black-owned businesses

Orange By: Devoured, the brainchild of local chef Jhy Coulter, opened last fall in midtown's Martini Corner neighborhood. The restaurant began life as a pop-up and specializes in "neo-Neapolitan" pizza and tapas-inspired plates.

Spanning venerable favorites and creative newcomers, wings and vegan fare, Caribbean and crab, you'll want to explore these Black-owned restaurants, cafes and more around Kansas City, as picked by local diners.

TJ Roberts first opened Kinship Cafe in 2021 in Strawberry Hill. After a lease deal fell through with his property owner, Roberts is leaving his original location behind for new shops in Independence and at Kansas City, Kansas Community College.

Brian Roberts is opening Good Karma Coffee inside the Black Pantry's new storefront on Gillham Road. He hopes that the promise of coffee will bring more people in to discover Black brands.

The Kansas City Defender organized the celebration from Oct. 1-14 to bring awareness to Black-owned restaurants, with the hope of helping their long-term sustainability. “We are in a crisis for Black restaurants right now," says founder Ryan Sorrell.

Cori Smith opened BLK + BRWN on 39th Street in 2021, with a focus on authors of color. But she says that rising costs — and the downturn in demand after the pandemic readership surge — have made business tough.

Created by Jhy Coulter, Orange By: Devoured is the latest evolution of a pizza pop-up that began during the COVID pandemic. The Midtown restaurant is inspired by her travels to Spain, but it took more than a year to open after fundraising.

Kansas City G.I.F.T. is a local nonprofit working to address the racial wealth gap in our metro by helping Black entrepreneurs build and sustain their small businesses. While they provide grants, the organization's business center also provides free business coaching, accounting, marketing and more.

Businesses were split on their reaction to the vote on April 2 that rejected the extension of a 3/8th-cent sales tax for a ballpark in the Crossroads. Some said the loss of a downtown stadium just blocks away would hinder progress in the district. Others said the campaign was doomed from the start.

New eateries continue to open on Troost between 30th to 79th Street, with offerings that include African, Jamaican, Irish, Mexican and Middle Eastern cuisines. Restaurant owners hope that the rest of the city rallies around the historic thoroughfare as a business district of its own.

The founders of SK8 Shot Studios are taking Kansas City roller-skating rinks by storm. Their plan is to revive the once thriving scene and grow it into a global destination for Black skate culture — one class and skate party at a time.

The founders of SK8 Shot Studios are taking Kansas City roller-skating rinks by storm. Their plan is to revive the once thriving scene and grow it into a global destination for Black skate culture — one class and skate party at a time.