Downtown Kansas City has a new daytime hangout: Made in KC and Rainy Day Books have soft-opened a shared retail, bookstore and cafe concept at 161 E. 14th St. in the Power and Light District, combining local goods, books and coffee under one roof in a space that runs about 6,000 square feet.
The new storefront, first detailed by startlandnews.com, packs a full Made in KC Cafe, a Made in KC Neighborhood Shop and a Rainy Day Books store into a single footprint, with a mezzanine for cafe seating that overlooks the retail floor below. The KCUR account of the opening, written by Tommy Felts and first published by Startland News, notes that Made in KC co-owner Keith Bradley has described the goal as bridging a daytime destination gap for locals and tourists while showcasing the community's creativity. The Power & Light District has lacked a go-to daytime retail or coffee stop since it opened, according to that same reporting.
A Downtown Debut Years in the Making
The pairing isn't a one-off partnership — it traces back to 2022, when the founders of Made in KC led an ownership group that purchased Rainy Day Books, whose original location remains in Fairway. KCUR reported at the time that Made in KC co-owners Tyler Enders, Keith Bradley and Thomas McIntyre took the idea of buying the bookstore to their advisory board, a detail confirmed in KCUR's 2022 coverage of the sale.
That shared ownership is now visible on the shop floor downtown, where Made in KC combines local goods, a local bookstore and a local cafe in one space, per Startland's reporting. The storefront also features artwork on loan throughout, anchored by a mural from Kansas City artist Morgan Elliott of The Wild Peach Studio.
Coffee Now, Cocktails Later
According to Axios Kansas City, the coffee bar inside the new space is already up and running, while a cocktail bar is expected to open later in the year once construction wraps and a liquor license comes through. The outlet also reported that the downtown Rainy Day Books store is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Made in KC lists the location as its newest neighborhood shop for Kansas City apparel, gifts and goods from local makers, according to the retailer's own site. The address, 161 E. 14th Street in Kansas City, is listed among Made in KC's store locations online.
Betting on Books and Events
Rainy Day Books' downtown location is expected to stock about 10,000 titles with a heavier emphasis on adult books than the Fairway store carries, per Kansas City Magazine's reporting on the expansion. The magazine also noted that more than 600 new independent bookstore locations opened nationally in the prior year, with more expected in 2026 — a backdrop that frames the downtown bet as part of a broader independent bookstore resurgence rather than an isolated move.
The expansion is also designed with an eye toward bigger literary names. The Kansas City Business Journal has reported that Rainy Day Books' growth is intended to help the store attract more major author events, and Axios Kansas City quoted co-owner Tyler Enders saying the businesses hope to host around 10 author events a year in the smaller downtown space. Rainy Day Books is also planning a third location inside the Made In KC Marketplace on Penrose Lane in Lenexa City Center, according to the same Axios report.
Neighbors in the Power & Light District
Made in KC isn't the only homegrown retailer carving out space in the Power and Light District. Rally House, which sells officially licensed sports and Kansas City-centric apparel and products, operates nearby, and Startland's reporting describes the two as forming a complementary retail pairing. Made in KC works solely with Kansas City-based companies, which often cannot obtain sports licenses for their products, while Rally House works with national brands that do hold those licenses — meaning Made in KC reportedly refers customers seeking sports jerseys over to Rally House.
The two retailers already cross paths elsewhere in the city, with Made in KC operating stores near Rally House locations at Union Station and on the Country Club Plaza, per Startland. Made in KC's Union Station shop, a 1,300-square-foot space inside the historic Jarvis Hunt Room, opened in late 2025, according to earlier KCUR reporting that also quoted Bradley saying 90 cents of every dollar spent in Made in KC stores stays within the Kansas City economy.
Part of a Broader Bookstore Wave
The downtown opening lands amid a steady run of new bookstore activity around the Kansas City area. The Kansas City Star has reported that recent openings include Steel's Used Books in the Northland and Typo's Bookstore in Parkville, alongside Hardback Books in the Martini Corner, which the paper said was set to open the same month its article published. For now, Made in KC says it plans to host events and serve as a gathering spot for the downtown community at the new Power & Light location, giving the district a daytime anchor it has not had before.
