A bar built entirely around true crime is set to open this fall at 100 Walnut St. just outside Kansas City's River Market, filling its space with killer-themed artwork, a 10-foot Slender Man figure and cocktails priced around $11. The permanent venue, called Alibi, has occupied the former Homesteads space since December and is aiming for an October opening.
From Pandemic Pop-Up to Permanent Fixture
Alibi did not start as a full-time bar. According to The Kansas City Star, the concept originated as a true-crime pop-up bar during the COVID-19 pandemic before going on hiatus for five years. Co-owners Ian Cameron and Scott Helling, who have known each other for around 15 years and both have backgrounds bartending, are bringing it back as a brick-and-mortar operation that will run Wednesday through Sunday.
The bar sits on a block steeped in local history. The surrounding River Market is Kansas City's first and oldest incorporated district, originally known as Westport Landing in the mid-1800s, according to Expedia. Just next door is City Market, which has hosted continuous farmers markets and merchant stalls near the same riverfront location since 1857 — meaning Alibi's macabre décor will share a block with one of the city's oldest and most bustling commercial corridors. According to a June 30, 2025, City of Kansas City filing, the city received an amended petition to establish the River Market Community Improvement District.
Ted Bundy, Slender Man and a Solvable Cipher
Inside, visitors will find a mix of true-crime artifacts and pop-culture references. The bar includes a Ted Bundy statue kept behind glass along with statues of John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer, according to the same Star report. Co-owner Delaney Starr Rose created the bar's statues and much of its artwork, making the statue heads using 3D printing after researching criminal cases through thousands of pages in the FBI's crime database.
The décor extends beyond serial killers into internet-era folklore, with a 10-foot-tall Slender Man figure among the displays. The character, created in 2009, gained real-world criminal notoriety in May 2014 when two 12-year-old girls in Waukesha, Wisconsin, stabbed a classmate 19 times, claiming they were trying to appease it, according to TMJ4 News. Alibi also nods to Dan Cooper, known as D.B. Cooper, who hijacked a flight in 1971, demanded a ransom, parachuted out with the money and was never identified — the only unsolved skyjacking in FBI history before active investigation was suspended in 2016, per the FBI.
Beyond the statues, the bar displays news clippings, caution tape and mugshots, along with Miranda rights signage and educational pamphlets on criminal cults. Guests can also try a solvable cipher, trivia and other games, and the Star reports Alibi plans to host live music and other public events. All of the featured cases involve convictions, and the bar avoids gory or bloody news clippings in its displays.
Themed Drinks and a Local-Sensitivity Line
Signature cocktails will lean into the theme while staying approachable, with Alibi aiming to make its drinks aesthetically pleasing, true-crime-themed and affordable. One example is the Cereal Killer, a red-velvet-flavored twist on a White Russian that may include whipped cream, sprinkles or Fruity Pebbles.
The owners have drawn a boundary around how close to home the theme gets. Alibi limits local true-crime material out of respect for victims' families, the Star reports, an approach that puts the bar at odds with some traveling concepts nationally. Traveling Serial Killer Speakeasies stage portrayals of infamous killers. More broadly, commercializing real-world tragedies can raise ethical concerns.
Betting on a Massive Built-In Audience
The owners are counting on true crime's broad, built-in fan base to fill seats. A September 2024 consumer survey by Edison Research and audiochuck found that 84% of Americans aged 13 and older consume true-crime content in some format, with 42% having listened to a true-crime podcast. A YouGov report published July 21, 2024, similarly reported that 57% of U.S. adults consume true-crime media, with women taking in the genre at a higher rate than men — 61% compared with 52%.
Industry money has followed that appetite. Amazon paid more than $100 million in 2022 to acquire exclusive distribution rights to the podcast My Favorite Murder, according to The Week, underscoring how large corporations have invested in true-crime intellectual property. YouGov's research also points to a psychological upside cited by fans: 63% of respondents said consuming true crime makes them more safety-conscious, while at least half of Americans associated true crime with increased empathy toward crime victims.
Helling has said true-crime fans can meet like-minded people at Alibi, and Rose, Helling and Cameron plan to work at the bar often once it opens. Cameron has said reactions to the concept tend to split sharply — people respond either with confusion or excitement when they hear what Alibi is about. For now, the plan is to start with the true-crime theme, though Cameron has said the bar may change its focus later if customers grow tired of it.
