BY BARBARA SANFORD | ILLUSTRATION BY OTTO STEININGER

IF YOUR HEART BELONGS TO ROVER OR FLUFFY, you know you’ll do anything for them. And you know how important it is to feed your pets nutritious food and treats, and take them to the vet regularly to keep them healthy, no matter what the cost.You’re not alone. People all over the world spend nearly $17 billion a year on their pets. Animal health products from companies in the Kansas City area account for more than one-third of these sales, so chances are, your pet’s food, treats, vaccines and drugs are produced here.

Home to 130 animal health companies—more than any other place on earth—37 global and U.S. headquarters are based in the Kansas City area. The companies represent manufacturing, distribution, nutrition, suppliers and service providers. More than 15,000 animal health employees work within 300 miles of five major universities with veterinary medicine or animal science programs. They include the University of Missouri-Columbia, Kansas State University, Iowa State University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Nebraska.

Two years ago, with a $300,000 contribution from Bayer Animal Health, the Kansas City Area Development Council, the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, the Greater Kansas City Chamber and several leading animal health companies came together to create the Animal Health Corridor—the Silicon Valley for animal health. Their job is to create a favorable business climate that attracts new animal health companies to the area.

All their hard work has paid off. Five new companies—IdentiGEN, Fort Dodge Animal Health, MWI Veterinary Supplies, Synbiotics Corporation and the U.S. Animal Health Association—were recently recruited to the Kansas City region, attracted by its central location, affordable cost of living and favorable tax climate. They join Bayer Animal Health (headquartered in Shawnee since 1963 and one of the world’s leading manufacturers of veterinary drugs) and many others that make Kansas City the nation’s animal health and nutrition capital.

“Kansas City is the best place in the world for animal health companies,” says Lynn Parman, vice president of life sciences and technology development for the Kansas City Area Development Council. “We have the workforce and resources that no other area can match, and we make it easy for companies to relocate here.”

Thanks to the council’s successful branding campaign, lots of things are happening in the area. Last summer, Bayer Animal Health teamed up with the University of Kansas to create a unique MBA program in animal health targeted at scientists and veterinarians with a science background to help transition them into executive business roles. “There’s a strong dialogue between the companies and the universities,” says director of communications Bob Walker. “They collaborate on research and manufacturing.”

Fort Dodge Animal Health, a division of Wyeth and leading global manufacturer and distributor of vaccines, medicines and other healthcare products, is building a $40 million research and development facility in the Kansas Bioscience Park in Olathe. The company will employ more than 200 scientists and researchers when the 150,000-square-foot facility opens next year. “It will position us to grow, do innovative research and develop new consumer products,” says Dr. Steve Chu, executive vice president of global research and development.

The company, which employs 3,400 people, relocated its headquarters from Iowa to Overland Park, Kan., 13 years ago because of Greater Kansas City’s strong commitment to the animal health industry, as well the area’s many conveniences. “We wanted good airport access, proximity to our customer base and a high quality of life for our employees,” says President Rick DeLuca. “With a large group of universities within a three-hour radius, Kansas City offered us great talent, a rich environment and an excellent quality of life.”

MWI Veterinary Supply, one of the country’s largest animal health distributors, headquartered in Meridian, Idaho, selected the city of Edwardsville, Kan., for its new 105,000-square-foot Midwest distribution center last year because of its logistical advantages and the concentration of animal health companies in the area.

Synbiotics Corporation, a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of veterinary diagnostic products, moved its headquarters and research and development operations from San Diego to Kansas City in 2006 to be in the center of the animal health industry. Like so many other companies in the region, it cites the affordable business climate and proximity to veterinary colleges as big draws to the Corridor.

Other key Corridor players include names you will probably recognize from your favorite pet store’s shelves, like Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Greenies. Hill’s, one of the top five animal nutrition companies, produces Science Diet and Prescription Diet pet foods. Created to cure bad doggy breath, Greenies, a developer and supplier of oral health care treats for dogs and cats, has been part of the Kansas City animal science business community for the past 12 years. “Pets are an integral part of family life,” says Margaret Goodall, director of marketing. “Pet owners are more aware of their pets’ oral health and dental care needs, and willing to invest in products that will promote a better, longer life for them.” That investment has helped companies like Greenies grow exponentially over the last decade.

Animal health means big business for Kansas City. From the cows that provide your milk to the fluffball that wakes you up with sloppy kisses, the animals in our lives deserve the best of the best, which means the bioscience industry here will continue to grow.

HEALTHY NUMBERS

The Kansas City area has logistical and geographical advantages that support its status as the national leader in animal health.

BY SARAH SMARSH | ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDY PEREZ

Joel Feigenbaum lived in Kansas City for the last few years that he directed and produced the long-running television series “7th Heaven”—which ended last year—in Hollywood.

A K.C. native who spent more than 20 years in Los Angeles, he boasts a résumé that includes directing credits on “Beverly Hills, 90210,” and writing and directing credits on “Charmed.” But Feigenbaum and his family returned to the Midwest in 2003 for the region’s slower pace. He was commuting more than 40 weeks a year.

Now that “7th Heaven” has wrapped, Feigenbaum is focused on making a feature film, the Hitchcock-esque thriller Bedlam. Back to Hollywood, right?

Nope. He’ll do it in Kansas City. “All the ingredients are here,” says Feigenbaum, who plans to use a mix of A-list Hollywood actors and Kansas City professionals for Bedlam. “[There’s] a great talent pool both in front of the camera and behind, [and] an incredibly diverse choice of locations, from big city settings to picture-perfect countryside.”

Feigenbaum, who wrote the screenplay to be shot in Kansas, says he couldn’t make the same movie in L.A.

“Even if I could find similar locations in the Los Angeles area, the difficulty in obtaining access to a facility and permits, not to mention the location fees, would make this type of production cost prohibitive,” Feigenbaum says, adding that the $7.5 million Bedlam will look like a movie that cost $37.5 million. “If that isn’t an incentive for other filmmakers to come here, I don’t know what is.”

That financial advantage is indeed turning Kansas City, which straddles the Kansas-Missouri state line, into a ripe movie-making market. This year, Missouri dramatically increased its tax credits to filmmakers, capping the fund at $10.5 million, while Kansas passed its first such initiative, capped at $2 million.

“There seems to be a huge momentum around film in Kansas City,” says Teri Rogers, president and CEO of Kansas City production company TakeTwo. Rogers helped push for the Missouri tax credits with the Greater Kansas City Film Commission, which she co-chairs.

While economic incentives and friendly locations exist in other parts of the country, Rogers says Kansas City has sought to create its own filmmaking identity. Several high-profile films were shot in the area over the past few decades, but Rogers sees the area as ideal ground for films with modest budgets (Feigenbaum’s Bedlam being on the high end).

“We’re not Hollywood. We’re not even close to Hollywood,” Rogers says from the 100-year-old former popcorn factory that now houses her state-of-the-art production company. (The building is on Kansas City’s old “Film Row,” blocks of warehouses that distributed films and theater supplies nationwide during Hollywood’s Golden Age in the 1920s and ’30s.) “But our goal is to find our niche.”

Richard Welnowski, a German-born filmmaker who left New York to pursue his passion from Kansas City, believes that niche will be independent films. Welnowski, an Emmy-winner for special effects on the PBS program The Orchestra, has brought high-definition footage—filmed with his own cutting-edge Thomson Viper camera equipment—to Nickelodeon and the National Geographic Channel. Now he’s working on his own project, a film on composer Leonard Bernstein.

Welnowski finds the process of securing financial support for the independent Bernstein project shockingly easy in Kansas City.

“I never have seen so many art monuments or art events sponsored by private donations in any place I have been—Germany, Poland, Iceland, New York City or Los Angeles,” Welnowski says. “There are many great organizations in this town ready to help if the project is right.”

In recent years, Kansas City has received a lot of attention for its indie work, most notably Kevin Will-mott’s controversial mockumentary C.S.A.: Confederate States of America, which was screened at the 2004 Sun-dance Film Festival.

Like Feigenbaum, Willmott sees the local scenery as an affordable asset. The streets of Kansas City provided a backdrop for his 1999 film Ninth Street, starring Martin Sheen and Isaac Hayes, while all his other films have been filmed in various Kansas towns.

Willmott, a Kansas native who has written and adapted scripts for Oliver Stone and Whoopi Goldberg, says independent, down-home filmmaking is well worth it.

“I try to spend my time making my own films, not working for someone else,” says Willmott, who recently released Bunker Hill, starring James McDaniel (best known for a seven-season stint on “NYPD Blue”) in the aftermath of a suspected terrorist attack. His work has a political bent not found in most mainstream movies. “We try to make films that Hollywood probably is not going to make—especially not the way we tell the story,” he says.

Steve Balderson, a young filmmaker from Wamego, Kan. (population 4,300), agrees that film-friendly scenery, low cost of living and tax credits all mean one thing: creative autonomy.

“Filming here allows us the freedom we need. The people here—they close streets and let us in stores when we’re filming. They’re excited about what we’re doing,” says Balderson, who has taken his work to the Cannes Film Festival and regularly entices stars like Margaret Cho to act in the wilds of rural Kansas. Critic Roger Ebert put Balderson’s surreal murder tale Firecracker on his list of best movies in 2005.

Balderson recently premiered his belly-dancing documentary Underbelly in London and may direct soon in Germany, but he says he’ll always prefer his home turf.

“There’s too much inspiration here for me,” Balderson says. “I see the beauty here. I see something special that people might miss when they’re flying over.”

And if Balderson has his way, you might just see K.C. up close and personal in a theater near you very soon.

K.C. MASTERPIECES FILMS SHOT OR

1967 In Cold Blood Columbia Pictures Corp.	1983 The Day After ABC Circle Films
1990 Mr. and Mrs. Bridge Cineplex-Odeon Films	1992 Article 99 Orion Pictures Corp.
1995 Truman HBO	1996 Mars Attacks! Warner Bros. Pictures
1996 Kansas City CiBy 2000	1999 Ride With the Devil Universal Pictures / USA Films
2002 About Schmidt New Line Cinema	2007 C.S.A.: Confederate States of America Hoodcarrier Films

BY MARY BLOCH

To describe Chef Rob Dalzell as an entrepreneur is inadequate; to say he’s hardworking, a serious under-statement. In spite of an easy-going smile, Dalzell is a man on a mission. At 33, he’s a swiftly rising star on Kansas City’s restaurant scene. In the past four years, he married, had two daughters and opened four restaurants. To support downtown’s renaissance, the venues are all within a six-block area. Quite a feat for a man who did not taste a fresh green bean until he was 18 years old.

Unlike some fine chefs who were inspired by their mother’s sophisticated cooking, Dalzell was raised in rural Fayette, Mo., on fast food, canned vegetables and anything microwavable. His epiphany came when his boss at Les Bourgeois in nearby Rocheport served him grilled fish, roasted potatoes … and fresh green beans.

THE BEGINNING

Dalzell preparing
burgers at Chef
BURGER Dalzell’s initial endeavor, 1924 Main (1924main.com; 816-472-1924), opened in the revitalized Crossroads District. After transforming a 1915 hotel into a sophisticated venue with artistic food, Dalzell and his wife Margarita set out to educate consumers—who too often value quantity over quality—about the joy of, as he says, “eating less and tasting more.”

Offering prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus that change monthly, he demands that the ingredients and dishes be the “best of the best, prepared perfectly.” The scallops, whether served atop a fried green tomato or alongside avocado and pineapple, are always memorable.

Realizing that a white tablecloth concept does little more than pay the bills, Dalzell began to diversify, opening restaurants that highlight common fare, bringing his love of food to Kansas City’s masses.

Dalzell’s second venture was Souperman (www.soupkc.com; 816-421-7687), which puts a new riff on the normally banal soup-and-salad affair. This casual eatery features the “sanditto,” a Dalzell invention: a large tortilla, filled, folded in thirds, and grilled like a panino.

Here you can devour a barbecue brisket sanditto with blue cheese and caramelized onions, or any number of other intriguing combinations. Tempting soups range from curried pumpkin bisque and clam chowder to Thai coconut chicken noodle.

guests dining in Pizza
Bella Pizza Bella (www.pizzabellakc.com; 816-421-7492) followed, serving terrific pies baked in an Italian wood-fired oven. The crust is extraordinary. And it should be—it took Dalzell 80 tries before reaching perfection. Pizzas include the Biancoverde, three cheeses topped with lightly dressed arugula, and the Potato, roasted fingerlings with gorgonzola and grilled radicchio. Rounding out the menu are several non-traditional antipasti; the roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta vinaigrette and almonds inspire a passionate following.

Dalzell’s latest concept, Chef BURGER (www.chef-burgerkc.com; 816-842-2747), is in the heart of the new Power & Light District. His intention was to hoist the burger onto a pedestal. Don’t let the fast-food look of this place fool you; with burger toppings that include fried cranberry chutney, guacamole and sriracha cole-slaw, and candy-filled, alcohol-spiked milkshakes, Chef BURGER is certainly not your run-of-the mill hamburger
joint.

IT’S ABOUT THE FOOD

Unlike the stereotypical portly, tyrannical chef, Dalzell has a thin frame and is unfailingly polite. Full of adages, he emphasizes that it’s important to “thank the people every day that got you where you are, keep you there or get you where you want to go.” He was once told that there are two kinds of chefs, “those who are humble and those who should be.” It’s clear into which category he falls.

Dalzell isn’t one to stand still. With his unbridled passion, he is an unstoppable force. He anticipates eventually franchising his casual restaurants. In the meantime, this enterprising chef is contemplating additional concepts, including a noodle shop or upscale taco bar.

From a daring bite of a green bean to a restaurant empire, Dalzell’s passion for food is apparent in every dish. A blend of spirited youthfulness and business acumen has elevated Kansas City’s culinary genius to the top of the city’s food chain.

DINING WITH DALZELL

When not patrolling his own kitchens, Dalzell likes to support his friends’ restaurants. He also gravitates to “friendly” establishments. To him, feeling welcomed is as important as feeling gastronomically satisfied.

BLUESTEM

www.bluestemkc.com 816-561-1101

Colby Garrelts, nominated for a James Beard Award in 2008, creates cutting-edge American cuisine. “The standards are unequalled,” Dalzell says, making it his choice for a pull-out-allthe-stops kind of occasion.

FERVERE

www.fervere.com 816-842-7272

World-class bread baker Fred Spompinato is a true artisan. Dalzell loves using the orchard bread to make “outrageous” French toast.

JP WINE BAR

www.jpwinebar.com 816-842-2660

This trendy spot is best known for its wine and cheese flights, but the tasty small plates deserve equal billing. Dalzell admires Ryan Maybee’s cocktail wizardry.

ROOM 39

www.rm39.com 816-753-3939

Open morning, noon and night, Dalzell often visits Ted Habiger’s cozy, upscale bistro for breakfast. The focus here is on local, sustainable ingredients, something that Dalzell also emphasizes at his own restaurants.

WHY IS K.C. BARBECUE SO ADDICTIVE?

Barbecue is more than just a food in Kansas City—it’s considered an art. And while almost every man, woman and child in the city has something to say about what makes K.C. barbecue so special, we went to meet with the masters and get the scoop.

TIM KEEGAN

What makes K.C. barbecue different?
The passion that Midwesterners put into the product. K.C. barbecue is a little sweeter and not as spicy as other regions.

What dish would you recommend to first-time diners?
It would have to be Jack’s Best-crowned beef, baby back ribs and burnt ends all on one platter. Get a side of the cheesy corn or beans, and you’re set.

What is the most unusual thing on the menu?
The Denver lamb ribs … people are always asking what they are.

When you’re not working and need a break from barbecue, where do you like to eat?
The Bristol … they have great seafood.

GEORGE W. GATES II

COO, Gates Bar-B-Q

What makes K.C. barbecue different?
Barbecue is a personality … it’s a regional thing. It’s also all about the sauces, in the east, you have a vinegar-based sauce, and in the Midwest it is a tomato-based sauce.

What makes your barbecue special?
After 60 years and four generations, we have learned a lot about the art of barbecue.

How long have you been barbecuing?
My whole life. This is my life, since I was eight years old.

EDDIE ECHOLS

General manager, Arthur Bryant’s BBQ

What’s makes K.C. barbecue different?
We have the open pit … and we specialize in slow-smoked barbecue.

What makes your barbecue special?
There is a lot of good barbecue in Kansas City. [But] we have been in business for years doing it our way, and that’s the way we like it.

How long have you been barbecuing?
I joined Arthur Bryant in 1982, and I have been obsessed with it since then.

DANNY EDWARDS

Owner, Danny Edwards Famous Kansas City Barbecue

What makes K.C. barbecue different?
We cook a lot more beef than other regions. Lots of places specialize in pork; we’re beef.

What makes your barbecue special?
We got really fresh meat and fresh cut French fries … our product starts off great and it ends up great.

How long have you been barbecuing?
I am second generation … my parents did this when I was a kid.

PHOTOS BY KELLY BARBIERI

WHETHER YOU LIKE YOUR DWELLINGS COZY, COOL OR KID-FRIENDLY, K.C. CAN ACCOMMODATE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

GREAT WOLF LODGE

When traveling with the kids, look no farther than the Great Wolf Lodge, which sports a 49,000-square-foot indoor entertainment area, an enormous waterpark, arcade, and children’s craft and activity room. Adults can keep busy in the Aveda Concept Spa, fitness room and spacious outdoor pool. If the weather turns chilly, cozy up by the lobby’s massive stone fireplace.

10401 Cabela Dr. | 800-608-9653 | www.greatwolf.com

HOTEL PHILLIPS

Not only is the Hotel Phillips a historic landmark in the heart of downtown Kansas City, just two blocks from the Convention Center, but it boasts Phillips ChopHouse, one of the hottest restaurants in the area. Enjoy a heavenly slumber on the room’s super-comfortable beds with real comforters and down pillows. The building’s art deco style is lush and comforting and the sense of history palpable.

106 W. 12th St. | 816-221-7000 www.hotelphillips.com

KANSAS CITY AT THE PLAZA

This is the best place to stay if you plan to spend a lot of time at Country Club Plaza, K.C.’s retail center with more than 200 shops and restaurants. One of the highest rated hotels in the city, Kansas City at the Plaza has a 24-hour fitness room, outdoor pool and a host of dining options. Check out the Oak Bar, which is renowned for its upscale menu that includes mango-encrusted red snapper and Kansas City steak served with pine nut risotto.

401 Ward Pkwy. 816-756-1500 www.ichotelsgroup.com

WOODSTOCK INN BED & BREAKFAST

Get a taste of the old Midwest at this homey inn. In addition to the lovely accommodations and hearty breakfasts, this historic home has spacious gardens where visitors can sit and enjoy some quiet time, and it is walking distance to a host of shops and 10 heritage sites, including the home where President Harry S. Truman was born.

1212 W. Lexington St., Independence, Mo. (20 minutes south of K.C.) 816-833-2233 www.independence-missouri.com

MUSEUM HILL BED & BREAKFAST

Head to St. Joseph and stroll through four National Historic districts and explore a bevy of museums, including the Wyeth Tootle Mansion/ Museum, the Pony Express National Museum, the Jesse James House and the Glore Psychiatric Museum. Those feeling antsy can hike two miles of the Lewis and Clark trail along the Missouri River.

1102 Felix St., St. Joseph, Mo. (one hour north of K.C.) 816-387-9663 www.museumhill.com

Q HOTEL AND SPA

The planet will thank you when you stay at this hip hotel, once the historic Quarterage. An extensive renovation has turned this Westport spot into Kansas City’s first green retreat. The hotel has everything green, from the bathroom amenities (eco-friendly Aveda) and in-room recycling to the free bicycle rental and a hybrid-vehicle guest shuttle.

560 Westport Rd. 816-931-0001 www.theqhotel.com

From quirky to traditional, Twin Cities boutiques will send you home happy.

BIRCH CLOTHING
CHICA ROSA COSMETIC BAG
The Twin Cities have a growing green scene. Check out Birch Clothing for an eco-friendly selection of men’s and women’s clothing, as well as accessories, like this cosmetics bag from Escama Studio made from recycled soda-can tabs.
$38, www.birchclothing.com

FIRST AVENUE
THE BOOTLEGS COMPILATION CD
First Avenue has been Minneapolis’ “downtown danceteria” since the 1970s. This CD, with tracks from Kristin Hersh, Old 97’s and more, will let you take the club’s vibe home with you.
$13, www.first-avenue.com

INGEBRETSEN’S
TOKHEIM BEER MUG
Get in touch with Minneapolis’ Scandinavian heritage with handmade ceramics at Ingebretsen’s. This beer mug, styled after the Viking mugs of old, makes an exceptional decorative—and useful—souvenir.
$42, www.ingebretsens.com

FINN STYLE
KALEVALA BIRD OF HATTULA SILVER PENDANT
For something trendy and unusual, Finn Style is the place to go. This contemporary home accessories and gift shop is full of whimsical pieces like this little bird pendant.
$119, www.finnstyle.com

PHOTO: MOLLY INGEBRETSEN

– PAULA ABDUL, after a performance by American Idol winner David Cook, who grew up in Blue Springs, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City.

$4,500,000,000

T000HE AMOUNT CURRENTLY BEING SPENT ON NEW DEVELOPMENT IN DOWNTOWN KANSAS CITY

25 MILLION

pieces of chocolate that K.C.-based Russell Stover Candies, the world’s largest maker of boxed chocolates, hand-dips each year.

4,057 MILES

DISTANCE THE BAR AND DÉCOR OF THE POWER & LIGHT DISTRICT’S RAGLAN ROAD TRAVELED WHEN IT WAS TRANSPORTED FROM DUBLIN TO K.C.

40-50%

The appropriate HUMIDITY LEVEL for preserving original film reels, like those of Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz, which are stored in the SubTropolis, a massive underground storage facility in K.C.

INVENTED IN K.C.

THE CROCK

POT THE HAPPY MEAL

MICKEY MOUSE

ROME

is the only city in the world with more fountains than Kansas City.

“OH, MY GRACIOUS. THEY ARE MURDERING MY GAME…”

– James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, in response to the physical play he witnessed in a 1910 game between Kansas and Missouri. (Naismith coached at the University of Kansas).

“ I think there’s something great and generic about goldfish. They’re everybody’s first pet.”

-Paul Rudd, actor who grew up in Overland Park and went to University of Kansas, in Interview magazine.

10/01/08

Tina Turner kicks off her FIRST TOUR IN 8 YEARS (at the Sprint Center).

BY SEANÁN FORBES

Young designers are flocking to Kansas City’s Crossroads District to join what has become a thriving business. Thanks to generous grants from the city and ample support from established shops, many boutiques and art galleries are opening their doors to locals and visitors alike.

Peggy Noland, whose shop glows with the bright colors of a 1960s
Peter Max poster, says, “We are all so very reliant on each other. We need each other to survive.”
And she’s not talking about foot-traffic. Noland has only been a professional designer for a year and a half and is already getting international recognition for her colorful, irreverent looks. That would not be the case, however, if it weren’t for the other designers with whom she shares the neighborhood. When she first came to the Crossroads District, she turned to fellow artists for inspiration and advice. There’s certainly competition in the Crossroads area, but the support that designers give to each other is crucial. Peregrine Honig, who co-owns the lingerie shop birdies with her friend Corrie Van Ausdal, says that shop owners in the neighborhood are “in business together.” It’s this sense of community that has put the area squarely on the Midwest’s fashion map.

Honig says that the whole of Kansas City has given her a lot of support—and not just small business assistance. According to Honig, the city is incredibly generous with arts grants, which is an extra boost to many Kansas City’s fashion and jewelry designers who are traditional artists in addition to their trades.

Joscelyn Himes’ work combines fineart and fashion-forward sensibilities, employing techniques like staining silks with rust. She esteems ancient skills, and her work is heavily influenced by Asian art. Her current designs incorporate both obis (the belt used to tie a kimono) and Japanese stitching. Himes’ background in sculpture constantly reveals itself in the way she builds—really a more accurate word than sews—her garments, which are curved into graceful lines. Himes, who makes bespoke and limited-run pieces, says she thinks kinetically: For her, it’s more important how a dress looks on a woman than on a hanger. The designer— who has worked with Vera Wang, Donna Karan and Bill Blass—came to Kansas City to study art, and she never left.

It’s common to find designers in the Crossroads District who are not originally from the area but moved here to attend the Kansas City Art Institute. They stay because, for them, this is the best place to work as both business-people and designers.

But in a city where customers were accustomed to shopping in malls, No-land says, it was necessary to teach people how to shop in a boutique. It is a different experience, simultaneously more intimate and elegant. The designers and their employees get to know shoppers and their preferences.

From a buyer’s perspective, shopping at a boutique in the Crossroads District is like having an art concierge in every store. Thankfully, Kansas Citians quickly took to the area’s small shops.

Honig remembers it wasn’t easy in birdies’ early days. The shop featured one table, and all of the stock was on display. “If you didn’t see it,” she says, “we didn’t have it.”

But Honig and Van Ausdal worked out a system: They bought plain underwear, which they designed and embellished, doing all of the work themselves. As soon as their budget increased, they increased their stock by purchasing work from other underwear designers in the area. Now, three of the women they first bought inventory from have LLCs in their own rights. Kansas City’s closet-sized boutiques like to spread their bounty.

It’s not only clothing, either. Kansas City houses the likes of organic bath and body product producer Blooming Lotus and a number of jewelry designers. Robyn Nichols, who studied at the Kansas City Art Institute, is a self-taught metalworker. She makes one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces in sterling silver alongside her two apprentices. Like the Crossroads’ other designers, she is continuously investing in her business and in the future of the region.

While the designers are happy where they are, their work moves beyond the city’s borders. Himes is moving into creating a national design line, Nui Daily Couture. And birdies’ Panty of the Month Club (where subscribers get monthly deliveries) has clients all over the world.

Despite being successful far beyond the Crossroads’ borders, these designers have no plans to leave their beloved Kansas City. As Himes observes, the city “offers a good lifestyle for the amount of money you make.” In Kansas

City, both the cost of living and the cost of running a business are much lower than other art capitals. This provides artists the chance to quickly see profits and live a life far more comfortable than their struggling peers in expensive coastal cities. And with the designers spending less time worrying about making ends meet, they can spend more time making the kind of creative clothes for which Kansas City has become known.

birdies

116 W. 18th St.
816-842-2473
www.birdiespanties.com

Blooming Lotus

130 W. 18th St.
816-444-4735
www.bloominglotus.com

Nui Kai: Designer

Joscelyn Himes
130 W. 18th St.
816-471-2227
www.jhtextiles.com

Peggy Noland

124 W. 18th St.
816-221-7652
www.peggynoland.com

Robyn Nichols

1818 McGee St.
816-474-1731
www.robynnichols.com

BRAINTEASERS

Inner Circles

Each answer contains six letters and will be entered either clockwise or counterclockwise into the hexagonal boxes surrounding the entry’s clue number—one letter per box. All entries overlap by some letters, so the shared letters will help determine in which box an entry starts and in which direction it reads.

Two-Way Street

When completed, this grid will contain two series of words— one reading from 1 through 50 and the other from 50 through

1. Work from both sets of clues to complete the puzzle.

PUZZLE ANSWERS

By Debora Toth

CAUGHT IN THE GLARE OF PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS? Tired of the endless campaign stops and televised debates? Before you cast your vote in this year’s presidential election, visit the museums and libraries of previous office holders. These exciting presentations bring history to life with interactive exhibits, computer-generated presentations and audio tours.

Stepping into a presidential library puts a unique spotlight on each individual and their years in office. Not only does it provide a glimpse into the politics of the time, but it also allows you to delve into the personality behind the presidency, their families and closest advisors. Here, you can experience these former Commanders in Chief’s years in office almost as if they were leading the tours themselves.

NOWHERE IS THIS MORE TRUE THAN THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN LIBRARY in Springfield, Ill. (about 1 1/2 hours from St. Louis), especially when the 16th president comes to life during the Holavision presentation. Special effects create ghost-like visions of historical figures: At one point in the show, as the live actor reads the Gettysburg Address, the ghost of Lincoln materializes, looks over the actor’s shoulder and begins to read the speech along with him. And that’s just the beginning. Sound-and-light shows, interactive displays and special effects will entice you to learn more about one of our best known presidents. Want to learn what Lincoln thought? A touch-screen computer allows visitors to ask 50 different questions. Pick your question, enter a mini-theater and Lincoln will answer in his own words.

The Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Mich. (the library is two hours away in Ann Arbor, Mich.), makes similar use of interactive, video and holographic displays. Travel via video with Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to various spots around the globe: Take a holographic tour of the Ford White House, and experience a day in the Oval Office through a sound and light show. The replica contains dramatic overhead lighting synchronized with recorded voices of actors portraying Ford, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, Kissinger and others. An interactive Cabinet Room allows visitors to take part in presidential decision making. Visitors can view videos that highlight three major events: the pardon of Richard Nixon, the seizure of the Mayaguez and the New York City financial crisis.

Throughout this year’s election process, pundits have declared a few of the candidates great orators, leaders who are able to raise a nation’s hopes and dreams by virtue of his or her words. Two former presidents had similar gifts: Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy. Reagan’s library in Simi Valley (40 minutes from Los Angeles) allows visitors to listen to the stirring speech delivered for Barry Gold-water’s presidential campaign that catapulted Reagan’s political career, first as governor of California and then as president. The library also gives you the chance to board Reagan’s Air Force One aircraft as well as a Johnson-era Marine One helicopter.

One of Kennedy’s most famous, electrifying speeches took place in front of the Berlin Wall, when he announced, “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner). Whether he is speaking to Germans seeking freedom or visitors honoring his memory at his presidential library and museum in Boston, Kennedy’s commanding voice is hard to ignore. His inspiring words can be heard in exhibit rooms that show visitors his journey from his birth in 1917 in Boston through his World War II service to his career as a U.S. senator and his short-lived term as president.

While most of the country is glued to television sets watching the presidential debates, many might not realize that the first president to appear on television was Herbert Hoover. On April 7, 1927, Hoover, then Secretary of Commerce, helped Bell Lab engineers test long-distance networks. This crude transmission system, which led to modern day television, can be seen at Hoover’s library in West Branch, Iowa (about two hours from Des Moines). A 22-minute film introduces the Hoover story, from his early life as an orphan to his years as a law student at Stanford University, where he met his beloved wife, Lou. Outside, visitors can peek inside the two-room cottage where Hoover was born in 1874, watch a working blacksmith shop (similar to his father’s), and see the austere Quaker meetinghouse where Hoover and his family worshiped.

Nixon—another Quaker office-holder—was famous for collecting reels and reels of conversations on tape in his Oval Office. Now those tapes are readily available at his library and museum in Yorba Linda, Calif. (about 40 minutes from L.A.). A new permanent Watergate exhibit just opened, complete with the burglary tools, Nixon’s Oval Office taping systems and his letter of resignation. An interactive display of press coverage with CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite’s announcement of Nixon’s resignation can also be viewed.

Hopefully, whoever wins this year’s election won’t face a term as difficult as those of Harry S. Truman or Lyndon B. Johnson. “Give ’Em Hell” Harry’s impressive library and museum in Independence, Mo. (about 20 minutes from Kansas City), depicts the hard-charging, straight-talking Truman in a variety of interactive displays that include one of his 1948 election campaign speeches, where a supporter yelled out Truman’s lifelong slogan.

Johnson’s Austin-based library and museum contrast the difficulties of his presidency with its more light-hearted moments. Johnson wrote that 1968 was “…one of the most agonizing years any president spent in the White House. I felt like I was living a continuous nightmare.” The Vietnam War and assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. characterized the era and are illustrated and set against ’60s music, while First Lady Ladybird Johnson narrates her poignant recollections of the John F. Kennedy assassination in another room. On a lighter note, an animatronic version of Johnson standing at a fence entrances visitors with tall tales and jokes. Visitors can also watch never-before-seen Johnson family home movies.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower spent much of his time in the military—he commanded the Allied Forces during World War II—and the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum (about two hours from Kansas City) reflects this. Eisenhower’s presidential years in the 1950s are captured in sound, video and electronic games. You can hear him give advice to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson during the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam, respectively. To commemorate his signing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, a computer game allows visitors to build their own interstate highway complete with an assigned budget.

At the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum in Atlanta, visitors can actually meet the former commander in chief. The Carter Center shares the property; it is here that Carter lives and maintains an office. At the Presidential Museum, visitors can listen to Carter’s soft Southern accent describe his experiences in a replica of the Oval Office. An interactive “town meeting” video allows Carter to answer your questions on subjects ranging from world affairs to his personal life. And another interesting participatory video lets you respond to some of the challenges that Carter faced during his presidency.

Looking into the past—and studying how important decisions are made—not only tells us where we are coming from, but also informs where we are going in the future. This is just one of the reasons why these libraries should be an important part of our present.

GETTING THERE

JIMMY CARTER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM
Atlanta
www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM
Abilene, Kan.
www.dwightdeisenhower.com/ library-museum

GERALD R. FORD MUSEUM & LIBRARY
Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor, Mich.
www.ford.utexas.edu

HERBERT HOOVER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
West Branch, Iowa
www.hoover.archives.gov

LBJ LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Austin
www.lbjlib.utexas.edu

JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM
Boston
www.jfklibrary.org

ABRAHAM LINCOLN LIBRARY
Springfield, Ill.
www.abelincolnmuseum.org

RICHARD NIXON PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND BIRTHPLACE
Yorba Linda, Calif.
www.nixonlibraryfoundation.org

THE RONALD REAGAN PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM
Simi Valley, Calif.
www.reaganfoundation.org

HARRY S. TRUMAN PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM & LIBRARY
Independence, Mo.
www.trumanlibrary.org

All of the museums are open daily with the exception of Christmas, New Year’s and Thanksgiving. Most are open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.