Treasure Hunting in the KC West Bottoms

The Kansas City West Bottoms has become an antiquing mecca.  A few years ago my friend Alicia told me about a place called Good JuJu where you could buy refurbished furniture at great prices.  I immediately fell in love with Good JuJu and all of its unique treasures.  I felt like I’d struck gold! Treasure hunting in the KC West Bottoms can be a bit overwhelming at first especially since people are lined up outside the doors before they even open.

I quickly discovered other antique stores that were opened within walking distance from Good JuJu.   My friend Kristine told me about Restoration Emporium (RE).  I was able to check it out this past weekend and it’s one of my favorite stores. I love this rustic headboard with lanterns attached to it.  It would be adorable in a cowboy or cowgirl’s bedroom.

I also love this rustic wood table.  I took a picture of the tablescape because I want to recreate it for summer entertaining.  I love the simplicity of using potted plants, old books, mason jars and my current favorite thing, burlap.

Another one of my favorite stores is Bella Patina. I love this book page wall and the unique way a photographer advertises her services by placing wedding photos on the covers of old books. There are three floors to Bella Patina and a little cafe is located at the top where you can stop to have a quick bite to eat. You will want to refuel if you plan to spend the day treasure hunting.  Bella Patina also sells lots of locally handmade goods.

I’ve updated this post since I wrote it back in 2013 due to the number of new stores I’ve discovered.  Things are constantly changing so keep in mind you probably won’t find some of the items I’ve featured. I was at the West Bottoms in October of 2015 and there were tons of unique finds for Halloween.  The fall is my favorite time of year to go treasuring hunting and Top Hat Mercantile is a great place to check out. In the spring I’m clearing out and in the fall I’m a gatherer.

I’m in awe of the creativity and love the repurposing of items found at the many stores in the West Bottoms of Kansas City.   The downside is they are only open the first weekend of every month.  If you click on the names of the places I’ve featured it will take you to their website or facebook page for more information.  Happy Treasure Hunting!

In a past post I wrote about a store called Charm which used to be part of Bella Patina.  They have relocated to Martin City.  You can read about theme here.