Business
New Downtown Hampton Features Balconies, Streetcar-Savvy Starbucks
By Kevin Collison The new Hampton by Hilton opening soon on the northeast corner of 16th and Main already has booked a high-profile guest, a full-service Starbucks by the streetcar station. The $25 million, 132-room hotel is expected to open later this month or early April. The South Carolina developer had hoped to have it…
Ambassador Hotel Opens Addition in Time for Big 12 Tournament
By Kevin Collison The Ambassador Hotel Kansas City at 1111 Grand is opening its $14.9 million addition today, just in time to welcome fans attending the Big 12 Men’s Tournament. The nine-story tower is adding 70 rooms to the 43-room boutique hotel that opened in the historic Gate City National Bank Building in 2012. Paul…
Two Very Different Downtown Retailers on Main Street Close
Two very different downtown retailers on Main Street, one a national chain, the other a homegrown pastry shop, have closed their doors. The JoS. A. Banks clothing store at 1320 Main, one of the earliest tenants in the Power & Light District, closed in mid-February. Brioche Pastry Shop at 2000 Main closed this week. Attempts…
Convivial Promises Namesake Vibe at New Shop in Former YJ’s Space
By Kevin Collison Chentell Shannon wants to keep the friendly, lively, enjoyable–in a word–“convivial” vibe of the former YJ’s Crossroads space when she opens her shop there May 1. After all, Convivial is the name and spirit of the ceramics design and manufacturing firm she started in 2014. Right now, it’s producing handmade products from…
Visit KC Reports Big Uptick in Bookings at Bartle Hall
By Kevin Collison Bookings at Bartle Hall are up 56 percent from the previous year, an encouraging trend as downtown prepares to check in more than 2,400 new hotel rooms over the next couple years. At its annual Tourism Outlook 2019 meeting last week, Visit KC’s new president and CEO Jason Fulvi estimated the 295…
Looking Ahead to Medical Marijuana, Clinic Opens In River Market
By Alex Smith Medical marijuana is not yet available for purchase in Missouri, but patients may be able to jump start the process and get it with the help of a newly opened clinic. The Green Clinic opened for business this week in a fourth floor loft at 415 Delaware in the River Market, with…
Porter Teleo Designs for the World from East Crossroads
By Kevin Collison Porter Teleo, an international wallpaper and fabric design firm, got its start 15 years ago when two dynamic women met for coffee at the former “Andrew Drips” on the Westside. “We had common interests in art and design, and we were both willing to work like dogs,” Kelly Porter recalled. “We weren’t…
RE Relocates to Westside
By Kevin Collison RE aka Restoration Emporium has relocated from the West Bottoms to 1717 Washington St. opening a combination retail and workshop for its home furnishings and decor operation. Josh Huff said the family business had to leave its home of several years in the Bottoms at 1300 Liberty after the building was sold….
East Crossroads Record Shops Play Well Together
By Brian McTavish It was summer 2015 when Josey Records, a small Dallas-based chain, and tiny indie Revolution Records opened almost around the corner from one another in the East Crossroads. Scratching for then-scarce foot traffic, either record store might have viewed the other as an enemy to be ignored or outright vanquished in the…
Sequence Climb Draws Swinging Crowd to Crossroads Opening
By Kevin Collison Sequence Climb threw a grand opening party last weekend that drew almost 500 people to cling and swing over its 10,000 square-feet of climbing surfaces. “The community has rallied around us and we’ve made a ton of good friends,” said co-owner Graham Hess. “There’s been a huge outpouring of support from a…