Kevin Collison
Publisher
Flatland contributor Kevin Collison is the founder of CityScene KC, an online source for downtown news and issues.
Stories by Kevin Collison
Two Very Different Downtown Retailers on Main Street Close
Two very different downtown retailers on Main Street, one a national chain, the other a homegrown pastry shop, have closed their doors. The JoS. A. Banks clothing store at 1320 Main, one of the earliest tenants in the Power & Light District, closed in mid-February. Brioche Pastry Shop at 2000 Main closed this week. Attempts…
Revocup to Rev Up Coffee Scene in Underserved Corner of Downtown
By Kevin Collison Coffee lovers in the underserved northeast corner of downtown are about to get a place to call their own: Revocup expects to open by early summer at the historic Pickwick Building at Ninth and McGee. Revocup is a locally-based chain that specializes in Ethiopian coffee, a “high-caliber” bean known for its sweeter…
Downtown’s Revival Fueled by Youthful Energy
GUEST COMMENTARY By Kevin Klinkenberg About nine years ago, I made a decision to leave Kansas City and move to Savannah, Georgia. It wasn’t an easy decision. With so many personal and professional connections here, I knew I’d be giving up a lot. But, I felt I needed a change of scenery in the depths…
“Estelle’s Diner” Opens in Former Cascone’s in River Market
By Kevin Collison If there’s such a thing as a healthy diner, that’s Anton Kotar’s plan to reinvent the soon-to-close Cascone’s Grill in the River Market. Kotar intends to serve plenty of his trademark grass-fed beef at what he’s calling “Estelle’s Diner,” named after his six-year-old daughter. He raises the cattle on a spread near…
Mayoral Candidates Talk Downtown at Neighborhood Forum
By Kevin Collison If there’s one thing voters learned this week at a mayoral candidate forum sponsored by the Downtown Neighborhood Association, Councilman Quinton Lucas is one hard-riding scooter jockey. “I ride the scooters from downtown to Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman, I’ve done it a number of times so I’m a scooter fan,” Lucas told…
Convivial Promises Namesake Vibe at New Shop in Former YJ’s Space
By Kevin Collison Chentell Shannon wants to keep the friendly, lively, enjoyable–in a word–“convivial” vibe of the former YJ’s Crossroads space when she opens her shop there May 1. After all, Convivial is the name and spirit of the ceramics design and manufacturing firm she started in 2014. Right now, it’s producing handmade products from…
Plans Underway to Reconnect Walnut Street Through City Market
By Kevin Collison The city is planning to reopen Walnut Street to traffic through the City Market on weekdays, reconnecting the original street grid with the goal of bringing more activity to businesses along its east side. Walnut had been a two-way traffic route through the Market up until about 30 years ago. It then…
Visit KC Reports Big Uptick in Bookings at Bartle Hall
By Kevin Collison Bookings at Bartle Hall are up 56 percent from the previous year, an encouraging trend as downtown prepares to check in more than 2,400 new hotel rooms over the next couple years. At its annual Tourism Outlook 2019 meeting last week, Visit KC’s new president and CEO Jason Fulvi estimated the 295…
STRETCH Expands Into Former Thou Mayest Space
By Kevin Collison The space formerly occupied by Thou Mayest is about to be reincarnated by the pioneering prince of East Crossroads entrepreneurs, STRETCH. STRETCH, the sculptor who launched the revival of the area when he opened Grinders in 2000, has taken over the space at 419 E. 18th St. and plans to open what…
Looking Ahead to Medical Marijuana, Clinic Opens In River Market
By Alex Smith Medical marijuana is not yet available for purchase in Missouri, but patients may be able to jump start the process and get it with the help of a newly opened clinic. The Green Clinic opened for business this week in a fourth floor loft at 415 Delaware in the River Market, with…