Kansas City’s Best Shops

Best Local Bookstore [1]: A cozy shop, knowledgeable employees, and some of the city’s biggest author events have made Rainy Day Books [1] an independent bookselling authority in Kansas City.

Best Kids’ Store [2]: From Legos to alligator skulls, Brookside Toy and Science [2] has it all — when you manage to tear yourself away, you just might be taking most of the playful inventory with you.

Best Lingerie Haven [3]: Birdie’s [3] stocks an impressive array of practical and sexy lingerie and swimwear.

Best Picnic Supplies [4]: Choose from fruits, veggies, bread, local cheese, and wine at the City Market [4] and plop down in the adjacent park for a relaxing, sumptuous picnic.

Best Home Decor [5]: Asian antiques and home decor create a luxe, stylish environment within Black Bamboo [5] that provides plenty of ideas for redecorating your entire home.

Best Local Boutique [6]: Bon Bon Atelier [6] is the boutique of dreams, artfully stocked with art books, sewing supplies, home accessories, and locally made jewelry, as well as a fabric department that will make you want to spend hours at a sewing machine.

Best Candles [7]: One whiff of 5B & Co. Candle Makers [7]’ happy camper candle and you’ll wonder how a scent so realistic can be re-created in a burning pillar of wax.

Best Paper Products [8]: The work of an enterprising Kansas City Art Institute graduate, Hammerpress [8] is a paper lover’s dream, stocked with cards, concert posters, and prints created on letterpress plates.

Best Edible Artwork [9]: It’s hard to eat the exquisite works of art available at Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates [9], but with ingredients like fleur de sel caramel and champagne, resistance is futile.

Best Pet Treats [10]: Stop in at Three Dog Bakery [10] for delicious homemade dog and cat treats.

Best Local Shops [11]: Pint-sized fashion boutiques that pack a punch create a cosmopolitan shopping aura along 18th and Wyandotte [11] that’s not to be missed.