When Maggie Haring and her mother, Ann, punched the address of a Kansas City antique store into their GPS last summer, they didn't expect what they found at their destination.
"We got there and we saw a bunch of food trucks and stores, and we were instantly amazed," said Haring of Columbia. "We found a map at one of the stores we first went to and quickly realized there were a lot more places for us to check out."
The Harings had stumbled upon the Kansas City West Bottoms Antique Market, a popular weekend event held monthly in the historic Kansas City West Bottoms area.
"Our intention was to just visit one place we had heard about, but we ended up spending the whole day exploring the market. It was amazing how everywhere we went, each place was decorated so nicely. It was really inspiring and gave us so many ideas for decorating our own places," Haring said.
It is no wonder they spent the whole day at the market. With several stores lining the streets, each with multiple floors filled with antiques, collectibles, retro and vintage finds, visitors would have no problem spending an entire weekend hunting for the perfect items.
Each store has its own style. Marquee letters of all sizes, bookcases, beds, hutches and buffets from wall to wall, all holding a variety of items from handmade signs to vintage lamps - there is no limit to what shoppers may find at the market, which is what keeps one Jefferson City local, Jami Wade, coming back.
"The sheer number of vendors makes the West Bottoms such a desirable destination place for people interested in antiquing or junking. One-stop shopping at its best," said Wade, who owns Capitol City Cork and Provisions in downtown Jefferson City.
"It is the best way to get in the mood for decorating my shop for the holidays. They stage beautifully for the holidays and have wonderful vintage items available for the DIY decorator," she added.
Nick Allen, owner of West Bottoms store Bella Patina, says shoppers can expect the unexpected when visiting the market.
"We've had all ends of the spectrum in terms of vintage antiques, even medical stuff - a surgeon table from the 1920s that is absolutely terrifying. But I'd have to say what excites me the most are things that are historical to the KC area," Allen said. "We have some doors in our store that were originally from the Kansas City Police Department booking station. They're from the same time period that Ernest Hemingway was booked in Kansas City, so I like to think that he walked through the door that we walk through all the time."
Not only is the merchandise appealing to the eye, the stores themselves are something of antiques.
"The biggest difference between the West Bottoms and any other antique market is that our stores are 100-year-old factories. We're bringing history to match with history, offering historic items to our shoppers in historic facilities," Allen said.
Chrysalyn Huff, owner of Restoration Emporium, another West Bottoms store, says the setting is just one thing that makes the market remarkable.
"We're bringing an area that was abandoned back to life. Our building specifically is 112 years old, and it has only been used by four different companies, ours included, so that tells me that people really established themselves and their businesses here," Huff said.
As appealing as it may sound, shoppers shouldn't flock to Kansas City immediately - the market isn't open every day of the week, but only the first weekend of each month from Friday morning to Sunday evening. Bryn Chaney, owner of Hickory Dickory, another West Bottoms store, says only being open one weekend a month allows the stores and their vendors time to provide the best experience for their shoppers.
"It's neat because it's like visiting new stores each month," Chaney said. "We follow trends, so it's not like when you visit your typical antique stores where if something is old, it's in there. We pay attention to what our customers like and cater to their tastes. It's trendy and it's cool, but it's always new. It's worth the drive each month because we have new stuff so often."
Huff said she believes the popularity of antique markets like the West Bottoms is spilling over and effecting chain store merchandise trends.
"One thing that I've noticed is that we are definitely making an impact on the consumer - because if you go to a big box store, you see so many vintage-inspired items lately. I think the vintage industry is sort of evolving because of what we're offering here," Huff said.
As Haring mentioned, another thing that stands out at the West Bottoms is the food trucks. With several food varieties, there are options for everyone - tacos, Middle Eastern specialties, and classics like nachos, pulled pork and hot dogs.
"I had heard of food trucks but had never eaten from one, and it was pretty cool," Haring said. "I had a shaved ice to cool off, which was definitely nice."