A new smoldering shop in Kansas City is the latest addition to a hot time in the Heartland.
The buzz hit Kansas City months ago: a spicy bookstore was coming to downtown’s Union Hill neighborhood. A quick check of anything from BookTok to Publisher’s Weekly flexes romance’s dominance in the book world. But brick-and-mortar stores dedicated to what the passionate romance fan base affectionately calls smut are still hard to come by. As Kansas Citians, we patted ourselves on the back this fall for another cool addition to our quietly covetable city. Yet, after a TikTok from Under the Cover Romance Bookshop’s soft opening went viral, we’re now sharing the covers.
Over the last two decades, Kansas City has transformed from a derelict urban wasteland to low-key cool. Rumors have Rhianna owning a home on one of the historic stately streets after filming a music video here. Taylor Swift is famously riding off into the sunset on I-435 with her Kansas City-Travis Kelce-karma. The rebounding metro seems to be serving happy endings—perfect for the genre of books defined by that finale.
There’s one more layer to the plot. Like the lusty heroes of the novels, Kansas City stands out. The city straddles a state line, dipping into Kansas and Missouri’s politically crimson red states. Yet while the Missouri legislature grappled last winter with whether women could show their shoulders in the House, Kansas City’s Mayor Quinton Lucas signed a resolution that Kansas City would be a haven for gender-affirming healthcare. The City of Fountains was the first to offer free public transport, banned income discrimination in public housing, and opened the first stadium built for a professional women’s sports team. KC is sexy with soul.
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We’re here to help you spark romance out here in the middle. Join the travelers coming to romp in the pages at Under the Cover. You’ll find a city embracing art, culinary upstarts, and delicious entertainment that will deliver a blushingly good time.
The Unstoppable Rise of Romance Novels
Romance novels have grown beyond the bare-chest-covered books that your mom used to hide under the bed skirt. The genre welcomes everything from vampires to meet-cutes to high-fantasy to dark thrillers that mix suspense with headboard biting. Romance is out of hiding with legions of loyal fans on BookTok and Bookstagram. Yet, despite romance novels carrying book sales, the number of romance-only bookstores has just cracked double digits in August.
Facts like these drove lifetime local Carley Morton to open Under the Cover. Sure, she was still a little doped from her dental surgery the day before when she attended the Romance GenreCon in KC. But she had also been inspired by her pilgrimage to Los Angeles’s Ripped Bodice bookstore. Morton, creator of the podcast Smut Stuff, knew the desire was there.
“People want what they want, and they’re not going to be afraid to talk about it anymore,” says Morton. “And why should they? It doesn’t make sense that it’s so frowned upon. It’s women just getting what they want, and it’s f—ing delightful.”
When she and her husband did a soft opening on November 15th of 2023–so Morton could “learn how the hell to run the cash register”–they had no idea her friend’s casual TikTok post would change everything. By the grand opening ten days later, Morton was trying to restock bare shelves and pressing the capacity limit of the once-upon-a-time flower store.
“It’s been nothing but pure insanity since that TikTok went viral,” laughs Morton.
Under the Cover offers prominent authors but specializes in a range of less-discovered writers. The shop also sells goods from local producers, including the colorful Cockmarks, made by another KC resident who quit her day job and now mails phallic bookmarks worldwide. Still a one-woman operation, Morton hosts author signings and will launch a book club after figuring out how to find time for bathroom breaks.
Shoppers are coming from as far away as England and Germany. Morton smiles as she points outside the storefront window to the curb where an Uber dropped off one woman directly from the airport with a suitcase in hand. “I really love that people want to be here and want to come visit,” Morton muses. “It warms my cold little heart.”
Why Kansas City Is Hotter Than You Think
Art drives romance here, and Under the Cover isn’t the only creatively sexy store with national buzz. Birdies, an independent lingerie boutique in the Crossroads District, was named “Best Store in the U.S.A.” for intimates. The women-owned and -run shop specializes in smaller designers, international debuts, and sizes for all body types. “What turns you on is individual,” says owner Peregrine Honig. “We’re literally turned on by femininity. In all forms.”
Honig, an artist who moved with her family from San Francisco’s Castro District to Kansas City when she was 17, started the store after a massive response to one of her art installations that displayed underwear.
“There was such a need,” says Honig as Birdies prepares to celebrate its 21st anniversary on Valentine’s Day. The shop was part of the city’s rebirth in the past two decades with the artistic roots that brought downtown back from the brink.
Kansas City had a wild heyday that most overlook. As the 1920s roared, it was one of the hottest jazz scenes in the country, a playground where world-class musicians created the mood while politicians, celebrities, and mobsters cavorted. As a centrally located rail hub, Kansas City was today’s Amazon, quickly making and delivering anything across the growing country. People came from everywhere for a fresh start, hot times, and fast money.
The decline of the railroads in the 1950s knocked the city to its knees. The racist practice of real estate redlining put it on life support. Kansas City saw the “white flight” to fledgling suburbs decimate downtown by the 1980s. As a child growing up in the 1990s, many of us in the “One Metro” have a core city memory of busing past abandoned warehouses to visit Union Station and the towering Liberty Memorial (now the National World War I Museum and Memorial).
It’s a tale as common as romance stories. First, artists like Honig started creating in the remains. Then the developers, hipsters, influencers and suburbanites followed, back to live in old houses and new lofts. With the history of artists and creators, hustlers, and players, Under the Cover is the most recent addition to a laid-back Midwest metro with over a century of progressive desires.
The Sexy Guide to Kansas City
State Line Road divides two Kansas Cities: Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri–or KCK and KCMO to locals. Most travelers will find the action on the KCMO side.
Morton recommends the brunch at Hamburger Mary’s, which is famous for burgers, bingo, and the best drag show in town. From there, Under the Cover is a 5-minute drive (closed on Monday). Soak your senses with an art bath at the nearby Nelson-Atkins Museum’s internationally hailed encyclopedia of art collections. Then head to the Country Club Plaza and catch dinner on a patio, surrounded by Spanish architecture mimicking Seville, Spain. Close the evening with a nightcap at Monarch Bar, a James Beard nominee bringing award-winning libation innovation.
Make time for intimate shopping at Birdies the next day before catching a performance at the acoustically famous Kauffman Center or wandering shops and boutiques in the historic Crossroads District. Carry on the literary theme at Afterword Tavern and Shelves, a neighborhood hangout and bookstore with story-themed cocktails. The nearby Novel offers locally sourced upscale dishes with art design by Honig.
Another romantic choice is the classic Pierponts in the soaring Beaux-Arts Union Station. If you can, stalk their speakeasy-like Conductor Club on Instagram for reservations. With clever rotating themes throughout the year, this is a fun stop hidden in the Station with top-notch cocktails.
Craving views? Snag reservations at the Mercury Room for the best glittery sunset skyline. Another great vantage point and a chic place to lay your head is The Crossroads Hotel. Its seasonal rooftop bar has a gorgeous 360 view of downtown, and the luxe rooms retain the renovated warehouse roots with modern comforts.
For a sultry splash, don’t miss one of the burlesque shows. KCBurlesque and Quixotic call Crossroads home, while Vamp KC and Body Language at the arthouse Barrel of the Bottoms are in the nearby new neighborhood, West Bottoms. Wherever you get your kicks, warm and playful hospitality awaits.