WE LOVE KANSAS CITY.

WHAT THEY WANTED

The crossroads district in Kansas City has been evolving for the past decade. It started with first fridays and is now home to james beard award winning chefs, boutique hotels, speak-easies and more. So much had changed in the last twelve months they needed to tell the story. We created a first person visual narrative about this experience from the perspective of a couple of visiting tourists seeing it all for the first time. 

Parlor is 7 restaurant concepts and two bars in one building. The merging of culture, ideas and flavors on top of a killer patio make it a new KC favorite. 

The curated space mixed with approachable but beautiful food made for some amazing art and from the perspective of the first time experience memorable.

Every space was Instagrammable without feeling forced and it created such an inspiring set to work within. Using natural light combined with our eye for interior spaces we were able to craft some images that would make anyone proud.

"I know I said it already, but it bears repeating that these are going to be an incredible asset for our team."

VisitKC Social Media Manager

Welcome to the

CROSSROADS HOTEL

Once existing as a PBR canning facility it's now an Architectural masterpiece that combines the new and the old.

The Crossroads Hotel  has a great story.

The first thing you smell when you walk in to the Crossroads Hotel is a mix of the woodfired oven and essential oils.

Percheron is the first rooftop bar of it's kind in Kansas City and was bursting at the seams the whole time we were there. Thankfully the bartenders and kitchen are real pros. 

Its a real scene.

Recap: This place is cool.

Mean Mule

Nobody else in the Midwest is making agave spirits and few in the USA are doing it as well as Mean Mule. We love colaborating with passionate people who take as much time to properly present their ideas as they do making the actual product. The interior of their space and the decor were perfection. 

Tequila, much like Champagne, must be made in a specific region to earn the name but that doesn't keep Mean Mule from kicking butt. The family distillery was kept alive during prohibition by placing the meanest mule over the top of the floorboards, hiding the still. This alcohol is the work of generations.

The

Savoy at 21c

The painted scarabs at the top of the bar were discovered during the restoration process in The Savoy. We felt lucky to be sent here to experience this amazing space. 

After some restoration work, this gem of a location has really come together. President Truman used to frequent a particular booth, among other past US Presidents. The hotel gave us full access to the bar and restaurant staff to tell a story of an American icon. Updated with contemporary art juxtaposed around painted murals recovered from under decades of  dust and oil. The food matches the deep history and we worked to reflect the first person experience of eating food prepared with classic French technique in an important historic location.

Speakeasy bars are notoriously hard to photograph. They're dark and moody, lit by candles and run by bartenders notorious for rules about no phones and no photographs. So, when we were asked to take pictures at two of them we were pumped for the challenge.

Manifesto

Swordfish Tom's

Town-Topic Hamburgers

Every city needs a classic 24hr diner serving up expertly crafted smashburgers and fries. Town-Topic has been around since 1937 and have never been better. We wanted to show not only the food but the history of the place as well as the staff that made our 3 visits there in a week such a great time. 

Bar K Dog Bar

This spot was pure heaven. Elevated clean casual food, great beer and a dog park all in one location. The only real challenge for us to overcome was how to not pet every. last. dog.  

First Fridays

Over the last decade we've seen the concept of "First Fridays" and art walks become an important fixture in placemaking. It brings art, food and energy into the streets and has been an important factor in how Kansas City changed the Crossroads district from an area with some art galleries into a vibrant hub full of restaurants and boutique hotels. Documenting 20,000 people out for the first one of the season was a blast. Breakdancing, suspended acrobatics, barbers working on the street and cool kids showing off their style. It made for the best people watching and street photography.

A city that dances together does great things together.