E X P LO S I O N I N H O M E B I R T H S
PG 24
/ C H A RC U T E R I E B OA R D P RO T I P S
PG 38
SHOP SMALL 8 8 Local Shops PaGe 54
PINK ANTLERS AT PARK PLACE IN LEAWOOD
Cute T-Shirt Shops
RARE IMPORTED PLANTS
HANDMADE LEATHER GOODS
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When every week looks the same, why not give yourself and your loved ones the gift of a weekend in Springfield, Missouri? This holiday season, choose a weekend adventure in a place where you’ll find endless activities for the whole family in the beautiful Ozarks. Get your holiday shopping done, then explore one-of-a-kind dining options that will give you the break you need this season. When you’re indoors at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium and other attractions, wear your mask to keep yourself and others safe.
Plan your Getaway at
SpringfieldMo.org
A masking ordinance is in place for the city of Springfield. For details, visit SpringfieldMo.org.
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Izzy Curry Lauren Underwood ART DIRECTOR
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OUR MISSION
We love Kansas City like family. We know what makes it great, we know how it struggles and we know its secrets. Through great storytelling, photography and design, we help our readers celebrate our city’s triumphs, tend to its faults and revel in the things that make it unique.
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Why not have a conversation with a top-ranked firm? 913-647-9700 | www.marinerwealthadvisors.com 5700 W. 112th St., Suite 200, Overland Park, KS 66211 *Barron’s awarded the 2020 #5, 2019 #4 and 2018 #3 Top RIA Firms rankings to Mariner Wealth Advisors based on data compiled for Mariner Wealth Advisors and the 2017 #2 and 2016 #1 rankings to Mariner Holdings based upon data compiled for Mariner Holdings’ registered investment adviser subsidiaries. The number of firms included in the rankings were: 20 (2016), 30 (2017), 40 (2018), 50 (2019) and 100 (2020). Barron’s publishes rankings based upon a number of criteria and the firms’ filings with the SEC were used to cross-check the data provided. The listing includes numbers of clients, employees, advisors, offices and state locations. The award is not indicative of future performance and there is no guarantee of future investment success. For additional information visit www.barrons.com. Mariner Wealth Advisors (“MWA”), is an SEC registered investment adviser with its principal place of business in the State of Kansas. Registration of an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. MWA is in compliance with the current notice filing requirements imposed upon registered investment advisers by those states in which MWA maintains clients. MWA may only transact business in those states in which it is notice filed or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from notice filing requirements. Any subsequent, direct communication by MWA with a prospective client shall be conducted by a representative that is either registered or qualifies for an exemption or exclusion from registration in the state where the prospective client resides. For additional information about MWA, including fees and services, please contact MWA or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you invest or send money.
Features 54
10
70
40
86
Shop Small
A Different Tune
Stone’s Throw
88 places to shop local this season.
Volunteer broadcasters in Lawrence deliver news to the blind.
A farmhouse with a history gets a refreshing update.
KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
Let’s Eat Native American Thanksgiving foods from the KC area.
Photo of Verdant by Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden
NOVEMBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
11
Departments 40
21
92
THE LOOP
SWAY
DISH
EVERY ISSUE
21 Curbside Service
35 Crowning Achievement
85 Gooey Goods
14 Editor’s Letter
A social distancingfriendly notary service for those casting ballots by mail.
Kansas City passes legislation to end hair discrimination.
22 Turkey Talk How to have a safe
38 Graze On Pro tips for a perfect
24 Born This Way
40 Stone-Built A rural Kansas home
Thanksgiving this year. Pandemic woes trigger a rise in home births.
meat and cheese board.
holds a unique history.
A local baker‘s twist on pecan bars.
86 Set the Table
Building a Thanksgiving
feast with Native American foods from the KC area.
45 Give KC
77 Gift Guide
The latest news in
the KC food world.
92 Mood’s Right
shop sells natural wines from around the globe.
94 ’Cue Card PG 24
/ C H A RC U T E R I E B OA R D P RO T I P S
PG 38
11.2020
SHOP S H O P SMALL S M A L L ON THE COVER
SHOP SMALL
88
Local Shops PaGe 54
PINK ANTLERS AT PARK PLACE IN LEAWOOD
Cute T-Shirt Shops
12
RARE IMPORTED PLANTS
Photo of Pink Antlers in Park Place taken by Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden. Read about the boutique on page 54.
HANDMADE LEATHER GOODS
KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
SPECIAL SECTIONS
90 Newsfeed
A new Crossroads wine
E X P LO S I O N I N H O M E B I RT H S
27 Calendar 96 Backstory
New-to-the-scene
Fox & Fire posts up at Callsign Brewing.
36
Life in Color How a woman built a blooming crayon art gig.
From the Editor
Decision 2020
W
hat kind of city do you want to live in? You’re about to make important choices on that topic, and in ways you might not realize. In the coming days, the future of Kansas City is going to be shaped by decisions that echo for a generation. And not just at the ballot box (though also at the ballot box—so please vote). It’s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has gutted segments of our economy, leaving many of our neighbors jobless and hurting. But while this complex mess involves a lot of things we can’t control, there’s one thing you can do that will make an immediate impact. Shop local. You may have seen these stats before, but they’re worth repeating: For every dollar you spend with a locally owned business, sixty-eight cents stays right here in KC. But when you give a buck to a national chain, just forty-three cents stays here and the rest goes somewhere else. The holiday shopping season is about to begin, and you have some important choices to make, beyond whether you want to give mom earrings or a cardigan. If you make the effort to shop locally, you’re putting Christmas dinner on the table for a local family. When you order on Amazon, you’re helping build a spaceship to send Jeff Bezos to Mars. This month, we’re doing our part to help with a guide to
some of the city’s best shops. I’ll be the first to admit I’m too often lured by the ease of online shopping, but after spending some time with the cover package on eighty-eight great local shops compiled by our associate editor, Nicole Bradley, I’m excited about doing my holiday shopping locally wherever possible. Over the past two months, our writers have scoured the city for unique local shops and turned up new gems including a super chic Black-owned clothing shop in Independence (page 63) and, in the Crossroads, a studio making hand-stitched handbags (page 58) and an urban jungle with plants imported from around the world (page 60). Flip through that feature and you’re likely to be amazing at just how blessed this city is when it comes to cute little shops run by passionate shopkeepers working hard to curate welcoming spaces stocked with quality wares. Every time you go the extra mile to spend your money locally instead of online, you’re helping make this city just a little more interesting and prosperous. That’s a gift we’ve all got to chip in to buy. Sincerely,
Martin Cizmar, Editor in Chief martin@kansascitymag.com
NUMBERS FROM THIS MONTH’S ISSUE
18%
900
#2
Local restaurant jobs permanently lost to Covid according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Crayon names made by an accidental artisan in the last six months
At its height, the KC garment district was the city’s second largest employer
PA G E 9 0
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KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
PA G E 3 6
PA G E 9 6
Illustrations by Sooim Kang
Contributors
“
BROOKE VANDE VER PHOTOGRAPHER
The photography in our feature on Kansas’ unique radio station serving the blind and a story on the new act banning discrimination against Black hairstyles comes from Brooke Vandever. She spent the past five years working on advertising shoots in New York City and is now based in LA, but she always incorporates pieces of her midwestern roots into her works. She specializes in editorial and still life photography and is inspired by the stillness and beauty of an autumn sunrise. She has been observing light ever since she could remember. In her free time she enjoys finding holein-the-wall restaurants with great food, reading cheesy crime novels, collaborating with other creators and, of course, traveling.
3
THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN THIS ISSUE
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KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
L AUREN UNDERWOOD
NATALE A BONJOUR
EDITORIAL INTERN
Our story on having a safe thanksgiving was written by editorial intern Lauren Underwood. Originally from Colorado, Lauren is finishing her last semester at KU, where she’s majoring in English. She has always had a passion for creative writing and has been reading almost anything she can get her hands on ever since elementary school. After graduation she plans to pursue a career in editing or publishing. In her free time, Lauren enjoys cooking, writing novels and playing with her dog, Fen.
GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERN
Several photos in our cover story on the city’s best shops were taken by intern Natalea Bonjour, a Kansas City native. A recent graduate of Pittsburg State University, Natalea majored in graphic communications with an emphasis in digital media. Originally a portrait photographer, she later learned that product photography sparks her interests and challenges her to marry the elements of traditional portraiture with the principles of design. Along with design and photography, she enjoys getting outside, reading an insightful essay and tending to her plants.
We wanted to have a place that focused solely on natural wine and not have the conventional stuff clogging the shelves.
”
— Jamie Zoeller of KC’s newest wine shop, the all-natural Big Mood
Make It
Vote It
Hear It
A recipe for banaha, a Choctaw corn bread reminiscent of a tamale that was a staple of local native diets.
Most Missouri mailin ballots need to be notarized. One local woman has organized a mass effort to offer it for free.
A Kansas philanthropist dreamed up a novel way of broadcasting the news to the blind. The program lives on in digital days.
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PA G E 2 1
Illustrations by Joanna Gorham
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Av i a t i o n
®
NOVEMBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
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Comment
S O C I A L C H AT T E R
B R I T TA N Y M AT T H E W S A N D PAT R I C K M A H O M E S ARE EXPECTING A CHILD
On September 29, superstar Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his fiance Brittany Matthews announced via Instagram that they are expecting their first child. The happy couple have been together since their sophomore year of high school in Whitehouse, Texas. Mahomes has had quite the year, winning the Super Bowl in early February, signing a half-billion-dollar contract and proposing to Matthews on September 9 inside a suite at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City magazine was the first media outlet to break the news of the pregnancy following the couple’s announcement, garnering a wave of comments from readers who were happy for the couple.
I think that’s wonderful. He bought a new home last year, won the Super Bowl, signed a ten-year contract, got engaged, and now he’s going to be a dad. Looks like he is really a part of KC now and we’re glad they’re here. CONGRATS! —Jack Bonar He might be the only person I know of that can afford daycare. —Ryan M. Schweiger That is soooo awesome! They are so cute and going to make an adorable family! —Heather England Penka How awesome Patrick and Brittany! Praying for blessings and favor as you take this journey of becoming parents! And if you need a nanny, I’m on board! —Bonnie England
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KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
Congratulations, life will never be the same. Children are a blessing. Enjoy your life with them. —David Wood Lots of people are unaware or have forgotten she has also been an athlete and has been personally successful. She may not have signed a multimillion-dollar contract, but she can do just fine on her own. That and they have been together several years. —Jennifer LaRue Patrick Mahomes is having a fabulous 2020! —Shelly Crenshaw Givan He’s the only one having a fantastic 2020. So happy for them! —Ann Bigge Williams
READERS REACT TO...
What’s the best part of Thanksgiving? THEY SAID...
I used to enjoy the Plaza lighting.
—THOMAS TJ MILLER
Family and amazing food!! —CINDY MCCLOUD Family together —KATHY JOYCE
Stuffing! —VICTORIA VADASZ CALHOUN
WRITE TO US:
Kansas City
11775 W. 112th St., Suite 200 Overland Park, Kan. 66210 (913) 469-6700 EMAIL: editor@kansascitymag.com
SPONSORED CONTENT
The Aesthetic Place Where care of the face and soul meet.
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risten Kneidel RN, BSN, is founder and manager of The Aesthetic Place. She describes this unique med spa nestled in Leawood, KS as a self-care destination that caters to all. Her slogan, “where care of the face and soul meet,” describes her vision for providing expertise in aesthetics as well as the importance of building a relationship with each patient to create a meaningful experience. Kristen graduated with a BSN in nursing 23 years ago. She found her passion for aesthetics at age 21 when she began working as a beauty consultant at a makeup counter, then later as a freelance makeup artist. While she found different areas in her nursing career fulfilling, she was lacking in the creative outlet she so desired. After staying at home with her two children during their younger years, she returned to nursing in 2014, and found a path to nuture her artistic passion in the growing field of aesthetic medicine. After years of growing her patient base in the greater Kansas City area, she founded The Aesthetic Place in September
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2020. Today, her loyal following includes patients throughout the United States. I have a sincere passion for what I do because I truly love the artistry and celebrating each individual’s unique beauty. My goal is not to distract from that uniqueness, but rather to enhance it. I value doing thorough assessments, understanding the client and their expectations, and educating them on the best treatment plan. When trust is built and a relationship is formed, they begin to understand that they will be getting a natural soft result every time that translates well to friends, family, and coworkers. They feel refreshed and not overdone. It’s about nuances… the slightly lifted cheek, the dark circles that have diminished, a stronger chin, the slightly sharper jawline, the softer lines in the forehead. It’s decreasing shadows or adding light and lift to the face rather than having the obvious injectable appearance so many people are afraid of getting. Under the medical directorship of Dr. Paul Doskey, MD, she offers cosmetic consultations and injectable treatments. Services offered include Dysport, Botox, Dermal fillers, Sculptra, Kybella and various skincare treatments . Services will expand as new, talented co-workers join the Spa team.
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NOVEMBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
19
The Loop L E A D I N G
T H E
C O N V E R S AT I O N
I N
K A N S A S
C I T Y
Casting Call Election Day is going to look different this year, with many voters opting to cast their ballots by mail. But in Missouri, mailin and absentee ballots need to be notarized unless the voter is exempted due to advanced age or illness. (Kansas voters are good to go without notarization.) Local do-gooder Danielle Lehman has stepped up to help. Lehman is the founder of a podcast focused on the experience of immigrants in the restaurant industry and of Curbside KC, which collated information on restaurant offerings at the height of the pandemic. She has launched a curbside notary service that will authenticate your ballot for free at pop-up events. Most are at coffee shops, bakeries and bars. “In my experience, finding a notary is not any safer than just showing up at the polls,” Lehman says. “I just wanted to make it easier and safer and more accessible.” If you’ve still got a by-mail ballot to cast and don’t have a plan for getting it notarized, look for times and dates at Curbside Notary’s website (curbsidenotary. org). If there’s no event near you, it’s still easy enough to get that ballot notarized at a Kansas City public library. – J O R DA N M E I E R
Photo provided by Hufft
NOVEMBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
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The Loop
Squash Goals A doctor’s tips for having a safe family Thanksgiving. BY L AU R E N U N D E R WO O D
T H I S Y E A R H A S B E E N challenging
for everyone. With the holidays fast approaching, it’s easy to wonder how Covid will impact them, too. We’ve already seen the debate over whether trick-ortreating was safe, so how exactly will Thanksgiving look this year amid a widespread pandemic? Dr. Michael Monaco, internal medicine physician at Menorah Medical Center and head team physician for the Chiefs, weighs in on what he believes is the safest way to enjoy Thanksgiving festivities this year. Is it safe to even have Thanksgiving celebrations? I do think that human beings by nature need socialization. It’s good for us emotionally. If we can, we should communicate and be with friends and family in a safe way. Covid-19 is a very contagious and spreadable virus, esDID YOU pecially indoors. If it’s immediate K NOW ? family and everyone has been socially distanced, that’s relativeThe CDC recommends ly safe. If you’re inviting extendthat families ed family from out of town, you who usually travel stay want to look at how they’re gethome for ting there and whether it’s going Thanksgiving. to be safe. If you’re preparing a
22
KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
traditional family dinner with people that are at higher risk, you’ll need to deliver it in a way that there’s no contact, where everything is already put on plates and you can stay six feet away. Alcohol also clouds our judgement, and when serving it to people, there’s a good chance the masks come off and social distancing gets forgotten. If you have people who think this is just a nuisance, don’t invite them unless you want to possibly welcome a virus into your home. Do you think there’s a benefit to having these gatherings outside versus inside? There’s no question. Although Covid virus is fairly contagious, if it’s a beautiful day and you can have people outdoors, there are ways to make it safe. If you’re six feet away, you’re relatively safe. If you have a high-risk individual, they’re double-protected because they’re outdoors, they’re socially distanced and they have a mask on. So there’s definitely a benefit to being outdoors if the weather is conducive. Is there a concern for Covid transmission through food or other surfaces? It could happen, and it’s smart to keep
everybody’s hands clean and not touch their face, but it’s pretty low risk. The biggest thing is respiratory droplets and keeping them away from the eyes, nose and mouth of somebody else. We do know that masks can help. We also know that if you’re yelling or cheering and you take the mask off, you’re projecting respiratory droplets—sometimes two to three hundred miles an hour—that can go anywhere from eight to ten feet. The biggest risks are yelling or singing together where you’re projecting your voice without a mask on and getting closer than six feet for longer than ten minutes. What about other community activities, like parades or Thanksgiving Day races? Until we get a vaccine, I would encourage all people to do a virtual race where they can communicate with each other while they’re doing it but they’re not actually together. I wouldn’t condone any Thanksgiving holiday races. It doesn’t make a lot of sense when people are breathing heavily and may tend to congregate together less than six feet. Crowded races, crowded parades—all of those things should be avoided.
Illustration by Sooim Kang
The Loop
Baby Steps How 2020 is affecting child births. BY N I C O L E B R A D L E Y
E I G H T W E E K S before she was due with her second child, Emmalyn Case’s world—and the rest of the world, for that matter—stopped. When Covid swept through the country in mid-March, Case was one of many expectant mothers who rethought a hospital birth. “I’ve been a nurse for eight years and my mom has been a labor and delivery nurse for ten years,” she says. “It just made sense for me to be in the hospital.” As her due date approached, hospital restrictions and the threat of the virus grew stronger, so Case, her husband and her doula Rebekah Hoover decided to start planning on a home birth. “Like everybody else, I had a lot of anxiety around the virus and the unknown,” she says. “At the time, we knew nothing about this virus.” Her doula, Hoover, is also currently a midwife student. The pan-
24
KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
demic is what encouraged her to take the leap from doula to midwife. “There was a huge influx of women wanting to go from hospital to home birth,” Hoover says. “A [midwife] group that I’m particularly fond of, Sacred Song, had to turn twelve families away per month because there was no space.” At the end of March, Google searches in the US for “home birth midwife” were at their highest levels in nine years. Hoover says many of her clients were afraid of the risk of possible infection from a hospital stay or medical intervention. In October, musician Casey Goode announced that her newborn son had tested positive for coronavirus after interacting with an infected medical professional in the NICU. Hospital limitations on the number of people that can be in the labor and delivery room have also put pressure on families. In some cases, it’s forced women to choose between having their partner or doula with them during labor and delivery. “I had one client choose to have me over their partner to get that support,” Hoover says. “She FaceTimed with her partner a couple times. Oh man, it broke my heart.” Hoover and the local doula community have been advocating to politicians and hospital administration to let doulas be seen as part of the professional care team instead of a regular hospital visitor, in case there’s a second wave and visitor restrictions are back in place. Case’s water broke on May 11 at 10:30 pm. She spent the night laboring in her home with the support of her husband, her midwife and Hoover. “In the midst of the hardest part of the pandemic, when everybody’s in quarantine and there is so much unknown, it was amazing to have this one common goal for my husband and I to focus on of birthing a healthy baby at home,” Case says. “I didn’t really have time to worry about what was going on in the outside world because we were so focused on bringing our baby into the world safely at our house.” After fourteen hours of labor—and pushing for four of them—Case’s midwife determined that the baby’s head was not making any progress through the birth canal, so the safest move was to go to the hospital. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, this happens to thirty-seven percent of moms in their first vaginal delivery. Because Case had planned to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), this wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary. “We got to Overland Park Regional and had to go in through the ER,” she says. “I remember being upset that we were there because if anybody has Covid, they’re coming through the ER. I’m also wearing a mask and getting my temperature taken. It was pretty overwhelming—at that point I was in so much pain and just wanted to get to the room and have this baby.” As luck would have it, her pre-home birth OB-GYN was in the hospital and was able to successfully deliver her son via C-section. “If I had to do it again, I would do everything the same,” Case says. “Even though we ended up with a C-section in the hospital, it all worked out just fine. We are healthy!”
Illustration by Jocelyn Sands
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KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
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300 Ward Parkway (816) 627-6600
November W H E R E
Y O U
WA N T
T O
B E
T H I S
M O N T H
FINE PRINT Before Robert Blackburn, printmaking wasn’t seen as an art in its own right. The New Jersey-born artist, whose work is being showcased at the NelsonAtkins Museum through February, transformed the way his craft was viewed and taught generations of artists techniques that had once been closely held secrets, like lithography. “Robert Blackburn is renowned not only for moving printmaking forward with his innovations but also helping affirm it as a fine art,” says Stephanie Knappe, who curates the museum’s American art collection. As an artist, Blackburn contributed to the creation and innovation of abstract color lithography and helped continue the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance that he came of age during. “What I find so marvelous about Blackburn, especially when we think about where we are in the world today, is that he truly believed in welcoming everyone to the table,” Knappe says. “Instead of keeping various printmaking techniques cloaked in secrecy, he would invite artists from around the world to his studio, which had a reputation of being a pluralistic community.” The exhibit follows Blackburn’s career, through his early representative works to his more abstract late period, and situates his artwork within the art world that he helped nurture. A show with sixty pieces of Blackburn’s work—including the 1950 print “Girl In Red,” shown here, considered a pivotal piece in his evolution toward the abstract—is now open at the Nelson-Atkins and will continue through February. The show is free. — I Z Z Y C U R RY
Girl in Red by Robert Blackburn, provided by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
NOVEMBER 2020 KANSASCITYMAG.COM
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November W H AT
YOU
WA N T
TO
DO
T H I S
M O N T H
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS VS. NEW YORK JETS
November 1
ARROWHEAD STADIUM, 1
ARROWHEAD DRIVE, KCMO. 3:25 PM. LIMITED TICKETS WILL BE
AVAILABLE. GAME WILL AIR ON CBS
This whole football season has felt a bit like batting practice for your World Champion Kansas City Chiefs. This game should be a homerun derby, with a historically awful Jets team coming to town. Something to watch, though: Wild-eyed Jets head coach Adam Gase is likely to get canned before the season is over. If he gets axed before this game, the most likely fill-in is a local boy, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who hails from Belton. We’d love to see Williams patrolling the sideline in his homecoming. DRIVE-THRU CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
November 2-30
7332 OAKWOOD DRIVE, KCMO.
$20-$40. WINTERMAGICKC.COM
This drive-thru light show is a pandemic-proof way to get a little Christmas cheer. It’s running all month in the heart of Swope Park. ELECTION DAY
November 3
Your final day to vote in this year’s extremely important elections.
INDEPENDENCE. $79.
HAUNTEDROOMS.COM
Looking for a few more spooky vibes before moving onto Christmas? The stately Bingham-Waggoner Estate has stood along the Sante Fe Trail in Independence since before the Civil War. The home is said to be “insanely active” with spirits, and this tour led by Haunted Rooms searches them out. If you miss tickets for the early November tour, there’s also one in mid-December. GARY OWEN
November 6-8 7260 N.W. 87TH ST., KCMO. $42 PER TICKET, SOLD BY TABLES OF TWO
only white comedian at major Black comedy events. Expect jokes based in equal parts on his family life and current events in this six-show stand at the Northland’s Improv comedy venue. WESTON WHISKEY FESTIVAL
November 7
357 MAIN ST., WESTON. 2-5 PM. WTWHISKEYFEST.COM
The historic Weston Burley House is a massive tobacco barn with creaky wood floors and a soaring roof. It’s an ideal venue for this whiskey festival featuring pours from several distillers.
performances of The Nutcracker underwrite ballet programming most of the year. The coronavirus pandemic has squashed the Kansas City Ballet’s normal ball, but it will still go on virtually via this special private broadcast. For $200, you get access to a special streamed performance. Packages starting at $1,200 come with a gourmet dinner for two available for pick-up at The InterContinental, along with other perks.
OR FOUR. IMPROVKC.COM
A NIGHT AT THE BINGHAM-WAGGONER ESTATE
November 6
313 W, PACIFIC AVE.,
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Veteran Gary Owen got his start in standup while in the Navy and got his breakthrough thanks to BET. He still has a large Black following and is frequently the
THE NUTCRACKER BALL (VIRTUAL)
November 21 KCBALLET.ORG
It’s no secret that
Photos provided by respective venues/Facebook pages
Thank you, Kansas City! Lakeview Village is proud to be voted the Kansas City Region’s #1 Senior Living Community As the only true LifeCare community in the area, we have been a local leader since 1964. We offer a variety of apartment homes, garden cottages, twin homes, and luxurious villas, as well as highly rated long-term care options. Please go to LVINFO.ORG to see what makes Lakeview Village a special place for those age 62 and better. We are open for independent living tours and are taking precautions to keep you safe. We hope to see you soon!
2021 FIVE STAR WEALTH MANAGERS Who will be named? Find out in a special section inside the February issue. To share your opinion, go to fivestarprofessional.com/wmconsumerfeedback
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SPONSORED CONTENT
ANTHOLOGY SENIOR LIVING
A Perfect Setting for Your Next Chapter Retirement living redefined
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SPONSORED CONTENT
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oving is a significant change that can evoke many emotions. When choosing a senior living community for yourself or your loved one, there are many variables to consider, such as the community’s location, social environment, physical features, types of care models, health services offered, available lifestyle amenities, personal residences, staff training requirements, and your personal budget. A well-informed discussion will help address emotional and practical issues and will help you evaluate how a senior living community can elevate your lifestyle. Supportive environments found in senior living allow individuals to celebrate the joys of aging. As you evaluate senior living communities for the next step in your or a loved one’s life journey, look for environments with an array of resources conducive to flourishing. Anthology Senior Living encourages healthy aging through six dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual and environmental. The compassionate care teams use these dimensions to create an engaging and comfortable environment for you to thrive, all protected by robust protocols designed to keep you safe. Anthology provides a unique senior living experience that provides their residents with the best in hospitality and care, so they can live their story in a beautiful, meaningful way. Explore three well-appointed communities below, and when you are ready, the team at Anthology Senior Living is here to help walk you through your decision to move to senior living with care.
Olathe Johnson County’s newest independent living community is now open at Anthology of Olathe. Sixty private one- and two-bedroom apartments comprise a community of vibrant living. Each apartment is graced with upgraded amenities including in-unit washer/dryer, granite countertops and ample natural light. Celebrate your independence with free on-site parking and easy access to shopping, dining, and medical centers nearby, while taking comfort in a team that is available 24-hours per day. As your care needs may change over time, Anthology of Olathe remains steadfast in their commitment to your personal wellness. Assisted Living and Memory Care residents each receive a unique care plan that is developed, maintained and delivered by a highly certified care team onsite. Stateof-the-art technology allows team members to be involved in the individual wellness of residents. Cognitive stimulation exercises, exclusively provided to Anthology Senior Living through Fit Minds, activate the brain in five key areas with novel content to delay the advancement of dementia. Daily activities engage the mind, body, and spirit and build meaningful connections between residents. LOCATION
Anthology of Olathe is located at 101 West 151st Street Olathe, KS 66061. For a limited time, you can save up to $8,000 on your move to independent living, assisted living or memory care. Call 734.335.8439 to schedule your tour today. AnthologySeniorLiving.com/Olathe
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SPONSORED CONTENT
ANTHOLOGY SENIOR LIVING
Plaza Nestled in the center of Kansas City, Anthology of the Plaza is a relic reborn. In 2019, Anthology Senior Living reinvented the 1980s office building to complement the proximity to the Country Club Plaza, earning top honors in the Senior Housing News Architecture and Design Awards. Anthology of the Plaza is now home to 83 assisted living and memory care private apartments. Each of the five floors creates an elevated environment, with common spaces including a bistro, formal dining room, private lounges, and unbeatable views from the community balconies. Healthful, gourmet meals are prepared from scratch by professional in-house chefs and tailored to meet residents’ dietary needs. Anthology of the Plaza is heavily involved in the local arts community. Opening Minds through Art (OMA) creates intergenerational opportunities to activate creativity and create new relationships. Alongside the onsite programming designed to nurture the mind, body and spirit, residents stay active with
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nearby attractions such as the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Mill Creek Park and the JC Nichols Memorial Fountain. LOCATION
Anthology of the Plaza is located at 2 Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd Kansas City, MO 64112. Experience the environment of elegance and take advantage of a rate lock through December 2021, for a limited time. Schedule your tour by calling 816.839.4755. AnthologySeniorLiving.com/The-Plaza
SPONSORED CONTENT
Burlington Creek A friendly and helpful care team greets you to beautifully designed indoor and outdoor spaces at Anthology of Burlington Creek. Sophisticated assisted living and memory care accommodations feature spacious private suites and a variety of floor plans to meet your individual preferences. Experience the compassion and discretion you deserve with the Anthology care team. A licensed nurse is available onsite 24/7 and supports a holistic approach to your personal wellness. Your physical wellness is promoted with state-of-the-art fitness equipment designed for older adults and daily group-led exercise programs. Anthology of Burlington Creek partners with local physical, occupational and speech therapists to offer in-house appointments to residents. Residents access stimulating mental activities to expand and share knowledge and creativity. Each resident’s interests are discovered, then encouraged with a monthly engagement calendar. Learning experi-
ences include language courses, sewing classes, gardening, and lectures by guest speakers. At Anthology Senior Living, there is no greater power than connection. Residents gather with friends and family over gourmet meals that are catered to resident preferences. Anthology of Burlington Creek features a variety of dining venues, from casual bistros and formal restaurants to family dining rooms available to reserve. LOCATION
Anthology of Burlington Creek is located at 6311 N. Cosby Ave Kansas City, MO 64151. Take advantage of a limited time rate lock through 2021. Call to schedule your tour, 816.945.7161. AnthologySeniorLiving.com/Burlington-Creek
“Discover the best in accommodations and care.”
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CROWN Town As of September 30, it’s illegal in Kansas City to discriminate against someone for wearing their hair naturally or in styles such as twists or locs. The new protection comes from the CROWN Act, which was advocated for by Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet, a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the rights and power of Black women. “I have some of the feistiest clients,” says Adrianna Rosello-Williams, a local loctician. “I work with a lot of women and men who really stand for who they are and what they believe in. They don’t tolerate discrimination.” Rosello-Williams works at Mane Statement Salon & Barber in Lee’s Summit and is an ambassador for Shirley’s Kitchen Cabinet. She has played a role in advocating for the passing of the act and says that she has served clients who have been discriminated against because of their hair or asked to appear a certain way to the public when representing their employers. “You can’t change us,” she says. “You can’t change our hair. You can’t change who we are, and our hair is part of who we are.”
Photography by Brooke Vandever
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Coloring Outside the Lines How one Kansas City mom turned pandemic creativity into a business. BY L AU R E N U N D E R WO O D
According to Mertel, the most popular choices for color and shape are rainbow and a unicorn, respectively.
Mertel’s favorite shape to make is a donut crayon, which run for $6 each. “I make them bright and fun. I put sprinkles on top—the crayons are the sprinkles. And then I drizzle with melted crayon.”
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W H E N A M A N D A M E R T E L took a break from teach-
ing to stay home with her two children this year, she didn’t think there’d be a pandemic. She also didn’t think she’d be running a full-fledged business out of her own kitchen. “Once Covid hit, I just kind of found myself looking for activities and things to do with my kiddos since we couldn’t really go anywhere,” she says. “I had come across all these broken crayons that we had. Then through experimenting, I found that I could create crayon letters and shapes.” Mertel made the crayon letters for other friends and family, and she was urged by her friends to advertise through her personal social media accounts. “I got this crazy response from people, like people from high school I hadn’t heard from in a while,” Mertel says. “And then all of a sudden I started getting contacts I didn’t know. It’s just been insane how it’s blossomed.” In fact, since opening her store, Crayon Letters KC (crayonletterskc.com), online on June 10, she’s made almost nine hundred different crayon names—and that doesn’t include shapes. “Each day I have anywhere on average between six to ten orders to fill, depending on how many names and shapes are in each order,” she says. “I really have no days off.” Mertel noticed that her two sons loved using the letters she made. “I had made them mostly for my two-and-a-half year-old just as something for him to do, and I noticed he wasn’t only coloring with them but he was utilizing them to say his letters and numbers,” she says. “Then we started doing activities with them, so I saw all these learning benefits.” The letters and shapes are made with Crayola crayons and Mertel says the process of making the shapes can become pretty time consuming—she breaks up the crayons, puts them in a mold, cooks them in the oven and then lets them cool and dry. “I’m working on and off all day,” she says. “In my free time, my husband and I will sit on the couch and he helps me break up crayons. Our parents have been helping break up crayons—they bring over boxes all broken up. It’s like a family affair.”
Photography by Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden
The holidays look different this year, but ‘tis the season to be jolly! With events and festivities happening throughout Legends Outlets, we’re here to bring a sense of wonder and a dash of kindness — all to make spirits brighter. L E G E N D S S H O P P I N G . C O M
— DAV E & B U S T E R ’ S
— N I K E FAC TO R Y S TO R E
— C OAC H
— K AT E S PA D E
— J .C R E W FAC TO RY
— HOLLISTER
— M I C H A E L KO R S
— UNDER ARMOUR
COMING SOON:
— P O LO R A L P H L AU R E N FAC TO R Y S TO R E
FAC TO R Y H O U S E — VA N S O U T L E T
— PUMA — TO R Y B U R C H
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Cheese, Please Holiday grazing board assembly tips from local expert Sarah Juenemann. BY N I C O L E B R A D L E Y
W H E N I T C O M E S T O the holiday
season, nothing brings families together like food—especially a good charcuterie board. “Cheese boards are such a great way to host because you do all the prep work in advance,” says Sarah Juenemann, owner of Grazing KC (grazingkc.org). “You don’t have to be working in the kitchen. You can enjoy the company, the board and the conversation around it.” Through her business, Juenemann makes personalized grazing boards and tables—yes, full-fledged charcuterie tables—for clients, putting care and thought into every slice of gouda, bowl of jam and shave of prosciutto. She shares a few tips for navigating the cheese case and assembling a crowd-pleasing graze board this holiday season.
A D D P E R S O N A L T O U C H E S . Make every board your own. If you have a long-living rosemary plant on your windowsill, snip a few sprigs to garnish your board. If you’d like to show off your family’s homemade jam recipe, fill up a ramekin for tasting.
TAP I N T O SEASO N A L IN GR E D IE N TS . “Find fruits that are in season,” Juenemann says. “For example, pomegranates and figs are big right now. There are also so many fun cheeses that incorporate fall flavors like apricots and cranberries.”
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MAKE IT INTERACTIVE AND INCLUSIVE. One of Juenemann’s favorite parts about charcuterie boards is how they bring people together around one plate. She recommends adding interactive elements like hummus to keep people near the board. Hummus is also a good snack to have in case someone in your company is dairy-free or vegan.
D I V E R S I F Y C H E E S E S . When Juenemann is shopping for cheeses, she considers two things: texture and milk source. She is always sure to include at least one hard cheese, like gruyere or manchego, and at least one soft cheese, like brie or goat. She also says that not all cheeses on
one board have to come from cows—she loves a good sheep-, goat- or tree nutsourced cheese.
G E T K I D S I N O N I T. If your holidays are surrounded by little ones, Juenemann suggests making the board kid friendly by cutting healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables, into fun shapes and approachable sizes. S W I T C H U P T H E B A S E . Sure, they’re often called charcuterie boards, but that doesn’t mean you have to be limited to a traditional wooden board. Juenemann recommends trying a bowl or pan, whose ledges will help keep contents upright and from spilling over.
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HIGH RENT HUGE ADVERTISING SERVICE PLANS RECRUITING HIRING TRAINING
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Photography by Destini Serene
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Set in Stone This updated Kansas farmhouse has a unique history. BY N I C O L E B R A D L E Y | P H OTO S BY N AT E S H E E T S
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FOR ONE FAMILY, space was everything in choosing a forever home. When Matt and Jessica saw this home, just thirty minutes southwest of the city, they knew it was the place for them. The house not only sits on a sprawling eighty acres of land but also has some history behind it: The limestone portion of the home once belonged to a mid-1800s farmhouse built in Barnard, Kansas. The building, which operated as a hotel known as the Dowlin home, was purchased in 1993 by a couple who removed the limestone bones, one stone at a time, and carefully restructured it into this home. Since then, more space has been added and the interior has gotten a facelift, most recently thanks to interior designer Annie Kern, builder Andy Fritzel and architect Tim Humborg. The team turned this historic home into a cozy yet classic farmhouse filled with character for Matt and Jessica’s family.
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When styling the space above the bench, Kern decided that it would be fun and functional to hang the homeowners’ hats by the entryway. “They often wear these on their property when working in the garden or riding horses,” she says. “We love how little, lived-in touches like this can add an element of practical style.” 2
KITCHEN
Jessica and Matt love to cook, so a large range was a must. The stainless steel hood with stainless strapping is a showstopping centerpiece. The kitchen cabinets are painted in a gray flat paint with a custom glaze over it. “This helps to achieve a slightly weathered look that adds dimension,” Kern says.
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The room off the kitchen is a multifunctional area that includes the living room, hearth and dining room. Kern says that both sides of the room were purposely wired to accommodate the dining room lanterns and media—that way the family has the flexibility to shuffle the room around if they ever decide to transform the layout. “I like to start with the overall feel of the room,” Kern says on decorating the space. “For example, pay attention to the style that you are trying to achieve. With this house, we
knew we wanted it to have the cozy, relaxed elements of a farmhouse while still feeling polished. Choosing a few dominant colors to incorporate is a great first step.” For this home, Kern used various shades of blues and reds, as well as lots of browns and creams. She says that mixing up the pattern scales and shapes is a good way to help it flow without looking too busy. Adding in natural elements, such as the wood beams on the ceiling or the stone on the fireplace, helps to ground the space, giving a solid foundation to play with pattern and color.
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SUNROOM
“This was added on right off the kitchen,” Kern says. “Matt and Jessica frequently entertain small groups, and a screened-in porch was a top priority for them.” This large seating area comfortably seats eight to ten people and directly overlooks the pool.
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When the homeowners bought the home, the limestone structure was basically one large one-story box. The add-ons were originally stucco from the previous owners, which was replaced with cedar shingles.
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Kern and her team added reclaimed beams to give the ceiling some definition and also warm up the space. The delicate chandelier makes the space feel less heavy. Kern always likes to add some sort of sitting area in a bedroom, if possible. “I’ve noticed that as a mom, kids often end up spending time in the parents’ bedroom, so it’s nice to have a space where they are welcome,” she says. “It’s also important to have an area in the master that can become an oasis to recharge that’s more private from the rest of the home.”
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This is Jessica’s bathroom, so Kern wanted to play up the feminine details. The freestanding tub, light pink curtains and white tile add that romantic vibe to the space.
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800.862.6700
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Give Kansas City A SPECIAL SECTION FOR THE SEASON OF CHARITY
This is the traditional season for giving and, more than most years, Kansas Citians are faced with tough choices about which philanthropic cause to support. Which worthy cause is closest to your heart and the most urgently in need of support from you as a donor? Which are the best stewards of your donation? That’s where our third annual Give KC special section comes in. There’s no shortage of need in our community right now—needs that can be addressed not just by writing a check but with volunteer time, too. We made your job easier by laying out the options so you can support the cause that’s right for you.
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Give KC
KC Scholars
8080 WARD PKWY #402 KANSAS CITY, MO, 64114 KCSHOLARS.ORG 816.581.5700
“You, you and every one of you can go to college if you choose!” – Ewing Marion Kauffman
KC Scholars focuses its efforts on equal access to lowand modest-income students and adults to complete a postsecondary credit-bearing credential or degree.
KC Scholars is creating life-changing opportunities for thousands of individuals and is positively transforming the region’s workforce and economy.
Service Area: Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties in Missouri and Wyandotte and Johnson counties in Kansas.
Goals: • Increase postsecondary attainment • 75+% of Scholars earn a credential or degree • Infuse the Kansas City workforce with home-grown, racially and ethnically diverse talent • 80+% of Scholars remain in the region to live and work • 81% of Scholars are individuals of color
About: KC Scholars was incubated at the Kauffman Foundation to continue its legacy of support for postsecondary attainment. KC Scholars was intentionally and purposefully designed as a community asset. More than 70 members of the region worked together for over a year to plan KC Scholars, and it is now an independent 501(c)(3), situated in the community, with a communitybased board of directors.
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How to Help: Consider helping us make college possible. Visit kcscholars.org/donate.
Research Means Hope The Children’s Mercy Research Institute is undertaking a research initiative called – Genomic Answers for Kids – to build a first-of-its-kind pediatric data repository of genomic data and health information from 30,000 children to facilitate the search for answers and novel treatments. Genomic Answers for Kids provides hope for kids like June. June was born with several health challenges including a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, pulmonary hypertension, a heart arrythmia and other complications. After four years waiting for a diagnosis, Genomic Answers for Kids was able to find the answer in just three months.
June, age 5, born with rare disease
“Not having a diagnosis, you kind of feel helpless. It always makes you question. You want to know what happened,” Megan, June’s mom, said. “Without research and Genomic Answers for Kids, we wouldn’t have the answers and diagnosis we now have.”
To learn more about Genomic Answers for Kids at the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, visit childrensmercy.org/ genomicanswers
Your support fuels this hope for kids. Thank you to the following donors for their support of Genomic Answers for Kids and the Children’s Mercy Research Institute: Big Slick Roberta D. Harding and William F. Bradley, Jr.
Members of the Hall Family in honor of Adele Hall
DeBruce Foundation
William T. Kemper Foundation Commerce Bank, Trustee
Linda and Paul DeBruce
Bill and Becky Krueger
Dee and Dave Dillon
Marion Merrell Dow Donor Advisory Fund
The Stanley H. Durwood Foundation
Virginia Merrill
Give KC
Pet Resource Center of Kansas City Since 2002, Pet Resource Center of Kansas City (formerly known as Spay and Neuter Kansas City) has been working with underserved communities to keep pets and people where they belong … together. The organization serves over 25,000 pets each year with low-cost spay/neuter, affordable vaccines, as well as resources such as toys, parasite treatments, litter, tie outs, bowls, dog houses, pet food (over 60 tons just this year alone) and education. And their outreach team— formed in 2005 and the first of its kind in the region— hits the streets of Kansas City multiple days a week to operate a mobile vaccination clinic and resource distributions to help homebound clients and those without transportation. The outreach team can also be found going door to door providing education, supplies and support to pet owners in vet deserts throughout the city.
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
1116 E. 59TH ST. KANSAS CITY, MO PRCKC.ORG 816.353.0940
• • • •
25,000 pets helped annually Low-cost spay/neuter Affordable vaccines Resources, education, medical support
In recent years, PRCKC has also operated an emergency medical fund that is used to provide additional medical care for families who couldn’t get care for their pets otherwise. As part of that program, the organization has developed affordable, at-home parvo and heartworm treatment programs that have saved dozens of lives in 2020 alone. By supporting PRCKC, you can help them continue to reduce the number of homeless animals in the Kansas City metro, which keeps pets off the streets, out of shelters and in their homes with the people who love them. And right now, until the end of the year, all donations are doubled so you can help PRCKC have twice the life-saving impact. Learn more at prckc.org.
Did you know…
• Alzheimer’s disease kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined • 1 in 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia
Heart of America Chapter When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia, many questions arise. Individuals with the diagnosis, family members and caregivers may want to know what to expect down the road. The Alzheimer’s Association – Heart of America Chapter can help with these concerns and many more. After an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the most important thing for individuals or family members to know is that they are not alone. The free of charge programs and support services offered through the Alzheimer’s Association connect you with peers and professionals to help you make the adjustments and plans in daily life that can help you navigate an Alzheimer’s journey. FREE resources and support services include: • 24-hour Information and Support Line: 1.800.272.3900, staffed by dementia specialists, ready to answer your call. • Virtual education classes including classes such as: Dementia Conversations, Effective Communication Strategies, COVID-19 Caregiving Tips, Legal and Financial Issues, Understanding Alzheimer’s and many more.
Leading the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.
alz.org
24/7 Helpline 800.272.3900
• Virtual support groups including groups for those with early-stage dementia and those with loved ones in memory care facilities. • Online support at alz.org including resources for those with a recent diagnosis and free tools to help caregivers stay connected with others in a similar situation. There are many ways to get involved with the Alzheimer’s Association including: • Volunteering • Participating in a fundraising event • Advocating by providing grassroots legislative efforts to keep our elected officials informed • Corporate partnering with the Association or sponsoring a fundraising event There are more than five million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease. Odds are, if you are reading this, you either know someone with Alzheimer’s disease or you know someone who is a caregiver for someone with the disease. As numbers of those affected rise, it will become increasingly important for everyone to know that help is just a phone call away. 800.272.3900
Give KC
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Ability KC 3011 BALTIMORE AVE. KANSAS CITY, MO | ABILITYKC.ORG | 816.751.7700
Since 1947, Ability KC has been providing highly specialized care for children and adults with disabilities in the Kansas City community. Ability KC is uniquely positioned to provide a continuum of support for all of life’s milestones. Our organization works tirelessly to deliver its mission of building brighter futures for children and adults with disabilities by ensuring the best possible outcomes. Our dedicated staff deliver innovative rehabilitation using assistive technologies so that individuals can take their first steps, find their voice and return to the most meaningful aspects of their lives. Even in the midst of a pandemic, Ability KC is committed to providing excellent, results-driven services by investing in our expert staff and building a positive culture within our walls. From in-person events going virtual to staff screening patients at our front door, together we are adapting to our new normal. Now more than ever the generosity of the community is critical to ensuring an individual’s progress towards their greatest potential is not halted. For more information or questions about how to support Ability KC, please contact Gemma Zook at gemma.zook@abilitykc.org or 816.751.7932. “We are thankful for the support our children receive, but also feeling supported as a family. All of the staff are amazing.” –Family Testimonial
Hope House HOPEHOUSE.NET | 816.461.HOPE (4673) METRO WIDE HOTLINE: 816.468.5463 Hope House’s efforts to end the cycle of domestic violence continues as they raise awareness about teen dating, stalking, digital abuse, and what healthy relationships should be. Dating abuse is a pattern of coercive, intimidating, or manipulative behaviors used to exert power and control over a partner. Hope House is working with teens and young adults, encouraging them to have The Fearless Factor, Courageous Conversations. This campaign brings to light the difficult, and often dangerous path a victim experiences, resources for friends, family and neighbors, and the critical support they deserve received along the way. For campaign information, or if you or someone you know may be in an abusive relationship visit: hopehouse.net Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. Let’s break the cycle now. Start some of your own courageous conversations with the teens and young adults in your life. Reach out to a friend who may need support.
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Give KC
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Rose Brooks Center PO BOX 320599 KANSAS CITY, MO | ROSEBROOKS.ORG | 816.523.5550
The mission of Rose Brooks Center is to break the cycle of domestic violence so that individuals and families can live free of abuse. Each day we provide safe futures for adults, children, and pets - and invite you to stand with us. It is because of you, we have been able to provide uninterrupted care to survivors of domestic violence these previous unpredictable months. You have proven we are stronger together, and we thank you. Rose Brooks is here for anyone. Our Hotline is 816.861.6100.
Feel Good
about something in 2020,
GIVE BLOOD! Community Blood Center needs 3,500 blood donations every week to serve local community hospitals and ensure patient needs are met. The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors like you can help. CBC has seven donor centers throughout Missouri and Kansas, and several community blood drives every month.
Roll up your sleeves and give blood. Want to give blood? Sign up at savelifenow.org
SCAN HERE
Can you host a blood drive? Register at savealifenow.org/support-us/host-drive
savealifenow.org
1.877.468.6844
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BEST S HOP S I N KC
SHOP SMALL Small businesses count on your support. There is so much to be found among the shelves and racks lining Kansas City shops. Here are 88 spots with our favorite shopping right now. W R I T T E N B Y Nicole Bradley, Martin Cizmar,
Izzy Curry, Natalie Gallagher, Anna Kern, Annie Kniggendorf and Lauren Underwood P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y Natalea Bonjour, Caleb
Condit and Rebecca Norden
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P IN K A N TL E RS
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PETS BAG FROM C O CO
LUCKY DOG PET GROCERY & BAKERY 933 MA SSACHU SET T S ST., L AWRENCE
L Amelia’s
6 776 W. 1 3 5TH ST. , OV E RL A N D PA RK
Sometimes the best way to top off an outfit is with a wild pattern— leopard mules, snake skin boots or that statement free-spirit blouse. If you’re looking for something a little bit more eccentric, Amelia’s is the place to go. This boutique combines a classy Western style with fun urban elegance, offering many lines of clothing, accessories and even some home goods. You might try going for a more wild business attire look with some of their unique patterns and colors. — L AU R EN UNDER WOOD
Clairvaux
2 7 10 W. 53 RD ST. , FA I RWAY
New to the Fairway Shops, Clairvaux is a solid catchall of high-end Parisian fashion meets California cool in women’s wear, shoes, handbags and accessories. Owner Joni Johnson has long worked in the Kansas City fashion scene as a buyer and stylist, so you can trust her and her team with your closet needs. —NI C OLE BR A DLE Y
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awrence’s Lucky Dog offers more than just commercial-grade food for dogs and cats; it also sells handmade bandanas, pet-specific CBD items and a range of accessories that fit any pet personality. The shop also has a full bakery, which co-owner Jennifer Thomas says was a happy accident. “I was kind of doing it out of my house, a few cookies here and there for people, and it took off,” she says. After selling over eight thousand home-baked cookies last Christmas, Thomas now sells a variety of dog treats in her space on Massachusetts Street, from fun and whimsically decorated cookies with dog-friendly sprinkles to treats that are crafted for pups with sensitive tummies. One of Lucky Dog’s newest products is a monthly subscription box called Pet Parcel. “It’s been very interesting to get feedback from people who did other subscription boxes and decided they want to support somebody local,” she says. “They like that ours are more customizable.” —Lauren Underwood
Clothology:135
48 0 0 W. 1 35TH ST., SUIT E 26 0, LEAWO OD
Maybe your ideal wardrobe is a plethora of thick, chunky-knit sweaters. Or maybe it’s a lineup of business casual blouses and pencil skirts. How about a bulk of floral print sundresses? Or, perhaps, a blend of all of the above? The pickings at Clothology:135 fit every style. — N IC O L E B RA D L E Y
MORE If you’re looking for great locally made collars and treats, Tail Waggin’ PetStop (1818 Wyandotte St., KCMO) in the Crossroads is both affordable and personable. On the flip side, Waldo’s K9 Closet (7406 Wornall Road, KCMO) has a myriad of dog collars and leashes that are eccentric, theme-specific and customizable according to your puppy’s personality. Brookside Barkery & Bath (6201 Oak St., KCMO) has great grooming services and highly knowledgeable staffers. The shop also sells all-natural food and pet products. Land of Paws (4021 Somerset Drive, Prairie Village) is a more upscale shop owned by a local group of veterinarians. The store also offers all-natural food and full grooming services.
store offers cozy loungewear sets (perfect for working from home), colorful graphic tees and an array of jeans that compliment all shapes and sizes. Don’t miss the selection of mugs, crossstitch sets, stationary and other home goods that pay tribute to Schitt’s Creek, Gilmore Girls and feminist icons. —A N N A K E RN
Fetch
COCO
1 12 W. 6 3R D ST., KCM O
What does it mean to be #COCObeautiful? COCO’s owner Abby Roen Flores describes it as “the raw power of meeting yourself where you are, realizing you are capable of anything and feeling beautiful in your own skin, no matter what.” As the laid-back, trendy little sister of Lady Bye, the
110 1 M ULB ERRY ST., KCM O
Don’t know what to get for a gift? Head over to Fetch in the West Bottoms. The vintage shop is home to one of Kansas City’s greatest array of items. Vintage clothes, a collection of records, goofy tissue paper and Lindsay Lohan mugshot magnets are just a few of the things you can find here. If you're lucky, you can meet the shop’s “manager,” Lucy the dog, on your visit. —I Z Z Y CUR RY
115 31 A SH ST., LEAWO OD
PINK ANTLERS
There’s something about the baby pink-painted door against white shiplap exterior with sleek black trim that makes Pink Antlers such a welcoming storefront. That feeling follows you indoors at this bright, bubbly boutique party and gift shop lined with fluffy throw pillows, colorful cards and wall prints, teeny-tiny baby onesies and sweet-scented candles. Pink Antlers is owned by two sisters, Morgan and Claire Wenger, and has been in Park Place for four years. They just opened a rentable party room if you’re hosting a bridal shower or birthday celebration. — Nicole Bradley
HOLIDAY BEST SELLERS: Velvet pumpkins. And our Santa mugs, which we’ve been selling for about three years. It’s our number one seller every year. FAVORITE TREND: Caning and ratan. Neutrals have been trending for a while, but these natural elements bring a little bit of color and a textural element. THEIR MOTTO: Celebrate every day. We obviously love hosting birthday parties and celebrations. But we also think it’s about celebrating the little moments, whether it's bringing home a new candle or redecorating or taking a bundle of balloons to someone.
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In 2017, artisan John Pryor opened Madison Flitch, a woodworking showroom in the Crossroads. Madison is a family name. “Flitch” is the Old English word for a wood slab. While that business is still going, it was not essential during the shutdown, so Pryor pivoted to Madison Stitch, now open next door to his original storefront. The new venture began in response to the need for face masks—Pryor’s stitchers have crafted nineteen thousand—but has since evolved into a design studio for women’s accessories. It’s run by women, many of whom are refugees from Burma and Afghanistan. — Anne Kniggendorf
MADISON STITCH 5 0 1 E. 1 6 TH ST., KCMO
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BIGGEST PANDEMIC ACCOMPLISHMENT: The relationships we built with so many different people in the city and giving them the opportunity to make something that contributed to the community. Everybody involved in Madison Stitch, from the soccer mom to the Ph. D. student to the refugees, are really proud of the work they’ve done. ON PIVOTING FROM WOODWORKING TO FASHION: It’s very strange. Before, I was confident with my design sense. I knew what I wanted to make and I would just make it. I don’t know anything about women’s accessories. I have shapes that I like and looks and aesthetics that I’m biased toward, but I have to rely on my team to tell me what works and what doesn’t. That’s a huge change. WHAT’S NEXT: Our goal is to be the leading artisan boutique option in Kansas City for handbags. A lot of bags don’t have a great story behind them other than maybe they were designed by somebody famous in New York or L.A. We have this great story, but there’s real skill behind these peoples’ stories.
MORE Cellar Rat Wine Merchants (1701 Baltimore Ave., KCMO) in the Crossroads hosts private tastings and classes with personable staff who know and have tasted nearly every bottle in the shop. KC just got its first dedicated natural wine shop, Big Mood (see page 92). Bier Station (120 E. Gregory Blvd., KCMO) has long been a Waldo staple for its grab-and-go model. With pandemic shifts, they now have online “Cart to Car” ordering and a pickup window.
DRINK B A RRE T T E S FRO M E B A N D C O.
EB & Co.
326 W. 6 3RD ST., KC M O
UNDERDOG WINE CO. 32 7 E. 55TH ST., KCMO & 298 4 G ILLHAM ROAD, KCM O
R
yan Sciara had been in the hospitality and wine industry for nearly a quarter century when he opened Underdog Wine Co. in 2014. Given his experience, he had strong opinions on how things should work at his two shops, which stock a constantly rotating and always interesting assortment of wines across the full spectrum of price and style. “We stock what we want to stock, not what our distributors tell us to stock,” he says. “We really focus on small, family-owned wineries, distributors and importers. That’s why it’s Underdog—it’s the size of the shop, but it’s also the philosophy of the shop. The small producers we stock are the real ‘underdogs’ in the wine industry.” HOW THE SHOP IS PHYSICALLY DIFFERENT: The way we have the shops set up makes it really easy to find what you are looking for. Most other stores are organized by country, region, varietal, etc. We set our stores up progressively, by the weight (or body) of the wines. We start with sparkling wines, then move to lighter bodied whites, medium bodied whites, fuller bodied whites, then we jump over to rosé, then lighter reds, medium bodied reds and fuller bodied reds. Our top shelves are all wines priced $15 and under, then they go up in price as you move your way down the shelves. This is another departure from traditional “liquor store” organization, where they put the lesser priced wines on the bottom. TRAPPED ON A DESERT ISLE WITH ONE CASE FROM SHOP: It can be a mixed case, right? I want a mixed case of champagne. If I’m on a desert isle, I want some champagne. If I had to pick one producer, it would be Champagne Bereche et Fils. —Martin Cizmar
Finefolk
Frankie and Jules
45 0 4 STATE L INE ROA D, KCK
1 6070 M ETCALF AVE., OVERL AN D PARK
Formerly a Crossroads resident, Finefolk has recently joined the lineup of charming shops at 45th and State Line. If you’re looking for neutral, durable basics for your capsule wardrobe, this is the place to get them. Finefolk also takes shopping, styling and alterations appointments. — N ICOLE BRAD LE Y
This Overland Park staple is the perfect mix of girly elegance and chic glam. With new arrivals every day, it’s easy to find that perfect outfit at Frankie and Jules. Whether you’re dressing up or dressing down, there are plenty of options to fill your closet. Marble countertops, pastel colors and a chandelier hanging near the dressing rooms give this boutique the perfect dainty vibe. — L AU RE N U N D E RWO O D
Brookside’s EB & Co. is the accessories shop for the modern sophisticate. It is for the eleven-year-old girl who was obsessed with the jewelry at Claire’s and grew into a fierce woman of discerning taste, someone who recognizes that, hey, maybe you don’t need rainbow metallic butterfly earrings to match the eighteen butterfly clips industriously arranged on top of your head. Founder Emily Bordner has filled her shop with handcrafted minimalist jewelry, fashionable headbands and scrunchies (and face masks, because #2020, y’all) and, of course, her signature leather bags and totes. Bordner’s leather goods are the cornerstone of her business, and these supple, understated items will attract an exhausting amount of compliments. You can spend all day shopping on this Brookside block: Be sure to swing by Brookside Toy & Science (330 W. 63rd St., KCMO) for your Christmas needs, where cool science kits, dress-up attire and sand toys line the store. Jorjy (320 W. 63rd St., KCMO), owned by Pamela DiCapo, who also runs baby store Lauren Alexandra (322 W. 63rd St., KCMO) next door, is a hotspot for home goods and gifts like insanely cute throw pillows and personalized vinyl mats. — N ATA L IE GA L L AGH ER
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128 W. 1 8 TH ST., KCMO
VERDANT HER FAVORITE PLANT: Fig tree. It feels the most “designer” and substantial, and it can make the most impact on a space. The routine of taking care of them is great, and they make a space feel almost subtle and balanced. ON FLORALS: Initially, we thought we would just do weekend flower arrangements,
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but when we started renovating the space and people would peek in, they would say, “Oh, you’re a flower shop? We need one!” And we realized that people need flowers every day of the week, so our whole flower program got rehashed. We’ll be offering $3 bundles of eucalyptus or $8 bundles with a bloom. Our motto is “No mess, no fuss.” If
Over the past six years, Chentell Shannon has built her fledgling ceramic studio, Convivial Production, into a thriving wholesale and e-commerce business. Her three primary lines— home, table and garden—are solidly functional and glazed in a soothing ivory. In September, Shannon further expanded her profile with a brick-and-mortar shop in the Crossroads called Verdant. This five-hundred-square-foot space is just big enough to highlight Convivial’s garden category, but Shannon is stocking more than her Convivial planters and vases: Verdant also offers a curated selection of plants, floral arrangements and gift items. — Natalie Gallagher
you buy a vase, you can also get a bouquet sized for that vase. There’s also a “buy ten, get one free” botanical punch card. We want flowers to be a weekly thing. SHE WANTS HER SHOP ITEMS TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL: Joy! I want people to feel joy, to feel like they have quality and beauty and that it’s accessible.
The spot: Leawood’s Town Center and its adjacent plazas have a mix of elite national brands (Crate & Barrel, Apple) and local ones (our cover shot comes from Pink Antlers, page 57). Among the standouts is Alysa Rene Boutique, where you’ll find elevated basics and pieces from designers like the mid-century modern-inspired Joseph Ribkoff. Where to eat: Inside Park Place, you’ll find Ra Sushi Bar Restaurant, known for its epic happy hours, plus 801 Chophouse and upscale cocktail lounge Verdigris. Make a day of it: Park Place is home to JoCo’s only outdoor ice rink, which makes for an idyllic Christmas shopping trip. Not far away, you’ll find the heated bays of Top Golf.
T- S H I R T SHOPS
STOP ’N SHOP TOWN CENTER & PARK PLACE
MORE
WESTSIDE STOREY 170 1 SUM M IT ST., KCM O
W
estside Storey started out as an antique store in 2012. “My loft overlooked the corner of 17th and Summit,” owner Chris Harrington says. “I would sit on my porch and see how busy the area was from all the restaurants and thought a retail shop would be a good fit [for the area].” Since then, the shop has evolved into a proud Kansas City space filled with local artisan-made goods and retro finds. “We carry over one hundred local brands from mom and daughter teams to established brands that have been around for twenty-five years,” Harrington says. “It's an amazing, supportive industry where everyone wants everyone to win. It's less competitive and more collaborative.” —Nicole Bradley
KC has one the top luxury vintage sellers in the country, WyCo Vintage (3535 Broadway Blvd., KCMO), which operates a small storefront in Midtown but does most of its business on Instagram, with big-spenders and touring celebrities making the pilgrimage to the shop’s VIP loft. We Got Your Back Apparel (8750 Penrose Lane, Lenexa) at Lenexa Public Market produces super-soft KC swag and is known for its colorful sugar skull prints. With three locations around the metro, Rally House is a go-to for a quick ball cap buy before a Royals game or to wait in line for a Super Bowl playoffs tee. Raygun (1803 Baltimore Ave., KCMO) has expertly pivoted during the pandemic, selling tees with cheeky block-letter phrases like “Help Keep Patrick Mahomes Safe: Wear a Mask” and “Zoom High School.” No matter where in the city you are, on any given day you’ll find at least one person wearing a KC heart shirt. You can thank Charlie Hustle (419 W. 47th St., KCMO) for that.
Golden & Pine 19 ON TH E MA L L , PR A IR IE VIL L AG E
Stephanie Agne opened Golden & Pine in 2016, and the buzz around the store has never stopped. Stocked with ethically sourced artisan goods such as hand-woven textiles, clay planters and contemporary furniture pieces, the shop is also full service, offering interior design and styling services. Although Agne is originally from the Kansas City area, her store is named for and inspired by her two former homes—“golden” for California and “pine” for New England. While you’re in the The Village Shops, stop by Clique Boutique (6951 Tomahawk Road, Prairie Village) for casual womenswear and scarves galore. — N ICOLE BRAD L E Y
Guevel
1828 G RAN D BLVD., KCM O
One of Guevel’s specialties is denim: The Crossroads shop not only sells upscale denim streetwear but also offers denim repair, hemming and darning, a technique that uses a specialized machine to fix the weave on damaged fabric. It’s like a more sustainable and sturdy alternative to patching holes. — N IC O L E B RA D L E Y
COAT F R O M HA L L S
Halls
245 0 G RAN D BLVD., KCM O
If there’s a Kansas City shop that’s seen it all, it’s Halls. The department store companion to Kansas City’s greeting card empire has been around for over a decade and has seen its way through just about everything, from ever-evolving fashion trends to recessions to pandemics. Halls has changed locations a few times since its birth, but its current home sprawls over sixty thousand square feet in Crown Center, where you’ll find lavish products and personable stylists for an elevated shopping experience. — N IC O L E B RA D L E Y
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Hammerpress
141 3 W. 1 1 TH ST. , KC MO
Hammerpress owner Brady Vest started using a letterpress in 1994 to make custom record covers for his friends’ bands, along with show prints and posters for other local performing groups in the area. Today, his shop—which moved to a new location in West Bottoms earlier this year—specializes in greeting cards, stationery and ephemera. Essentially, the pressing process is the same as was used for old newspapers, with metal and wood letters coated with ink and firmly pressed against paper. The shop was originally limited to typography “on file,” but now it custom-makes letterpress plates as needed. —NI C OLE BR A DLE Y
Hand & Land
3 216 G I LLH A M P L AZA , KCMO
Shopping at Hand & Land is such a soothing experience. The shop is located in the historic Nelle Peters building in Midtown. Sun streaming through the shop’s floor-to-ceiling windows throws a warm glow on the responsibly crafted natural and organic products that cousins Jessica Moler and Nicole Lobdell have carefully selected. NAT U R A L Here, you will find P RO D UC TS items like a natural fiber FROM H A N D face-scrubbing brush, Gua A N D LA N D Sha stones for lymphatic drainage, silicone food storage bags and ayurvedic herbs. There’s even a selection of bulk plantbased home cleaning and personal care products that Hand and Land sells through a refillable program. — N ATALI E GA LLAGHER
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I N T I M AT E S MORE After learning that a close family member had dealt with domestic violence, Hayley Santell was inspired to open local underwear and lingerie brand MADI Apparel (1659 Summit St., KCMO). For every item purchased, MADI donates a pair of underwear to a local woman in need. Clair de Lune (5053 W. 119th St., Overland Park) takes a French approach to lingerie styling—in America, bras are meant for coverage and support, not necessarily to be seen. In France, lingerie is considered to be a part of a look. After hearing frustrations from boudoir clients not liking the way pieces were photographed on them, Traci Bartshe opened Indium Intimates (1107 Hickory St., KCMO), a lingerie shop where body positivity and affirmation is top priority.
BIRDIES 1 1 6 W. 1 8 TH ST., KCM O
A
lmost eighteen years ago, Peregrine Honig and Alexis Burggrabe opened lingerie and swimwear boutique Birdies in the Crossroads. At the time, there was virtually nothing around with the exception of a leather store across the street. Since then, Birdies has become an anchor for many surrounding boutiques that have made the West 18th Street territory a style hub. Honig uses her internationally renowned art background to fuel her ideas for the store and its campaigns. Most recently, she wrote a feature-length film, Summer in Hindsight, which premiered at the West 18th Street Fashion Show event in mid-October at Boulevard Drive-In. The film was set at multiple area museums, such as the Kansas City Museum and the Nelson-Atkins, and Honig hopes to eventually host viewings of the film at these spots. Meanwhile, Honig hopes that this upcoming holiday season will give people a reason to shop locally. “Let’s be honest, it’s more of a challenge to shop locally,” Honig says. “But it’s so worth it. The money goes directly back into your community, and with that it goes back to you.” —Nicole Bradley
Hatch + Home
Houndstooth
Hatch + Home, a new combo design studio and home retail shop in the West Bottoms, is built around decorative showrooms, so you can truly visualize how that dreamy boho light fixture or the Spanish chateau-style mirror can look in your home. Hatch + Home also hosts private shopping experiences and local food and drink artisan events. — N ICOLE B RA D L E Y
In River Market, Jeff Covitz, a third-generation tailor, runs Houndstooth, a men’s suit and tailor shop. There, you’ll find over six hundred fabric choices imported from mills in England and Italy. Also in the River Market, womenswear store KATE KC (412 Delaware St., KCMO) offers casual and inclusive wardrobe staples and one-on-one private shopping appointments. — N I CO L E B R A DL E Y
1 3 0 0 W. 1 3 ST., SU IT E B, KCM O
LEGENDS
The spot: KC’s designer outlet mall, Legends, has dozens of shops, ranging from Tory Burch to TJ Maxx and from J. Crew to Journey’s. The neighboring area also houses the massive Nebraska Furniture Mart.
5 07 WALNUT ST., KCM O
Where to eat: The offshoot of Arthur Bryant’s was our go-to here, but it closed late last year. You can get barbecue at Blind Box inside Nebraska Furniture Mart or find loads of national chains at the Legends, such as Culver’s and Panda Express.
Make a day of it: The Legends is right next to Kansas Speedway and the pitch where Sporting KC plays, and it’s not far from the Renaissance Festival and the large outdoor concert amphitheater where some of the summer’s biggest touring acts perform.
BLACK LEMON BOUTIQUE
211 W. M APLE AVE., INDEPENDENCE
Brandy Spearman has many roles. First and foremost, she’s a loving mom and wife. She’s also a full-time government employee. Lastly, she is a shop owner—the only Black-owned business owner in quaint Independence Square, for that matter. Spearman opened women’s clothing shop Black Lemon Boutique in August of last year, and she says it’s been a wild ride since—from starting off the business strong with a bustling holiday season to having her son during the pandemic to Black Lemon’s economic bounceback in recent months. She’s not shy about giving her husband, Brandon, credit for her shop’s success. He helped transform the once-blank slate on Maple Avenue into the charming and welcoming space that it is today. Every fixture in the store was handmade by him, from the ornate white-painted wooden cashier booth to the dressing rooms to the industrial-pipe shelving. —Nicole Bradley
SHOP NAME ORIGIN: Black lemon is actually a seasoning. And it doesn’t even use lemons—it uses charred limes and it’s black. But I named my boutique Black Lemon because it's meant to put flavor in your closet. SHE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: My Vans collection. I have so many pairs, basically one to match every outfit. They’re so comfortable and
you can wear them anywhere—you can find ways to dress up or dress down with them. HER FASHION IDOL: Rihanna. She can make a sweatsuit look like it's high fashion just by pairing it with heels, and I love how she does that. And I love that her Fenty lingerie line is size-inclusive.
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SHOP SMALL COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA
ZU M S OAP FROM IN D IG O WILD
Hudson & Jane
Lady Bye
After twenty years of work at Ralph Lauren on the Country Club Plaza, Rick and Flo Ann Brehm ventured out on their own to open preppy clothing boutique Hudson & Jane—Hudson the collection of menswear and Jane women.
Adorned with a crystal chandelier, velvet blush loveseat and monochromatic white accents, it’s no surprise that Lady Bye is inspired by the iconic feminine styles of Jackie O and Princess Di. The boutique, owned by Abby Roen Flores (who also owns Lady Bye’s sister stores COCO and KATE), offers a modern take on classic staple pieces for your closet that are affordable and size inclusive (XS to 3X). Current customer favorites include a velvet floral print midi dress, small gold hoop earrings, black leather booties, silk scarves and pearl hair clips.
31 3 E. 55TH ST., KCMO
— N ICOLE BRAD LE Y
The spot: The granddaddy of ’em all, Country Club Plaza is a KC institution that also happens to be an upscale outdoor shopping plaza. The shops are decidedly high-end (Anthropologie, Athletica, Apple) and will soon include a Nordstrom. Kendra Scott and Tivol are two great spots to buy gifts on the Plaza. Where to eat: The big chains get the most square footage (Shake Shack, Fogo de Chao, Capital Grille) but there are some local gems, too, like Classic Cup Cafe, Jack Stack and The Granfalloon. Make a day of it: In summer months, you’ll find gondolas floating on Brush Creek. Around the holidays, horse drawn carriages take riders around to see the Christmas lights.
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Indigo Wild
312 5 W YA ND OT TE ST., KCM O
Although Zum’s super-popular body care products are available at Hy-Vee and Hen House, the Kansas City company’s factory store Indigo Wild, tucked into an alcove on Wyandotte Street, is where you’ll score the best deals. Zum doesn’t give factory tours anymore, but we recommend stopping in the attached store even if just for a whiff. No Zum goodies go to waste—I bought an aromatherapy body spray and the cashier gave me four decent-sized soap scraps at no extra charge. — N ICOLE BRAD LE Y
6 245 BRO OKSIDE PL AZA , KCM O
—A N N A K E RN
Peruvian Connection 335 E. 5 5 T H ST., KCM O
In 1976, mother-daughter team Biddy and Annie Hurlbut launched Peruvian Connection, inspired by a trip to Peru that Annie took where she fell in love with alpaca fibers, described as softer and more durable than cashmere. The shop’s collection of artful sweaters, dresses, tops and more are made by skilled Andean artisans. — N IC O L E B RA D L E Y
J Thomas Home
703 S. KA NSA S AVE., OL AT HE
Just four years ago, Josh Lorg and his wife Emily were making floating shelves in their garage to sell on Etsy. Now, they’ve got a sprawling warehouse in an industrial park in Olathe to manufacture everything from the floating shelves that originally brought them success to kitchen cabinets to live-edge tables made from locally sourced materials. J Thomas Home’s shiny new showroom opens right before the Thanksgiving. — N ICOLE BRAD LE Y
Reset
8 WE ST PORT ROAD, KCM O
For any lover of streetwear, Reset is a must-know. The cleanest new shoes are always in stock at this reseller. Whether it’s a new pair of Jordans, a vintage Chiefs jacket or a designer T-shirt, Reset is the place to scope out. And if you’re feeling lucky, try your hand at the shoe claw machine. If you win, you get an unbelievable deal on sneakers worth hundreds, and if you lose, at least you get to play a claw machine. — IZ Z Y C U RRY
T-SH IRT FRO M RE SE T
2 3 2 NIC HOL S ROA D, KC M O
NICKEL & SUEDE
& 80 1 HA INE S ST. , SUITE 5 0 0, LIBERTY
Not to be deterred by a pandemic, co-founders Soren and Kilee Nickels of Nickel & Suede opened their third store in September. In addition to the flagship store in Liberty and a sister shop in Dallas, Nickel & Suede now has a prime retail location on the Country Club Plaza. The six-year-old company was recently named one of Inc. Magazine’s two hundred and fifty fastest-growing private companies in the Midwest, and the spread is obvious: Even if you’re unfamiliar with the brand, you’ve likely noticed the brightly colored leather teardrops adorning the ears of every cool girl you know. —Natalie Gallagher
ON PIVOTING DURING THE PANDEMIC: This year has definitely been one for innovating. Our leather comes from Italy, which was hit so hard by Covid-19 early on. Production halted and we had to get creative with our upcoming launches. We quickly redesigned our spring and summer lines to reflect what materials we had on hand and pushed out our launches. We also reimagined our most popular promotions to align better with our new production and launch schedule. GO-TO EARRINGS: I find myself reaching for Gold Leaf Teardrops or our Spotted Leopard Teardrops most often. Those two always get noticed and always bring compliments! PERFECT DAY IN KANSAS CITY: I love Kansas City in the fall. I would start with visiting a pumpkin patch early in the morning with the kiddos or Deanna Rose Farm, followed by lunch at Jerusalem Cafe. In the afternoon, I’d go shopping at the Plaza and then have dinner at Rye. Cap it off with a movie date night with my husband at the B&B Theatre in Liberty.
K IL E E N IC K E L S
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6 21 3 OA K ST., KCMO
HOMESONG MARKET When Amanda Waters’ inventory for her online store outgrew her dining room and started spilling into the rest of her home, she knew it was time to make some changes. She opened Homesong Market in Brookside, where her collection of sustainable home goods and curated antiques has been a hit. Waters’ cozy shop is stocked with eco-friendly cleaning, kitchen, bathroom and organization products—all sourced from small-batch makers, some local and some global. ——Natalie Gallagher
HER FAVORITE ITEM: Our favorite maker is a German company called Bürstenhaus Redecker, and they’ve been making brushes for decades. Their products are handmade and sustainable, which ties into our philosophy that the home goods you use every day should be simple, useful and beautiful. WHY BROOKSIDE: I knew when I opened up a shop that I wanted it to be in Brookside. There’s a hominess and friendliness here, and there’s so much foot traffic. We have lots of regulars that we see once or twice a month that come in and check out what we’ve got going on. I love the small-town feel of it. ON SOURCING PRODUCTS: It starts with research—finding a company that fits within the philosophy I’ve developed for the things that I wanted to put in my home. A lot of these companies that I buy from I’ve been using for years in my own home. We have done a lot of work with local companies that have sustainable practices, like Fire Lake Soapery from Paola, Kansas.
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BOOKS MORE
NE C KLACE FROM S HOP G I R LS
The Sound Environment
16 11 OA K ST. , KC M O
Originally from Omaha, The Sound Environment is now the premiere spot in KC to upgrade your audio equipment. Their expert staff knows exactly what to do no matter your price level to give you the best listening experiences possible. —I ZZY C UR RY
Shopgirls
6 215 OA K ST. , KC M O
The staff at Shopgirls has created an atmosphere where you feel like you're shopping with your best friend—even mirroring the, “yes you CAN rock that jumpsuit” enthusiasm you’d expect from your bestie. Styling women since 2007, this Brookside boutique owned by Katy Hamilton prides itself on an eclectic selection of clothing, accessories and gifts. If you want to feel like a VIP, book a free hour-and-a-half private appointment where you can shop and be styled privately by the team of fashionistas. —A NNA K E RN
STOP ’N SHOP
PROSPERO’S BOOKSTORE 1 8 0 0 W 39 TH ST., KCM O
P
rospero’s Bookstore on West 39th Street is three floors chockfull of fifty thousand used books stacked from the ground to the ceiling—there are books tucked into literally every crevice of this space, like between stairs and under tables. In the store's twenty-three years of existence, co-owner Tom Wayne says that, eerily, some books have faster turnaround times than others. “We clean and price books, and then we go around and put them up on the shelves,” Wayne says. “Five or ten minutes later, it comes up to the counter with somebody that just walked in the door. It’s one of the weirdest things that happen to both [co-owner] Will and I. I mean, how does that happen out of fifty thousand books? It's just one of those surreal moments.” —Nicole Bradley
ZONA ROSA The spot: The Northland’s Zona Rosa opened in 2004 with a lineup that includes standards like Sephora, Staples, Old Navy and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Where to eat: Local eateries like Hereford House and Swagat Fine Indian Cuisine join a roster of nationals like Red Robin, Bar Louie and Buffalo Wild Wings. Grab a gallon tub of Topsy’s popcorn—we recommend a blend of the cheddar and caramel deliciousness.
Afterword Tavern & Shelves (1834 Grand Blvd., KCMO) is closed due to the pandemic until further notice, but you can still support the cozy bookstore-bar by purchasing your next read through its online bookshop. Tucked away in downtown Lawrence, Raven Book Store (6 E. Seventh St., Lawrence) combines the wellknown small-business spirit of LFK with a love of literature. It will be expanding its shelves to a larger location on Massachusetts Street in 2021. In an average non-pandemic year, Rainy Day Books (2706 W. 53rd St., Fairway) in the Fairway Shops hosts three hundred-plus author events. Right now, they're in the process of renovating their shop. Named after the Flannery O’Connor novel, Wise Blood Books (300 Westport Road, KCMO), was created to inspire a diverse and creative community in KC. Their Boredom Bundles are the perfect way to stay intellectually challenged during this time.
Make a day of it: One of the city’s best comedy clubs, Kansas City Improv, is in the plaza, and you can pop a couple quarters into the cabinets of Draftcade next door.
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The Corner Candleshop
6 2 31 B RO O KS I D E P L AZA , KC M O
Searching for the perfect scent to grace your home this holiday season? The cozy Corner Candleshop in Brookside has hundreds of scented candles to choose from with names like Brookside Bungalow, Counting Sheep and How Bout Them Apples. All candles are handpoured in small batches in the back of the store to ensure they are of the highest quality. — I Z Z Y C UR RY
Welwythn
19 ON T H E M A LL , P R AI RI E V I LL AG E
Longtime makeup artist Gina Holmberg knew it was time to make some life changes after meeting with a holistic nutritionist, who had Holmberg assess the products she used, from cleaning supplies to body wash. “She sent me a couple articles that were all about the toxicity of conventional products and what those toxic ingredients could do to your body,” Holmberg says. “I felt so duped. I was just floored. I kept reading and reading and reading.” Her natural health and beauty store, Welwythn, sells everything from Gwenyth Paltrow’s popular Goop candles to plant-based skincare lines. — N I C O LE BR A DLEY
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KANSAS CITY 11.2020
RECORD STORES
SHOP SMALL S OC KS F R OM T Y L E R K I N GSTON M E R CA NTI LE
MORE
SISTER ANNE’S 9 0 1 E. 31ST ST., KCM O
S
ister Anne’s was named after the local music supporter and former owner of the record store Recycled Sounds. It was at Anne Winter’s store that owners Frank Alvarez and Jim Oshel of vinyl store-coffee shop Sister Anne's learned how to create the welcoming atmosphere at their store today. “We are both big record collectors, and this is the only thing I have ever done,” Alvarez says. “I have been working in record stores since 1985.” “It’s fun to turn people on to interesting albums that maybe they hadn’t heard before,” Oshel says. “I am an appreciator and enthusiast of music, and that’s what I get to do here.” —Izzy Curry
Tyler Kingston Mercantile
Records with Merritt (1614 Westport Road, KCMO) is a cozy shop with a highly curated collection. While the coronavirus has made it so Jasper the dog has to stay home, Revolution Records (1830 Locust St., KCMO) now delivers orders over thirty dollars straight to your door if you live within ten miles of the store. With the variety of records and CDs they have, Josey Records (1814 Oak St., KCMO) is the type of store you can spend hours browsing. If you are looking for the place that has a little bit of everything, be sure to stop by their store. 7th Heaven (7621 Troost Ave., KCMO) contains plentiful used records across genres alongside any new vinyl you have been searching for.
ULAH
8 221 COR INTH MA L L , PRAIRIE VILL AG E
4707 RAIN B OW BLVD., WE ST WO O D
Tyler Kingston Mercantile’s modern take on a general store has a wide range of products such as seasonal clothing, home goods and apothecary items. Mixing vintage with contemporary, there’s truly something for everybody: graphic T-shirts, stationery, cooking and bartending supplies, puzzles, accessories and even plants. Its central location in Corinth Square makes it a great stop during a day of shopping, especially with its unique merchandise to fit any lifestyle. — LAU RE N U N D E RWO O D
ULAH is nationally renowned for its collection of handsome men’s clothing, accessories and gifts—the boutique was featured on several episodes of Queer Eye on Netflix. ULAH also has an interior design branch taken on by co-owner Buck Wimberly and design project manager Lucy Hull. — N IC O L E B RA D L E Y
STOP ’N SHOP
B LACK LE M ON B O U T I QUE
PRAIRIEFIRE The spot: One of the newest premium shopping plazas in the city, Overland Park’s Prairiefire has favorite stores like REI, Fat Brain Toys and Threshing Bee. Where to eat: Some of our favorite pizza in the entire city can be found at Grimaldi’s inside Prairiefire. Chicken ’N Pickle and Brass Onion are other solid picks. Make a day of it: There’s a natural history museum on site, as well as bowling and bocce at Pinstripes.
KANSAS CITY 11.2020
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For nearly fifty years, volunteers in Lawrence have broadcast small-town news to the blind over FM airwaves using a little-known technology.
WORDS BY JORDAN MEIER | PHOTOGRAPHS BY BROOKE VANDEVER
DR. KIMBERLY MARROW STARTS HER MORNING AS MOST PEOPLE DO. SHE WAKES UP, BRUSHES HER TEETH, GETS DRESSED, MAKES HER COFFEE AND CATCHES UP ON THE NEWS. “Alexa, play Audio-Reader,” she says. “Are you blind or print-disabled?” Alexa replies. “Yes.” Suddenly, Marrow’s home is flooded with the voices of volunteers reading everything from the Topeka Capital-Journal’s city council reporting to Playboy magazine essays. It’s all thanks to a Lawrence-based nonprofit. For nearly fifty years, the Audio-Reader Network has given free access to the latest news to people who can’t read it themselves, whether due to vision impairment or diseases like Parkinson’s. “We like to call it ‘sight through sound,’” says Marrow, who has been blind since birth. Audio-Reader’s roots go to the 1960s, when Lawrence philanthropist Anna “Petey” Cerf developed the idea. “She was reading to a friend of hers in the nursing home and thought: ‘There’s got to be a way I’m reading to my friend or somebody down the hall is reading to their family member, there’s got to be a way to share this to a broader audience,’” says Lori Kesinger, the organization’s outreach director. Cerf commissioned a study on the feasibility of using FM radio subcarriers to read printed material. On October 11, 1971—fifty years ago next year—the station went live on 91.5 FM. For copyright reasons, Audio-Reader was not—and still isn’t—transmitted on a frequency normal radios will pick up. Rather, it uses half-frequencies, called subcarriers, which are picked up on special radios tuned to Audio-Reader’s closed-circuit station. The radios have only one knob, which turns them on to the one station they pick up and determines the volume. “Before the internet and before cell phones, that’s how we got started broadcasting,” Kesinger says. Until the internet era, eligible listen-
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ers were issued an FM radio tuned to the frequency sent out from the Audio-Reader headquarters on the KU campus. All they had to do was twist the knob to hear the news. “They wouldn’t be able to listen to AudioReader and then turn the dial and get jazz,” Kesinger says. “It’s audio reading only.” Most Audio-Reader listeners now stream online, though the company does still provide the single-channel radio to those who need it—and who can pick up the frequency through our increasingly crowded airwaves. “Back in 1990, the reach of the radio was a lot better than it is now because we weren't competing with cell phone signals and the pager signals and whatever else is floating out there,” Kesinger says. “There’s an issue with reliable internet and also rural communities. We have the information, but how to get it to the specific audiences is really, really a big challenge.” Although anyone can tune into the station via kansaspublicradio.org and hear the news being read live, you’re prompted to click a button confirming you’re in need of it. “The reason that we broadcast on this subcarrier technology is because we are reading copyrighted material,” she says. “So if we were to read the copyrighted material on an open channel, we would be liable to pay the publishers for the use of stuff. Because we’re a nonprofit, we can't possibly do that.” Audio-Reader airs all day every day and reads upwards of sixty-five publications every week, from the Wichita Eagle to Time Magazine. It gives special attention to the smallest papers in Kansas. “I think we’ve all started to realize just how important access to local community news is,” Kesinger says. “If you are isolated, if you’re unable to get out in your community, you still need to know
HOW IT WORKS Audio-Reader originally aired on 91.5 FM, a subcarrier frequency that normal radios won’t pick up. Although many listeners now tune in online and an increase in broadcast noise makes it harder to pick up, the station still works.
what the reduced hours are for the grocery store or when the Covid Clinic is going to be. If you can’t read it in a newspaper, it’s not readily available.” A typical day at Audio-Reader starts at 8 am with an hour of the New York Times. At 9 am, it switches to forty-five minutes of the Kansas City Star and the Topeka Capital-Journal. “A lot of just the regular, run-of-the-mill stuff that you do on a daily basis that, if you can’t read for yourself any longer, you may lose access to that information,” Kesinger says. The Audio-Reader team also takes requests from listeners and will read their favorite magazines or textbooks—they’ve been known to
read tupperware magazines and even instruction manuals. Their mission is reflected by the landscape at their office in Lawrence, which houses a public sensory garden. “If someone is becoming more isolated because of their health condition, that’s one less isolation that they have to deal with,” Kesinger says. “They might not be able to drive and go to the coffee club at the church anymore, but they can still tune in to Audio-Reader and listen and find out what's happening in their community.” Marrow has relied on Audio-Reader for twenty years, since her time as an undergrad at Baker University. She came to rely on them more while pursuing her masters and Ph. D. at
Dr. Kimberly Marrow in her home. The degrees she earned, with the help of Audio-Reader, hang on her wall.
KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
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Left: Volunteer Max Mayse on air. Top Right: Sensory Garden on site.
KU, where she had a hard time finding her textbooks in braille. “I remember one instance where I was taking my master’s test in German and the student reader who was supposed to show up and read to me had a flight to catch to New York and couldn’t make it,” Marrow says. “But my time slot was set for my test to be read to me, so they couldn’t change that. So I called Audio-Reader and just panicked, and they found a volunteer reader who was very proficient in English but happened to have a background of her parents coming from Germany and spoke German at home when she was growing up. So that individual came in and read for me.” Audio-Reader wouldn’t be sustainable without dedicated volunteers, most of whom have been reading for years. Some are retired, have experience with radio or have family members who can no longer read for one reason or another. Take Max Mayse, who has been reading at Audio-Reader for over thirty years. “One of the reasons that I got involved with it is that my father had a brother and a sister who were both blind because of retinitis pigmentosa and I wanted to do something,” Mayse says. “So I found out about Audio-Reader and thought, ‘This is the perfect thing.’” Mayse, who is retired from KU’s endowment organization, started by reading science magazines, like Discover, over the air, but now reads Time and regional papers like the Mound City News. Mayse tries to focus on local news in the regional paper, avoiding the national stories. He has under an hour to read four regional papers, just fourteen minutes for each. “I wish I had more than fourteen minutes to do it, but you don’t have an unlimited amount of time. But you can at least give the people in that community an idea of what’s going on,” he says. Although they do have to cut for time, Mayse tries not to make editorial decisions that affect the integrity of the story. “We’re just supposed to read as it appears in the paper,” he says. “There’s a sign in all of our studios on campus that says, ‘We are
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KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
not the listener’s brain, we are their eyes.’” When the pandemic hit, Mayse turned part of his basement into a recording studio and taught himself how to edit audio so he could read remotely. “When we got shut down because of Covid, I said, ‘I can do this from home, it’s no problem,’” Mayse says. “I love the idea that we’re helping people who can’t do this particular thing. We’re keeping them informed of what’s going on in their community or nationally or whatever.” Mayse isn’t the only person who has put in more work since the pandemic started. Some previous readers have returned to the project from their new homes in Pennsylvania and New York. As it looks toward its fiftieth anniversary, funding is the next challenge for AudioReader. The organization has had financial support from KU since its founding, but
university budget cuts mean that support is ending next year. “It was not a surprise,” Kesinger says. “The reasoning they gave us was that the University needed to focus on their core values and Audio-Reader didn’t fit into that.” Audio-Reader will continue to get in-kind funding, including its building and support from KU’s maintenance staff. While the service does have private donors and support from groups like the Lions Clubs, Audio-Reader will still take a hit, becoming more reliant on their endowment fund and fundraising efforts. “I think working for any nonprofit you’re concerned, and we’re no exception,” Marrow says. “I think everyone in the kind of community we serve is concerned. But we also have to have faith that people are going to believe in what we do.”
“WE’RE JUST SUPPOSED TO READ AS IT APPEARS IN THE PAPER. THERE’S A SIGN IN ALL OF OUR STUDIOS ON CAMPUS THAT SAYS, ‘WE ARE NOT THE LISTENER’S BRAIN, WE ARE THEIR EYES.’”
KANSAS CITY NOVEMBER 2020
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The most intelligently designed machine on the planet — you.
Together, we’re incredible.
The Power of Whole-Person Health.
HumansAreIncredible.com
20-SYSTEM-07667
From the powerhouse of your heart, to the miraculous computer of your mind – you are incredibly made. That’s why AdventHealth believes that health care is about more than just medicine. It’s about nurturing your body, mind and spirit, to help you feel whole.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Holiday Gift Guide
Illustration by Sooim Kang
Making a list and checking it over and over? Check out our 2020 Holiday Gift Guide to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list.
NOVEMBER 2020 K ANSASCITYMAG.COM
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Holiday Gift Guide '20
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Taste Tradition TOPSY'S POPCORN
Topsy’s Popcorn – it’s the good stuff.
The colorful tins, the inviting aroma, the delicious crunch—there’s a special magic in Topsy’s Popcorn. Pop open a tin and enjoy sweet caramel, savory cheese, spicy cinnamon and warm buttery goodness while you relive old memories—and build new ones.
Make a Statement DIAMONDS DIRECT
Whether you are ready to ask that special someone to spend forever with you or you just want to remind them that you care, the experts at Diamonds Direct are here to help this holiday season. Visit their Leawood showroom to shop a wide selection of fine diamond and gemstone jewelry or shop virtually at diamondsdirect.com/kansas-city.
Get Cozy C L O T H O L O G Y: 1 3 5 4800 W 135th St., Leawood, KS 66224 The snuggle is real! Everyone will love a fashionable gift that will warm you from the inside out!
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KANSAS CITY N OV E M B E R 2020
Upgrade Spaces
KARIN ROSS DESIGNS 816.425.2815 karinrossdesigns.com
Have you been dreaming of a sparkling new kitchen? Let 2021 be the year you make that happen.
Holiday Gift Guide 20'
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
F AT B R A I N T OY S On one side, the silicone buttons are embossed with numerals 1 through 10, each accompanied by its matching word in English. Flip it over and you’ll find the words written in Spanish, plus dots to feel and count! Take 15% off 1 item online at FatBrainToys. com or in-store at Prairiefire with code NP-2459. Fat Brain Toys Prairiefire is your neighborhood toy store that will help you shop for any age or interest and offers free gift wrap year-round!
Dimpl Digits
Arm Candy
Revamp KARIN ROSS DESIGNS 816.425.2815 karinrossdesigns.com You deserve the kitchen of your dreams. This beautiful kitchen can be yours for the asking.
DIAMONDS DIRECT Diamonds Direct curates a fine collection of engagement rings, men’s jewelry and diamond and gemstone fashion jewelry. Show your love with the classic elegance of a diamond tennis bracelet (pictured). Don’t miss your opportunity to shop with their Diamond Experts in Leawood from November 16-22 to take 20% off of nearly the entire Diamonds Direct showroom!
Gift of Taste CHARLESTON’S Show them you have great taste! Give the gift of Charlestone’s this holiday season. Gift cards are available for purchase in store and online at charlestones.com/gift-cards.
Stay Warm ALASKAN FUR C O M PA N Y 9029 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212 913.649.4000 Whiskey Knit Mink Shawl with tails (Available in several colors)
NOVEMBER 2020 K ANSASCITYMAG.COM
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Holiday Gift Guide '20
Happy Howlidays L A N D O F PAW S Deer Creek 6772 W. 135th St., Overland Park, KS | 913.402.1033
Corinth Square 4021 Somerset Drive, Prairie Village, KS | 913.341.1011 landofpaws.com
Our mission at Land of Paws is simple: We want to provide the Kansas City community with an upscale pet supply store worthy of our beloved pets! That means you can expect to find the most exclusive pet supplies, highquality toys, healthful treats, and delightful pet apparel and boutique items at Land of Paws, along with a staff that truly cares about your animals. We understand the joy your pets bring to your lives, because we’re pet lovers too! And we make sure everything we provide at Land of Paws, from our products to our grooming services, does a little something to give back to our pets the love, affection and happiness they give to us. Our pets deserve the best because they ARE the best! That’s our philosophy at Land of Paws, and we’d love to show you how we put our mission into action when you and your pets visit our store.
QUARTER ZIP SOLID FLE ECE PULL- OVE R $40, multiple sizes 80
KANSAS CITY N OV E M B E R 2020
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
COZY CHECKERED COLLAR Available in sizes XS-XL Medium pictured, $26 COZY CHECKERED LEAD 1” wide, $32 Also available in 3/4” wide
BERLIN SMALL PET BOWLS $12 each 5.25”, fits 2 cups
MORE GIFTS! Come to Land of Paws to shop more gifts for your four-legged friend. Treats, toys and more!
Holiday Gift Guide 20'
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
INDIGO WILD
Something Sweet
EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS Overland Park 913.498.8585 Lenexa 913.894.5511 Midtown 816.569.6649
Edible Arrangements has you covered for your fall gifting needs. Whether it’s a Festive Sea Salt Carmel Apple Arrangement, our new Bakeshop Brownies, Cheesecake, and Pumpkin Cheesecake Platters, or our Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory gift bundle, Edible Arrangements of Overland Park, Lenexa, and Midtown are here for you when you want to send a gift that means just a little more!
Give the gift of handmade whiffs this holiday season. The Sweet 15 Zum Bar Soap Gift Pack was made for showering (pun intended) those you love with gentle and moisturizing goat’s milk soaps made right here in Kansas City with premium plant-packed ingredients and essential oils! Shop more aromatherapeutic Zum products for your body and home at indigowild.com.
Relax
Essentials
SUNLIGHTEN D AY S P A Come see us at Sunlight Day Spa this holiday season and give yourself (or a loved one) the gift of rejuvenation and relaxation. Purchase a monthly sauna membership for $59 a month (6-month min.), get the first month free! Visit sunlightdayspa.com for more information or call 913.754.2023 and reference KCMAG.
FRANNIE FRANKS COFFEE CAKES
816.533.5204 franniefrankscoffeecakes.com
Gift of Fine Dining R E D R O C K C A N YO N G R I L L
The perfect gift (card) for anyone in your life. Gift cards are available to purchase in store and online at redrockcanyongrill.com/gift-cards.
Delicious Cakes
Frannie Franks is an awardwinning coffee cake company headquartered in Kansas City. Your friends and family will love sinking their teeth into a moist and delicious handcrafted coffee cake from Frannie’s beloved recipe. Choose from a variety of flavors, including gluten-free options.
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Ooey Gooey This turkey day, swap the pie for a pecan bar. BY N ATA L I E G A L L AG H E R
PIES HAVE A SEAT of honor at every
Thanksgiving spread, and the pecan pie in particular is a staple in Southern and lower-Midwestern homes. The earliest recipe dates back to 1824, when it was more of a milk custard-pecan combination instead of the deliciously syrupy mess we know today. In the 1930s, as Karo corn syrup became a kitchen staple, the recipe was modernized. The Upper Crust (7943 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, uppercrustpiebakery.com) has made its own spin on the classic. In Upper Crust’s pecan bars ($32 for a half dozen), there’s no egg custard, nor is there a noticeable trace of corn syrup. With a buttery brown sugar shortbread crust, a thick layer of gooey salted caramel and a handsome spread of halved pecans flecked with sea salt, this pie alternative is the ultimate crowd-pleaser. Bonus: No fork needed— you can waddle from the dinner table to the couch unimpeded.
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First We Feast Making room on your Thanksgiving table for Native American foods from the KC area BY N ATA L I E G A L L AG H E R
P H OTO G R A P H Y BY CA L E B C O N D I T A N D R E B EC CA N O R D E N
YOU REMEMBER, in first grade
or so, when you had to trace your hand onto a piece of construction paper and fashion it into a turkey? Maybe you put a little black and white Pilgrim hat on it and named him “Mr. Gobble.” This art project, which has lined the hallways of elementary schools for decades, has routinely marked the approach of Thanksgiving. Usually the production of this craft has accompanied the origin story of this holiday: A year after landing at Plymouth Rock in 1620, Pilgrims sat down to a bountiful feast with friendly Natives, a symbol of New World harmony. That story is largely myth. There was a dinner between Wampanoag Indians and colonists in New England in the autumn of 1621, but the details are much more complicated and the event was an anomaly. The full story of the alliance that led to Thanksgiving, and the bloody war that followed, would likely give children nightmares. In the early 1600s, Missouri and Kansas were relatively untouched by colonialism. (They would remain that way until the 1680s, when the French claimed a bulk of central North America.) The territory was home to several tribes: Chickasaw, Illini, Ioway, Otoe, Missouria, Osage and Quapaw. “There were many different tribal nations, and each had different ways of getting things during different seasons,” says Jimmy Beason, a faculty member in the American Indian Studies Department at Haskell Indian Nations University and a member of the Osage Nation. “The overall notion of Thanksgiving
that we have today is wrapped in mythology, with Pilgrims sitting down to a feast. There’s actually only one account of that ever happening. In the Missouri and Kansas territories, what we know for certain was tribes would have been acknowledging the changing of the seasons and preparing for the winter.” Tribes would have consumed whatever their environment provided. Osages and Missouria were semi-nomadic, combining hunting, growing and gathering. They hunted wild game—bison, elk, deer—and planted beans, corn and squash. They would plant their crops in the spring, leave their village for a long summer hunt out West and return to harvest their crops in the fall. They also gathered wild foods in large quantities: paw paws (a tree fruit with an uniquely tropical taste), acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts, prickly pear cactus, onions, berries, prairie turnips,
LEFT: Banahas, prickly pear paddles, dandelion salad and white tail deer RIGHT: White tail deer meat
persimmons, water lily roots, wild bergamot and yonkapins (wild lotus root). “Those things would have been harvested and taken care of prior to the winter,” Beason says. “Right now, we’re not living out in the woods. We have central heating. But in those times, preparing for winter was on everyone’s mind, and that meant food acquisition.” Once the frost set in and the snow arrived, fresh fruit and vegetables would be unavailable for several months. Tribes would have dried a majority of their crop and foraged foods to ensure they had enough to carry them through the winter. “Tribes would save seeds, dry potatoes, squash and green beans, pound and dry the corn,” says historian and writer Devon Mihesuah, the Cora Lee Beers Price Professor in International Cultural Understanding at the University of Kansas. She is also a citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a Chickasaw descendant. “Osages were similar to Northern Plains tribes in that they made pemmican, which is pounded bison meat, bison fat and chokecherries. It’s not like the pemmican bars we have today—chokecherries are very bitter.” But it was sustenance, Mihesuah says. “The winter months, for my tribe, was starving time,” she says. “You’re waiting for spring and warm winds because that’s when lamb’s quarters and pokeweed and all kinds of little greens come up.” Mihesuah has dedicated her career to documenting indigenous foods and recovering indigenous heritage. She runs
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the popular Facebook group Indigenous Eating, and her latest book, Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens, explores how indigenous peoples may reclaim the traditions of their forebearers. There’s also a hefty In addition collection of recipes featuring indigenous ingredients to white tail deer, native like prickly pear cactus and persimmons, once plenpeople had tiful throughout the area and often overlooked today. bison and elk. These recipes vary. Some are pre-contact—that is, using only ingredients present in North America prior to European contact and colonization, like banaha, a Choctaw corn bread reminiscent of a tamale. Others have been modernized: Mihesuah offers a recipe for blue corn pancakes, stuffed bell peppers and venison burgers. “Most of the [Native] recipes that you see in a cookbook are not really traditional recipes,” she explains. “The way tribes ate traditionally is not the way we eat today. If they got a bison, they cut it up and skewered it and cooked it over a fire, or they put the meat inside intestines and cooked it in ash. They ate DID YOU K NOW ?
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berries as they picked them on the go. You see some people today who have decided they want to be an indigenous chef, and it’s a way to do something different and trendy, but those chefs won’t make money cooking the way their tribes traditionally did. No one is going to eat raw liver. You have to make these recipes palatable and appealing.” In her book, Mihesuah often offers an old world and a new world version of the same recipe. To make tanfula, the Choctaw would have ground and soaked the corn, filtered it with wood ash and boiled it; you can do that, Mihesuah says, or you can use a slow cooker. “Tanfula is corn mush, cooked for hours and hours with hickory oil and sometimes squirrel or turkey,” she says. “They didn’t have the spices that we have, so I altered those recipes to suit modern tastes.” Recipes from Recovering Our Ancestors’ Gardens by Devon Abbott Mihesuah. Book available at the University of Nebraska Press.
Prickly Pear Paddles
Banahas
Prickly pear cactus paddles are the stems of the cactus, which are native to this part of the country. These cacti are high in fiber, vitamins A and C, and calcium. The cooked pads (or paddles) have been used in Mexican cooking for hundreds of years. There are several ways to prepare the pads: boiling, sautéing, pickling, grilling or chopping them up and mixing them raw into salads. I think they taste like a combination of okra and green pepper. The brightly colored “pears” at the top of the paddles can be peeled and eaten raw or made into jelly. This is a very easy recipe.
Corn and most of the dishes we can create with corn are at the top of my list of food favorites. What I like the best about tamales is the corn, not the filling. Banaha is similar to tamales but with no filling. INGREDIENTS (FOR PURISTS): • 2 cups cornmeal
• 1 ½ cups boiling water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon salt • Corn shucks
DIRECTIONS
• Boil corn shucks for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix to-
gether the cornmeal, water, soda and salt until it is doughy. Roll into long shape that will fit into the corn shucks.
• Wrap the shucks around the dough and tie each with a shuck string (a
strip from the corn shuck), then boil in a pot of water for 30–40 minutes.
• We eat it with salsa on top.
• To make banaha more interesting, I add a variety of things to the corn-
meal mixture: chopped onions, spinach, garlic, pepper. For added flavor,
I prefer to boil the banaha in unsalted chicken broth instead of water.
INGREDIENTS
• 3-4 prickly pear paddles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, to taste
You can buy these at many grocery stores, but be careful of spines when you pick them up. You also can pick them in the wild, but don’t take too many. Choose the greenest, most unblemished pads. Watch out for the long spines; grocery stores often get rid of those, but the smaller, almost fuzzy spines will remain. If you manage to get a spine in your finger, tweezers are helpful. But if the spines are too small, spread some Elmer’s glue over the area and peel it off after it dries. You also can try tape. DIRECTIONS
• Use a fork to keep one end of the pad still while you
use a knife or potato peeler to scrape off the spines and “eyes.” I usually trim off the rough edges.
• After peeling, chop or slice the pads into stripes or
into small chunks. If you don’t like the slimy texture, cover the cactus in salt for about 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cold water.
• Put in a saute pan with the oil and then add spices you like. Saute at medium low heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.
• Serve as a side dish or mix with scrambled eggs,
blend into salsas, add to tacos or use as a topping on a baked potato or garnish on fish.
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NEWSFEED
What’s New in Kansas City Food & Drink BY N ATA L I E G A L L AG H E R
COMING
Count Two KC’s newest jazz bar is slated to open on November 5 in one of the city’s finest hotels. Local jazz legend Lonnie McFadden is not only on the marquee at Lonnie’s Reno Club inside the Ambassador Hotel but he’ll also be on stage with a quartet three nights a week. The new jazz club is named for a longgone venue where Count Basie made his name and where radio broadcasts first brought Kansas City style jazz to the world.
Bubbling Up Westport is now home to a new location of a bubble tea
shop that the Washington Post has called “the Starbucks of bubble tea.” Taiwanese-style Kung Fu Tea was born in Queens a decade ago and had another location in Overland Park before opening in late October next to Sonic Drive-In and Westport Flea Market. Like the Bux, Kung Fu’s is known for its seasonal PSL and drinks that feature decadent blends of sugar and cream.
Bruncherie Battle One of the city’s best-loved brunch spots has closed after forty years, but the battle over the space may just be beginning. Westport’s Corner Restaurant closed in March because of the pandemic, and Dawn Slaughter, owner for the past nine years, decided to use the time to clean and
Jobs Report It’s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has left lots of people out of work, especially in the service industry. When it comes to restaurant and bar employees leaving the industry, Kansas City is faring better than most large cities, according to data kept by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In KCMO, eightytwo percent of restaurant employees remain in the industry. Across the
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make repairs. According to a social media post, Slaughter is battling her landlord after discovering that the condition of the restaurant’s hood was “alarming” and the exterior of the building also needed work. “We supplied the owners of the building with a fifteen-page detailed report of the inspectors findings,” Slaughter wrote. “The truth is that these owners should have never rented this space to us in the first space.” The matter is now in mediation.
Haunted Tacos Brookside’s Michael Forbes Grill is best known for strip steaks and salmon, but it’s pivoted during the pandemic and now offers carryout Mexican food from a “ghost kitchen.” The concept is called Macho Taco and has its own
website. The Macho menu includes items like steak tacos, chimichurri wings, queso dip and a fried chicken tender salad. Owner Forbes Cross told the Star that his grill’s business is down fifty percent during the pandemic and “we already had a lot of good Mexican items on our menu so we expanded it.” Ghost kitchens have been one of the big trends of the pandemic, sometimes in odd ways, as hard-hit eateries like Chuck E. Cheese offer takeout as “Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings.”
TopCourse If you’ve played too much Topgolf, there’s a new local alternative in the Northland. The new T-Shotz offers cozy heated bays with food and drink service—in this case a raw bar stocked with chilled oysters, plus the expected pizza, burgers and wings—but has a different version of competitive driving range games. Golfers can virtually play famous courses from around the world from the comfort of the bays at the Metro North Crossing space.
state, St. Louis has the same number, while Denver is one point higher at eighty-three percent. On the coasts, though, the numbers are more grim. In Boston, only sixty-four percent of food and drink industry workers remain in the field while Miami and Portland, Oregon, are around seventy percent. The New York area is only at fifty-nine percent, meaning four in ten jobs in the nation’s largest restaurant scene are now expected to be gone for good.
Photos from respective venues Facebook pages/websites
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Partner in Wine Say hello to Kansas City’s first all-natural wine shop, Big Mood. BY N ATA L I E G A L L AG H E R
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been talking about natural wine for a hot minute. You’ve probably nodded along as they poured you a glass of some cloudy, pumpkin-hued liquid, exalting its funky aroma and barnyard taste. Days later, you find you can’t stop thinking about that oddly alluring bottle—and where you might find others like it. Enter Big Mood Natural Wines (2020 Baltimore Ave., Suite 102, bigmoodnaturalwines.com). This small Crossroads shop—owned and operated by friends Liz Zoeller, Jamie Zoeller and Richard Garcia— DID YOU K NOW ? is stocked exclusively with natural wines from Most wine isn’t vegan–common around the globe. practice uses “We wanted to have a protein-based place that focused solefining agents like gelatin and ly on natural wine and casein–but not have the convennatural wines tional stuff clogging the generally are. shelves,” Jamie Zoeller says. “We bring in wines from producers who are practicing sustainable, organic and biodynamic farming, treating their workers fairly and not using chemicals, pesticides, additives or sulfites in their wine.” These are the attributes that define a natural wine, more or less. There’s no legal definition for what’s considered “natural” and no industry regulations around the growing process. Even with so little to go on, natural wine represents an estimated one percent of all the wine in the world. Think of natural winemakers as bad boys meets hippies: These folks aim to produce a wine that is as close to nature as possible—and they’ll shirk all the well-established tricks of the trade to do it. Let’s not get hung up on those details: All you need to know about the wines at Big Mood is that they are delicious—and quite unlike anything you’re likely to find in the wine aisle at a big box liquor store.
Photography by Caleb Condit and Rebecca Norden
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Rack ’Em Up BBQ newcomer Fox and Fire is one to watch. BY N ATA L I E G A L L AG H E R
A N D Y F O X T O O K the long road to barbecue. He’d always enjoyed the back-
yard cookouts he threw with his brother, but his culinary ambitions didn’t stretch further than that—not at first. But the seeds of his business were there in his early noughties YouTube viewing habits, where he’d watch guys grilling caveman-sized steaks on Weber kettle grills. A job in pharmaceuticals frequently landed Fox in Texas, where the local barbecue scene called. He took to the Texas method of rubbing meat with just salt and pepper and cooking it low and slow over oak. This year, after six years of planning, Fox opened a truck called Fox and Fire.
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Once a week, on Saturdays from 4 to 8 pm, Fox slides open the window to his barbecue truck and greets the line of hungry followers who have been looking forward to this day. They queue up in the Northland’s Callsign Brewing parking lot, where the Fox and Fire truck is permanently parked, along with Fox’s smoker (a converted five hundred-gallon propane tank) and a cord of Missouri oak. Fox purchased his trailer in October 2019 and was slated to make his debut in March, but the coronavirus pandemic put his launch on hold. The grand opening was pushed back to July 11, and Fox prepared as much meat as his smoker could fit. Good thing: He sold out within two hours. The Saturday crowd is full of regulars, and each week, the line seems to get just a little bit longer. Fox’s ribs are in demand, and I get it: There is something about this hunky slab, with its shiny red glaze of honey and brown sugar and Fox’s own barbecue sauce, that awakens your inner philistine, calling you to bear down to the bone. I have never wished I had vampire fangs more. Also excellent: Fox’s cubed pork belly (his answer to burnt ends) braised with brown sugar and Dr. Pepper. Pork belly is never not good, but in Fox’s capable hands, these tender bites taste like a prayer answered. There is the homemade sausage, which Fox is prodigiously proud of—it’s a pork-beef blend flavored with a balanced mix of chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, clove and habanero-cheddar cheese. The pulled pork was juicy, full of flavor and completely self-assured. And then there is the brisket. “Brisket was probably the most frustrating thing for me to learn, but it was the one thing I wanted to conquer,” Fox says. “The first brisket I cooked was terrible. I started keeping a notebook cataloging how I would trim the brisket. That’s a big thing: It affects how it cooks.” Fox’s brisket is cooked at two hundred degrees for around thirteen hours. It’s done, he says, when he picks it up off the cooker and watches this hunk of meat fold over on itself. When he does finally slice into it, the tender cuts that end up on your plate are marvelous. At first, it appears more rock formation than meat. A dark, crusty ring encloses a top layer of pearly fat and brilliant red ochre lining that gives way to a tender and subdued sandstone center. Each bite is a harmony of fat, heat and smoke.
Photography by Zach Bauman
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Body Language Can Matter in the Family Court
In any court date in the family court, there are a lot of moving parts. For example, if there is a trial or evidentiary hearing, parties are often worried about the case itself. This might mean worrying about the witnesses who will be called, the evidence presented, and how the judge will rule. It also might involve the emotions and stress involved with having to be in court. For many, it took a long time to get a trial or court date. Even if it is not a trial date, but merely a motion date, pretrial or settlement conference, these court dates can be stressful. Stress can cause parties to become nervous, anxious or even frustrated. These feelings can sometimes bring out bad body language in the courtroom. The bad body language can culminate in frowning, being fidgety, slouching or even reacting negatively from a body language perspective based on what happens in court. Some parties may moan or gasp. Others might throw up their hands or fidget in their chairs. In some instances, parties might furiously pass notes to their
lawyers. Ultimately, the poor visuals can be damaging. The bad body language can come when an individual simply sees the other party in a contentious case. But the wrong body language can begin when the opposing lawyer is speaking, when a witness is testifying or something happens that they feel is bad for their case. Worse yet, it can come when the judge says something or announces a ruling from the bench. Bad body language can damage a case. Judges have lots of discretion in divorce or family court cases in terms of what they do. Often, judges are weighing the credibility of witnesses not only based on what they say, but what they can see. If the family court judge sees body language they do not like, it can be damaging. Ultimately, parties need to be careful that they are in control of their body language. They have to understand that this can make a difference. Some useful tips include remaining stone-faced at all times. No matter what happens in a courtroom, most parties should not react to it in any way. Sitting in a chair with good posture can help. It can project confidence and a sense of calm. Even with the stress of these court dates, parties have to go to their happy place emotionally. It might mean meditating or praying for peace. It might mean engaging in breathing techniques or trying to focus on something. Whatever helps a
person display a positive demeanor, they should employ. Parties have to avoid showing their anger, anxiety and frustration as best as possible. To the extent they are getting emotional, talking to their attorney in a private room to express their concerns can help. It might mean taking a walk or going to the water fountain or restroom when emotions are building up. But when a party is in the courtroom, they should realize that everything they do can impact the case. Bad body language can even impact the ability to settle the case. If the opposing party and lawyer can see that a party is becoming unglued, some may decide not to settle because they might believe that the other party will not make a good impression. Stange Law Firm, PC limits their practice to family law matters including divorce, child custody, child support, paternity, guardianship, adoption, mediation, collaborative law and other domestic relation matters. Stange Law Firm, PC gives clients 24/7 access to their case through a secured online case tracker found on the website. They also give their clients their cell phone numbers. Call for a consultation today at 855-805-0595.
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WWW.STANGELAWFIRM.COM The choice of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisements. Kirk Stange is responsible for the content. Principal place of business 120 South Central Ave, Suite 450, Clayton, MO 63105. Neither the Supreme Court of Missouri/Kansas nor The Missouri/Kansas Bar reviews or approves certifying organizations or specialist designations. Court rules do not permit us to advertise that we specialize in a particular field or area of law. The areas of law mentioned in this advertisement are our areas of interest and generally are the types of cases which we are involved. It is not intended to suggest specialization in any areas of law which are mentioned The information you obtain in this advertisement is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results afford no guarantee of future results and every case is different and must be judged on its merits.
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The end of the thread for Kansas City’s once-bustling Garment District
ight around the turn of the twentieth century, there were a lot of small shops, dressmakers and tailors, run by immigrants from the various European countries, in the Garment District—from Sixth Street to 11th Street north and south between Washington and Wyandotte. They set themselves up downtown close to the wholesale district, which was why that area was chosen. It really took off after World War I. The twenties were a really good time for the district. A lot of companies came into existence. The District itself was the largest employer of women in the Kansas City metro area, and it was the second largest employer in the city. It was huge in terms of the number of people it employed. In its heyday it had over a thousand employees. Its claim to fame is that they did something called ‘piecemeal.’ It was called the sectional system. The whole garment wouldn’t be done by one person. One person would just do sleeves, or one person would just do
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zippers or buttons. It became something that the Kansas City Garment District was known for. Each worker was assigned to make only one part of a garment over and over, and this just streamlined production. World War II provided a lot of military contracts, so a lot of them kept busy. Then the post-war years were kind of their peak. In the mid-sixties going into the seventies, you started seeing a lot more overseas work and a lot of work being taken out of the country, so you started seeing some companies going out of business. Downtown at the time was experiencing a lot of retail businesses leaving, either closing down or moving out of the area. So probably by the early eighties there were a few companies still in the district. By the middle of the eighties they were all gone.” — Denise Morrison, director of collections and curatorial services at Kansas City Museum, as told to Lauren Underwood
Coronet Coat Mfg. Co., Poindexter Building at 801 Broadway, which housed several companies on different floors.
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