Joyce Smith
Recent Articles by Joyce Smith
Don’t be a stranger: When this Crossroads refuge closes, another chapter begins for Afterword (and the space it leaves behind)
With two more Open Mic Nights and more than a month left on its lease at Afterword Tavern & Shelves — a cozy corner hotspot where patrons leisurely bond over drinks and good reads — the popular Crossroads third-space isn’t finished telling its story despite losing the space to its new landlord, said Kate Hall….
A romantic hideaway (for you and a book): Entrepreneur’s heart for reading opens store on Independence Square
America Fontenot didn’t plan to launch her new Independence bookstore on national Small Business Saturday — the busiest shopping weekend of the year — but renovation delays just kept pushing back the opening, she said. So while many small shops were offering Black Friday-adjacent deals to get customers in the front door, Fontenot’s The Littlest…
From the pitch to the Plaza: KC Current flipping the switch on new retail shop in iconic shopping district
Add team gear to the holiday shopping list this weekend. The Kansas City Current is kicking off a new permanent retail shop on the Country Club Plaza — just in time for the 2025 Plaza Lighting Ceremony. The Current Shop is set to open Wednesday, Nov. 26, in the former Starbucks building at 302 Nichols…
Peek inside: Buffalo State Pizza takes another slice of ownership with fresh-baked downtown OP relocation
Three decades of pizza at a popular downtown Overland Park corner might have come to a close this week, as the crew at Buffalo State Pizza Co. picked up the last of what they could carry and walked it a half block down the street to the shop’s new home near another local favorite, The…
Swifties made her work famous; Now this KC maker has opened a fourth retail shop
Sales jumped after Taylor Swift was seen wearing one of EB and Co.’s rings at a key moment in the popstar’s high-profile romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The jolt of exposure helped propel the brand’s expansion — most recently the opening of a fourth shop in downtown Lee’s Summit. “This location was requested…
André’s planted its flag in KC 70 years ago; chocolatier says that’s just a taste of what’s to come
Nearly 5,000 miles from Switzerland, a small group toured the inner sanctum of an iconic 70-year-old Kansas City company — a family-run brand that helped redefine accessible luxury in the Midwest, one Swiss chocolate-covered almond at a time. “What people get excited about André’s is the legacy, that we take a lot of pride in…
If this Cosmo Burger cousin seems like Topgolf with darts, that’s the (steel-tipped) point
Arrow Dart Club sinks into Crossroads with 10 throwing lanes, elevated Kansas City culinary team A new, multi-level Crossroads entertainment venue combines the nostalgia of basement darts with tech-driven scoring, elevated eats, and a subterranean wine bar. It’s an experience that feels familiar, but hits a whole new target, said owners Atit and Jugal Patel….
Fresh in the tin: Crossroads cafe targets TikTok generation for laid-back canned seafood cuisine
A new venue specializing in “sangria, tins and snacks” pairs viral tastes with inspiration from a classic culinary voice, said longtime Kansas City restaurateur Shawn McClenny, whose Crossroads “taverna” is expected to open by mid-November. “It will be more of a Spanish cafe, very informal, no reservations,” said McClenny, describing the future Lilico’s Taverna slated…
Annie Austen’s newest store opens, building around ‘an actual human being’ and her gut instincts
That glow within downtown Overland Park isn’t just coming from the freshly stocked shelves at the new Annie Austen storefront; it’s yet another product of the pandemic-pivot entrepreneur’s contagious positivity — lightening the mood just steps away from a massive farmers market overhaul. “There really aren’t any safe options in life. Sometimes the rug gets…
Roo-Up with pulled pork or bite into Big Salvy: Ding Dong Dogs debuts at KC Streetcar’s mouthwatering last stop
Matt McLain longed for the hot dogs he grew up eating as a young baseball fan in Chicago. His just-off-the-roller, quick-serve hot dog restaurant near UMKC and the extended KC Streetcar line squirts a dinger of nostalgia in an emerging destination known for elevated fare. It’s an opportunity McLain relishes, the Ding Dong Dogs owner…