza every year, early on the morning of 12/26 to get fabulous things for pennies on the dollar... It was such a treat.”
Reader Anita M. simply loved “having everything purchased put into their signature green boxes with a gold bow.” And Marshall G. remembers a moment that lives rent-free in every department store shopper’s brain: “It was the first time I saw an article of clothing priced $1,000.”
Other locals recall buying wedding china, picking out the perfect tea cup for their dad, or — in one case — accidentally breaking a trinket and immediately fleeing the scene.
One reader shared, “I bought my husband a shirt from Halls. It was a bit too small at the time, but he started working out, lost a few pounds, and the shirt now fits him perfectly. He looks pretty hot!”
Have a Halls memory worth sharing? Send it our way — we’d love to feature your favorite moment. And don’t miss Crown Center’s WeekEnder series kicking off next month with live music, movies, and food trucks.
Pro tip: Learn even more about the history of the local garment industry with the Speaking Of Kansas City collection, a compendium of video interviews with Kansas Citians past and present.
