If you like antiques, history and good drinks, the West Bottoms are for you. Nestled between downtown KC and the intersection of the MO and KS Rivers, the West Bottoms put Kansas City on the map. From the 1870’s thru the 1950’s, the area was predominantly Stockyards, second in size only to Chicago. However, after a big flood in the 50’s, the Stockyards never fully recovered and the area began to decline. Nowadays, and particularly in the last 10 years, it has seen something of a rebirth. The once-abandoned warehouses are now full of everything from antiques to painters to coffee roasters. On First Friday weekends, it comes to life with antique-hunters and food trucks. For those of you KC locals who may still see the West Bottoms as abandoned or even dangerous…it’s time to come back down and see the changes for yourself.
The mad, crazy, insane flea market
Put a little funk in your antiquing here. In addition to a solid rotation of antiques, they converted the building’s old cash vault into a black light room and carry a nice vinyl collection. DJ Thundercutz spins retro soul on First Saturdays, and they have a cool little shop-within-the-shop for Into the Wood KC who make beautiful furniture and wood things. I never seem to leave here without buying something.
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