Anticipation for the Kansas City Chiefs' Sunday game against the Baltimore Ravens is high, and shops around town are getting geared up for the big game.
Local businesses have long cashed in on the team's winning streak, but these days fans can find items celebrating Kansas City's favorite football team in some unexpected places.
In Brookside, A Store Named STUFF has featured the work of local artists and makers with a creative point of view for 27 years.
Though their customers might not fit the demographic of the classic Chiefs fan, co-owner Casey Simmons says, over the years, they've added items that might appeal to the arty football crowd.
"There's a real sense of city pride in having a winning team," Simmons says. "It's a chance for us to hold our heads high and say, 'Hell yeah, I'm from Kansas City.'"
And as the Chiefs chalk up wins, sales stack up too.
"Big picture: There's been an uptick since the Chiefs started going to the Super Bowl, and it continues to build every year," she says. "Anytime we get to the playoffs, there's always an uptick in sales."
A Store Named STUFF
- 316 W. 63rd St., Kansas City, Missouri 64113
Artist Gloria Baker Feinstein created two colorful coasters featuring Taylor Swift and Kansas City's favorite tight end, Travis Kelce.
"These are original works of art reproduced on coasters," Simmons says, "but many people buy them for a mini piece of art to sit up on their shelves or to put on their desk."
Baker Feinstein creates them in small batches and sells them exclusively at the Brookside boutique.
"The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce love story changed things, but even before they started dating, the demographics of a Chiefs fan was changing when they became a winning team. Everyone jumped on board because its fun," Simmons says.
One version of the coasters was currently sold out as of Thursday, but Simmons says she expects more to arrive soon.
Elvira’s Cakes
- 3838 Independence Ave., Kansas City, Missouri 64124
The Mexican-style bakery Elvira’s Cakes has been creating specialty cakes and confections in the Historic Northeast since 2003. These days, you can order specialty cakes based on Patrick Mahomes' hairstyle.
Elvira's offers other Chiefs-themed desserts as well, including colorful cookies emblazoned with the classic arrowhead and "Red Kingdom conchas," a scarlet take on the Mexican sweet bread with a buttery flavor.
"We always have concha’s," they wrote on their Facebook page. "The red ones are usually reserved for playoffs time."
Eileen's Colossal Cookies
- 925 W. Liberty Drive, Liberty, Missouri 64068
If you are amused by a cookie that shouts from the luxury suite, this cookie featuring Travis Kelce's brother, Jason, may be for you. The Philadelphia Eagles center's viral off-the-field antics at the AFC Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills inspired Eileen's Colossal Cookies in Liberty to recreate the moment on a cookie.
The Kelce brothers mentioned the cookie on their podcast, "New Heights," on Wednesday, and both agreed the artistry of the cookie had merit.
"That's pretty spot on," Travis said.
Since the cookie cake was introduced earlier this week, owner Kristen Uhlman says about 80% of her cookie orders have been for Travis Kelce's shirtless brother.
RAYGUN
- 1803 Baltimore Ave., Kansas City, Missouri 64108
RAYGUN founder and owner Mike Draper says his T-shirts always lean more towards ridiculous, niche appeal than mass appeal.
One of the Des Moines, Iowa, company's surprise hits from the playoffs is a shirt with a football-playing cat wearing a headband.
"We have a character that we call Pawtrick Meowhomes," Draper says. "And after the game this past weekend, we came out with a shirt and it's Patrick Mahomes saying, 'I eat Buffalo.'"
Draper says he'd never experienced a Red Friday firsthand until recently.
"Last fall, we're down in Kansas City on a Friday with my family and we were walking around Union Station — like 80 to 90% of the people are wearing red," he says. "We were like, 'Wow, it's a thing.'"
Draper says Kansas City sports team sales are always strong, but they've jumped since the Chiefs made it into the playoffs.
Betty Rae's Ice Cream
- 412 Delaware St., Kansas City, Missouri 64105
- 7140 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64114
- 10470 S. Ridgeview Road, Olathe, Kansas 66061
Betty Rae's Director of Operations Kirby Clause says Chiefscake! is made with cheesecake ice cream mingled with homemade yellow cake and Chiefs "confetti” sprinkles blended in.
Clause used to work at Glacé Artisan Ice Cream until the store closed in 2020. She says Andy Reid's wife, Tammy Reid, would come in to the old South Plaza shop and buy 10 pints of their cream cheese ice cream every month.
So, when Clause moved to Betty Rae's, she adapted the old recipe to create the current version of the frosty treat — but it's only available while the Chiefs are still in the playoffs.
"I'm pretty proud of it," Clause says. "And it's so exciting to give it to the city that I was born and raised in. The fact that it's getting all the way up to Big Red is just the cherry on top."
Grill 32
- 104 S. 4th St., Edwardsville, Kansas 66111
Grill 32 is a modest diner tucked in an old stone storefront off Kansas Highway 32 in Edwardsville.
After the Kelce brothers got wind that the establishment offered a sandwich called The New Heights Club, and they mentioned it on their podcast, it didn't take long before the Philly cheesesteak-BLT combo became a smash hit.
“It looks good,” Travis Kelce said on the podcast. “It’s blending a Philly cheesesteak and some KC barbecue.”
Since the Chiefs made it to the playoffs, the restaurant does a brisk business selling the "Franken-sandwich."
A Store Called STUFF co-owner Sloane Simmons is a member of KCUR's Community Advisory Board.
