Six new shops in Crossroads and beyond to visit on First Friday

KC Wineworks will debut in the Crossroads on First Friday.

The owners chose the location specifically because of their neighbors.

“It is truly the most vibrant place in Kansas City,” said Lindsay Clausen, manager of the retail shop and tasting room. “We picked the Crossroads because we felt like this was a place we could collaborate with other craft makers. So not only on the food side — Christopher Elbow chocolates and that kind of thing — but inspiration from other artists. Wine is poetry in a bottle.”

First Friday — when art galleries hold receptions the first Friday of the month — is expanding as more retailers are opening in the Crossroads, as well as the West Bottoms and Martini Corner areas.

Here’s a list of new places to try:

▪ KC Wineworks, East Crossroads, 1829 McGee St., will specialize in wine from locally sourced grapes. The south half of the building will be for retail sales and wine tastings, while the north half will be an event space. The winery will be in the back.

More than a dozen years ago, Robert Lowery and his wife, Jeanne Hunt, started a vineyard in Lowery’s family homestead in Macon, Mo. They sold their grapes to other area wineries, but their son, James Lowery, talked them into opening their own winery. James Lowery and Clausen got married Oct. 22.

Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday (except for First Fridays, when it is open 5-9 p.m.) and noon-6 p.m. Saturday.

▪ KC Conjure Shop, East Crossroads, “purveyors of providence and good luck,” recently relocated from Westport to 1620 Locust St., Suite 400.

Owner Julie Valdivia, a mambo, or high priest, in the Vodou religion, said her original partner talked her into opening the shop in March 2013, but he later moved away.

“People think we are devil worshippers, and we are not,” Valdivia said. “So opening a store would have been me coming out, and I thought I might be attacked all the time, here in the Bible belt. But people have really embraced it. It is about community and healing.”

The shop offers spiritual oils, statues, herbs, incense, evil eye jewelry, books on folk magic and more.

Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. On First Fridays, it is open until 10 p.m. or later and will show black-and-white films on a giant screen in the parking lot.

▪ Locus Fragrance Studio, East Crossroads, 1620 Locust St., Suite 500, is a custom perfumery offering an array of scents, both masculine and feminine, mixed in-house by hand. Products are available as a personal fragrance and also in other complementary products like candles, lotions and bars of soap.

Hours: 1-8 p.m. Friday, noon-6 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday.

Owner Sara Bjorgaard also will meet customers by appointment Monday through Thursday for custom blending.

▪ Sandlot Goods, a handcrafted leather goods manufacturer, has relocated to 504 E. 18th St. and opened a showroom.

Chad Hickman, Katy Bird and Neil Ryan started the company in the East Crossroads in late 2013. Now customers can see the employees at their machines and purchase the company’s products, including coasters, key fob rings, wallets, mouse pads, handbags, totes, laptop cases, belts, journals, iPad sleeves and Made in KC T-shirts.

Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday (but it plans to expand its hours soon). On First Fridays, it is open until 9 p.m.

“We just like the vibe of all this new stuff moving here. We have a great landlord and reasonable rents,” Hickman said.

▪ True Style Glass Gallery and Studio, east of Martini Corner at 805 E. 31st St., is a new glass gallery and studio featuring local and regional glass artists, as well as paintings, photography, jewelry and sculpture. It has studio space and offers weekly classes.

Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. From 7 p.m. to midnight Friday, it will have glassblowing demonstrations and a featured artist.

“I want it to be the type of gallery that will give the underdog a show, the up-and-coming artists and especially the glass artists,” said owner Tyler Crane.

▪ Blip Roasters, which had a devastating fire in February, has relocated to 1101 Mulberry St. and will have a soft opening for retail sales from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It hopes to reopen full time in the spot later next week.

Blip Roasters opened at 1331 St. Louis Ave. in late 2014.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 6:16 PM with the headline "Six new shops in Crossroads and beyond to visit on First Friday."