Chappell Roan concerts. Swift release. Pop culture collision boon for KC bakeries
Kansas City has become the epicenter of a delicious pop culture collision, where the immense, overlapping fandoms of Grammy-winning singer Chappell Roan and superstar Taylor Swift are reshaping local business—one iced cookie at a time.
As fans prepare for Roan’s two sold-out concerts at the National WWI Museum and Memorial and the buzz around Swift’s new album, local bakeries are rapidly pivoting their business models to meet the explosive demand for elaborate, themed desserts. Businesses like McLain’s Bakery and Dolce Bakery are creating entire collections of specialty cookies, cakes, and a few drinks designed specifically for concert pre-parties, listening parties, and fan celebrations.
The excitement is city-wide. The KC Streetcar is now rolling through the city bedecked in a vibrant Chappell Roan-themed wrap and has been dubbed the “Pink Pony Express.” McLain’s Bakery, a staple in Kansas City since 1945, is capitalizing on the excitement with a dedicated “Showgirl Menu” Taylor Swift + Chappell Roan, it’s a femininomenon,” featuring hand made Chappell Roan-themed cookies and “Midwest Princess” cakes, designed in house, for both Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan.
There was a festive atmosphere among the decorators amid the buzz of cakes being decorated and cookies being iced at McLain’s, 701 E. Gregory Blvd., where many arrived before 5 a.m. to handle the extra work of filling orders for the six McLain’s locations.
“Our decorators are a team of extremely collaborative artists, “ said Cassidy Garr, director of sales growth+marketing at McLain’s Bakery. “They work together, they bounce ideas off of each other, whatever they’re inspired by, they work together to come up with these designs,” she said.
“This is a very, very fun project for them to take on and collaborate together.” Garr said many of the bakery’s staff will be attending the Roan concert. With the surge in business, Garr commented, “It’s like a holiday around here.”
The Dolce Bakery pivot
This pop culture surge has led to a significant increase in business for Erin Brown, owner of Dolce Bakery in the Shops of Prairie Village. Brown, who admitted she hadn’t heard of Chappell Roan a few months ago, was quickly brought up to speed by her staff, recalling her creative director’s rallying cry after the two local concerts were announced, “We need to do this for Chappell Roan.”
The resulting custom collection features vibrant, cream-cheese iced cookies and cakes designed and made in-house that capture the singer’s flamboyant “Pink Pony” and “Midwest Princess” aesthetic.
“We are here to bring sweetness and joy and this is just more of it. More celebrations, more customers, more fun,” said Brown. “These sugar cookies are going wild. We’re making thousands every week and my team is having a blast with it. And our customers are loving it.”
Dolce’s ability to adapt swiftly is key.
The bakery already maintains a “Swiftie Collection” that changes frequently to reflect the shifting news and events in Taylor Swift’s orbit. To handle the combined volume from the Chappell Roan concerts and the buzz surrounding Swift’s new album release, The Life of a Showgirl, the entire Dolce staff is mobilized.
“Everyone’s a cookie decorator this week—cookie baker, cookie decorator and cookie packager.” The bakery is preparing to sell several thousand cookies this week alone.
A festive atmosphere greeted customers at Dolce on Friday as they waited in line to choose from a wide variety of themed cookies and cakes, and snapped selfies with a giant balloon arch — half in Swiftie style, half in Chappell Roan colors.
Shirley Johnson of Olathe brought her 4-year-old granddaughter, Margot Wheeler, to pick out a dozen cookies, planning to enjoy them by the pool after taking photos with the arch.
Kelly Love, of Overland Park, a devoted Swiftie, visited with her one-week-old daughter, Celia, and said she was picking up cookies for a listening party to celebrate the release of Swift’s new album.
Honoring the Midwest Princess
The custom desserts, many made with bright pink and red frosting, pay tribute to the Missouri-born artist known for her vibrant, theatrical persona, influenced by drag, and her distinctive 1980s synth-pop sound.
Roan, whose real name is Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, has won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and risen to fame following the success of her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” becoming a celebrated queer entertainer with songs like “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Pink Pony Club.”
McLain’s Bakery also crafted and gifted a one-of-a-kind Chappell Roan cake inspired by the “beautiful Chappell Roan mural” painted this week by Jared Horman and Beauty From Light. The mural adorns on a building facing the parking lot of Hamburger Mary’s, 3700 Broadway Blvd.
The cake, featuring long strands of icing to mimic the singer’s flowing locks, was showcased in photos shared by the bakery on Facebook and Threads, and was presented to the artists.
Back at McLain’s, customers are encouraged to call ahead to check on the availability of the sweet treats this weekend. Garr said that while pre-orders have closed, items should still be available for walk-in customers. “Ten years ago, I never imagined we’d be doing this, but today, it’s truly exciting to embrace pop culture with our desserts.”
“We’re just so excited to be here,” said Brown. “We’re about to celebrate 18 years in business, but it’s so fun to be adding the spark and the sprinkles and the glitter that we put on these cookies.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.