West Bottoms

The ever growing antique market in this area of town is lovely - absolutely lovely - HOWEVER, there are some very 'proud' store owners. Walking through yesterday, we found two small antique garden pots filled with moss... for $1,300. Yes, that's correct... NOT $13. NOT EVEN $130... One thousand, three hundred dollars. Ridiculously overpriced.Food trucks seem to be a big hit in the bottoms... seems like a great idea... unfortunately, those vendors who have little muffin shops / coffee shops inside the buildings seem to make unnecessary comments directed at those food trucks for being competition. Makes a consumer quite uncomfortable.First Fridays is such a fun event in KCMO - even in the WBs... even better that they are open through the month of December.... would love to see them become more consistent with their business hours!Love that this part of town is being kept alive - if they are taping into the full potential yet, that is up for debate. Nonetheless, we'll keep supporting and hope to see it grow to its best!

Although it's come a long way it has a long way to go. Parking is still a hassle. Finding shops is confusing. Lack of proper signage is lacking. ALL that being said, I still believe this area has so much potential. Visiting on a first Saturday in the winter, there is still quite a crowd draw. If you are ambitious and adventurous you will enjoy exploring and seeking out the different shops.

While all the potential in the world lies within the West Bottoms, I'm not as sold on this area as many other Kansas Citians. First off, the potential. There are the ever-growing antique markets on the first weekends of the month that have a lot of momentum. There is a smattering of new spots in the south end by the ghost of Kemper that I like such as Stockyards Brewing and the West Bottoms Kitchen. There's also the obvious proximity to downtown KC although it somehow feels much further from it than your Map app would tell you. (Side note: I loved Kemper growing up. Blades games, Hawks winning the National Title there, American Royal, Big 12 Tourney... but man is it rough inside and out now. I don't know what they'll do with it but I'm assuming it's coming down sooner than later).I guess for an area like this I just need to see more. There's nothing that connects the north and south ends of the Bottoms, it's just a dodgy stretch of road, sans sidewalks, that I wouldn't recommend trying to walk to and from. Even with the popular antique markets, it's still a damn mess down there on the weekends. You get to park like a troll underneath a bridge in a gravelly, glass filled lot and now they they have the audacity to charge people for it. Part of the area feels like pedestrian only but cars creep through unsuspecting people. Alright I'll wrap this up with a quick four point plan on how to keep the momentum rolling down here and make it better:1) Pave the dusty, broken gravel lots around the antique markets. It won't rob the charm of the area, I promise.2) Create and enforce a pedestrian-only area during the first weekends when everyone is there.3) Subsidize the barren north-south area in between Kemper for artist spaces.4) Do something, anything with Kemper and avoid the mess of the American Royal in the process.

I have a strange fascination with the West Bottoms district. I'm surprised no one has reviewed the district as a whole. I realize the most blatant businesses, the seasonal haunted houses occupy this often uncharted area, but there's so much more.During the day (the foggier, the better), take a walk throughout this area. Lavish in the weird mixed up toons that you can't psychically hear, but if you listen for the echo, coming from both the jazz and bars that used to occupy this area in the early Kansas City era, and the stockyards and even railroads, still used. Look at that one doorway, or archway, the cracked stained glass or brick designed into the buildings on purpose, still standing and built in the early 1900's. There is also a small, if not minute homeless population in this area, but it's for them as well. It is amazing for photography, and chances are, you'll see photographers out, walking around with their DSLR's photographing old dilapidated structures. Knowing that, something happened here, you can sense it in the air. It's partially empty, but partially alive. It's vague and quiet and still but a sliver of life is in this area. Maybe that is cause it used to be.As for the shops, there are some. Good JUJU is one of the few. But as for the area, as uncharted, it's there. Once you walk around there with a couple of friends, on a foggy Saturday afternoon, you'll get it, and know, this is what Kansas City used to be about.

First Fridays in the West Bottoms is a must! Every First Friday weekend, (first Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the month) tons of antique stores open up in the old industrial buildings. Food trucks line the streets and most of the stores have a little cafe inside, so spend the day shopping! You literally will spend hours there because there is so much to see! I make sure every month I have First Friday weekends off so that I can go to the West Bottom antiques. Most of the stores only open during First Fridays; stores like Bella Patina, Good JuJu, and Top Hat are some of my favs along with the Painted Sofa that is open every weekend. I have bought soap, an old pulley, clothes, shoes and an old door in West Bottoms. The stores literally have everything!

I love, Love and LOVE these markets. Multiple antique vendors sell their finest! I was flying home next day but I couldn't resist buying some stuff! The price is very affordable as well. Wish we have the area with the same concept and atmosphere in my area!

I'm told that every first Friday weekend in the West Bottoms (Fri.-Sun.), a historic district comes alive and is home to antiques and boutiques which are open late. We weren't so fortunate to be there on those days however but still managed a couple of trips to this industrial district.I'm an amateur shutter-bug and places like this intrigue me. The empty streets, abandoned buildings, railroad tracks and rawness appeals to me and the fact that this was the heart and soul of Kansas City back in the day feeds my desire to learn about the history of this beautiful city. We came late in the afternoon and just walked the streets. A few shops were open but the majority of them were closed. Best way I can describe the place is it's pretty-ugly. Not everyone can appreciate the beauty in worn out, dilapidated buildings. I loved it! Stockyard warehouses with the broken glass windows, fire escapes that precariously dangle on the sides of buildings, thistle laden lots, the painted signs on the sides of brick walls - everything was a photo op. My biggest faux-pas? I didn't pack my "good" camera and it was amusing to walk around fairly unplugged with only an i-phone to shoot with (and to top it off, my storage was full LOL!!). I guess that was a sign from the universe allowing me to experience the West Bottoms. Some blocks of the Bottoms was so quiet it was eerie! I could sense something or someone watching from above or somewhere. Loved it all! Beautiful and would certainly come back again. We saw a few homeless people walking around with their shopping carts but overall, felt safe. I would hate to see this place excessively commercialized and I'm so happy to see that tenants are filling the empty warehouses and embracing KC's historical past and merging it with the new.

Antique mecca, lunch, brunch, dinner, divey bars with live music, American Royal Arena, BBQ, first Saturdays with food trucks, shopping for vintage and modern, Rodeos, and famous haunted houses. All of this is not available all the time but when it is it's EPIC. West Bottoms is soooo old. Photo ops abound. Streets here can rival any maze, built during a time when Fords weren't lining the roads, people walked or train rides to work. Proper city street planning thrown to the wind for an anything goes, where ever your bricks will fit . Ok that was a little snarky but said in love. The train rails still there along with pot holes make it seem left to it's own devices. Parking often is anywhere you can find a spot not labeled "NO PUBLIC PARKING". Scattered Empty lots fill this parking need and a couple alongside the buildings. First Saturdays get there early or be prepared to walk a bit.History buffs geek out here, at one point this was the heart beat of Kansas City. Most of the buildings left to weather time, some updated but it's history still creeks through. Recently some new development has taken place, apartments, offices maybe even the arena rumors could be true and in the future be unrecognizable. For now it's rich history is pretty much left intact, well maybe a few shots of architectural Botox. I would like to think that what it has become does a damn fine job of honoring it's legendary past. Truth be said I think the best is yet to come.

The West Bottoms has never seen a dull moment. It has survived 2 great floods... not to mention an array of nefarious activities throughout the last century or two. Once the stomping ground of livestock and a place where one could find many a speakeasy (and easy women?) the West Bottoms soon became the land of abandoned warehouses and you know what this means... artists' lofts! BUT without the complete gentrification (yet?) that often comes with.Although the miasma of lawlessness, desolation and spookiness may still seem to be lurking at every turn, it's probably just because of the huge haunted houses. I jest. There's just so much more to the Bottoms. Personally, I'd rather wander around the deserted streets, immerse myself in one of several antique malls (best I've seen in the country) or sip a cocktail at R Bar, but hey, there sure is something for everyone here (breakfast at Genessee Royale, anyone?) The perfect backdrop for Yelp Kansas City's Halloween bash, Chiller Theatre at Foundation (another unique and spectacular business in this district, it holds all kinds of events AND it's a showroom for architectural salvage and antiques. I mean... really). So the deserted vibe slowly but surely gives way to unbridled excitement for what is next. I just know that one day I'll return to KC and find this area has exploded and I can't wait.

This is a great place to shop antiques and crafts in old warehouses. Only open the first weekend of each month. Tons of things and very reasonably priced. Cute Halloween and Christmas items! Outdoor food vendors are available to eat and shop. Get there early to get a good parking spot!