Kansas City shop owners started out selling clothes. Now they’re slinging drinks
Three hand-painted signs line the ceiling inside Gnarly Hussle:
“Drink Responsibly.”
“Shop Recklessly.”
“Is this heaven? No, it’s Raytown.”
That about sums it up. Owners Pat Clifton and Alex Quinn opened their vintage shop at 6317 Raytown Road in 2021, growing it from a two-man picking operation to a space that sells clothing and accessories from 13 different vendors.
As of last week, Gnarly Hussle is also a bar. Clifton and Quinn have taken over a garage connected to their store, hauled in a bunch of thrifted furniture and are serving beer and wine five days a week.
“Retail in general is getting more experiential,” Clifton said. “We thought we’d try to put our own spin on that.”
Behind the bar is a vintage Pepsi vending machine stocked with Hamm’s, Guinness, Busch NA, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Quirk Raspberry Rocket Pops. Six wines are available by the glass or bottle, including Honoro Vera Garnacha($7/$23) and a Kind Stranger Rose ($11/$33).
The decor includes an old church pew, booths salvaged from Unity Village (“I guess they had a cafe in there for a while,” Quinn said) and a vintage sign from the former Fox’s Drug Store, just up the street.
The idea is to make the space a community hub for Raytown, Clifton and Quinn said. They’re planning to host Chiefs watch parties, potlucks, comedy shows, trivia nights and live music.
For now, hours at the bar are the same as the shop: noon to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.
