Elvira's Cakes is a home business that outgrew the kitchen and settled into Kansas City's ailing downtown. The city is looking to small business people like Elvira to breathe new life into Kansas City's struggling districts.
"As Mayor Mark Funkhouser forms a task force to extend downtown's renaissance to forgotten or neglected neighborhoods, many examples can be found in Kansas City and elsewhere that prove it's not an impossible task.
One innovative idea: Capitalize on the entrepreneurial spirit in immigrant communities, such as Elvira's Cakes in a growing Hispanic neighborhood.
Although none of this will be easy, 'this is the moral thing to do,' Funkhouser said. 'It's also what we ought to do as city government if we're trying to be smart and practical.'"
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