Although I may be in Chicago now, that doesn’t mean I can’t share some spots to check out in different KC areas with my “neighborhood scouts.” Today we’re exploring North Kansas City, otherwise known as “Northtowne” or “NKC.” A quaint area between Downtown Kansas City and “up north” to the Northland, where you’ll reach the north part of Kansas City proper and sub-cities like Gladstone, Oakview and so on.
I find the NKC is a unique area. It’s not quite “city” and not quite “suburb” to me. It’s a tiny bit of both with a splash of industrial feels and small local town thrown into the mix. There’s a main strip of original buildings where shops, restaurants and the movie theatre are (Armour Road), where you can also find some lofts and event spaces in the area. Surrounding that, are more apartments and one way streets filled with adorable homes, the very large Macken Park, high school campus and other businesses.
You get a great view just on the other side of the river of downtown, and if you’re taking the Heart of America bridge into the city, you get a nice flat cruise to take it all in.
So, if you’re making your way up north in KC, I suggest stopping by these couple of local spots. They are definitely worth it.
Tyler Kingston
Oh man. This spot is one of my absolute favorite’s throughout the metro. You seriously won’t find any other place like it, nor will you find what they carry anywhere else either. And no, the items don’t cost an arm and a leg!
Inside Tyler Kingston (named after their two sons’ middle names), you walk in and take in a mass amount of open space. Filled with a more southern, not country, charm. Furniture, home decor, apothecary, clothing and more. There’s something for anyone and everyone inside. Both Mitch and I want to pack the entire store into our car each time we go in.
There’s always something new, but you can always expect your classics too – like large vintage area rugs, “Made in the Midwest” tees, letter boards and there’s bound to be a cactus print on something, somewhere.
The owners, Jess and Ryan, are the absolute nicest people too, by the way. I’m pretty sure they remembered Mitch and I after us meeting them only once. That’s midwest hospitality, folks! 😉 You can tell that everything within the storefront is carefully chosen to be housed within their walls. You see and feel the labor of love they put into the store and all of the items that they choose to carry – always on trend (but not trendy) and always stretching to bring things that you won’t find elsewhere around town. Oh, and did I mention they also make furniture out of reclaimed wood? #perfect
Our household has gathered quite the collection of items from Tyler Kingston. From blankets, throw pillows and hand towels to little knick knack home decor pieces, air plants and posters…even a classy “waste bin” for our bedroom!
I highly recommend you stop in and say, “hi,” roam the floors and I DARE you not to fall in love with everything and want to take it all home. If you did, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind. 😉
Colony KC
Walk a few store fronts down the street and you’ll find Colony KC – a fun coffee shop/beer + bar concept that has ping pong, an event space and trivia. Colony is a brewery, coffeeshop, kitchen and venue all wrapped into one cool package.
Being a small local business themselves, they are passionate about supporting local too. There’s a mix of Kansas City local items on the menu such as coffee (with others to choose from too), tea, kombucha, liquor and their own handcrafted ales as well (with other options too).
The space offers a variety besides their menu. With board games on their shelves to play, ping pong in the middle of the shop, couches by the window and trivia nights, this place is sure the a good bet for anyone in the fam.
I love the look and feel of this place too. The wood tables and cement floors gives me melted emotions of homey and cool, hipster-esque vibes. The entire shop is very spacious too. On one end you could have quite the spread to get some work done at a coffee shop, while on the other end of the place you could be having a great time with some friends at the bar. And in between, you might find some families or friends catching up over games.
I know there is so much more to Northtowne, but these are two must stops on my list any time NKC is even somewhat “on the way” to where we may be going.
Although I didn’t get the chance to make it in, I must also mention Velo Garage – a bike + brews shop. Come in with your bicycle to stop for a cold one, get some new gear and even a repair or two. It’s a unique concept and started out of VW Wagon. This is on my list of places to check out, even if I’m not biker. 🙂
What local places do you absolutely love in North Kansas City?