KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After Kansas City’s famous Country Club Plaza served as a staging ground for some of the largest protests during last summer’s unrest, many shop owners aren’t taking any chances on the eve of a highly charged presidential election.

“It’s a little disappointing with the American society today,” Dunstan Disselhorst said. “If they’re truly going to go out and loot and tear things up, it’s sad to see.”

The Helzberg Diamonds location on the Plaza is one of the locations that boarded up display windows on Monday afternoon.

“The safety of our customers and associates, as well as the protection of our physical assets are our highest priorities,” a statement from Helzberg read. “Out of an abundance of caution, like many businesses, we are implementing additional security measures at select stores in the event of civil unrest activity related to the election.”

Kendra Scott jewelers and Lucky Brand clothing also boarded up their windows on Monday.

Pam Kanter said the spectacle stirred up an unpleasant stew of emotions.

“I was wondering if they were going to do it here on the Plaza since we have had challenges down here before. It makes me sad though,” Kanter said.

First-time voter Sarah Golder said the preparations reminded her of preparations for a natural disaster.

“To be preparing for something like a hurricane, but it’s actually just an election is really weird,” Golder said.