Scoop: Rainy Day Books expanding to 3 stores
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Soft opening at 161 E. 14th St. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
Rainy Day Books and Made In KC opened their first combined store downtown on Thursday, and owner Tyler Enders tells Axios a third book store location is planned for Lenexa.
Why it matters: The longstanding Fairway shop known for its high-profile author events is expanding across KC, pairing books with locally crafted merch after Enders and an investment group bought the business in 2022.
What's next: The Lenexa book store will go inside the Made In KC Marketplace on Penrose Lane in Lenexa City Center, Enders says.
- It will replace the marketplace's shuffleboard area and offer the same number of titles as the Fairway store, but with more children's books.
- The downtown store carries mostly adult titles.
The latest: The doors are open downtown on 14th Street in the Power and Light District, even as pallets of books continue arriving.
- The coffee bar is up and running, and a cocktail bar in the back will open later this year pending construction and a liquor license.
The vibe: It's loaded with Made In KC's most popular items and lined with artwork from local artists and the KC-based Uncrated Art Foundation collection.
- A spiral staircase, trendy dark green paint and wooden design elements make you feel like, yes, you are indeed in a book store.
What they're saying: Enders says opening downtown makes sense as downtown's population grows; adding the location will serve the neighborhood's residents and entertainment district visitors. "We think we can do both."
- He says they hope to host around 10 author events a year in the smaller downtown space, while building a base of regulars who want to come sit and read.
💭 Travis' thought bubble: The last time I was here, it was a T-Mobile store, and I was stressed. I'd call this an improvement.
💭 Abbey's thought bubble: I love that a night out at Power and Light can now start with a kettle-corn latte and a new book.
If you go: Current hours run 7am-7pm Monday through Saturday, and 7am-5pm Sunday.