Something Good is suiting up in the Garment District
Photo courtesy of Something Good
When Greta Gunderson opened Son of a Gun in Columbia a few years ago, she was trying to slide into what she felt was an untapped market. “Like a lot of college towns, Columbia is packed with sports bars and casual dive bars,” she says. “I love a good dive bar, but there was definitely a space in the market that I knew we had the ability to fill.”
Son of a Gun has since become a thriving “KC millennial bar” in Columbia, and Gunderson now hopes to bring a similarly-styled spot to the Kansas City Garment District: Something Good.
There is definitely a secret sauce in nailing the feel of the neighborhood lounge—and it obviously stems from knowing the neighborhood. Gunderson had been in Columbia for a few years and decided she wanted to try her hand at a bigger market. She moved to Kansas City and started exploring, trying to get a feel for the different neighborhoods to see where her idea might work best. A friend in the hospitality industry clued her into a newly opening space at 802 Broadway, and she knew it would be a great fit.
So, what makes a neighborhood lounge tick in the Garment District? “We aren’t a restaurant, but we will have some fun twists on bar classics,” Gunderson says. “Hot dogs with some tasty fixings, a few sandwiches and dips, and, just what every table needs: chips and caviar. I know I always want something good to nibble on when I’m enjoying some cocktails.”
Greta Gunderson // Photo courtesy of Something Good
For the drinks, Something Good is taking a two-pronged approach. Half of their cocktail menu will consist of the “Something Classic” side of things. These are a handful of commonly ordered drinks—your Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, Negronis, and the like. There may be slight twists here and there, but Gunderson always likes to have these drinks on the menu to help guide people to the types of drinks on offer.
The other side of the cocktail menu is where the bartenders at Something Good get to flex a little: Gunderson is calling it “Something New.” As she puts it, “We’re not aiming for a true ‘craft cocktail’ bar here. We’re striving for drinks that are presented and executed perfectly, but are more accessible than what you’d see at an upscale cocktail bar.”
Gunderson sums up the drinks on both sides of the menu as “comfort cocktails,” and hopes that her drink list won’t require customers to Google multiple ingredients. This slightly more casual approach also means drink prices will be able to run a little less expensive than a lot of cocktail-centric spots in town. Something Good will also stock a number of other options: CBD drinks, mocktails and other NA beverages, a few wines by the glass, and plenty of yard beers.
When Something Good is able to open their doors—Gunderson is hoping for a mid-May opening, but knows that some delays could always push things a few weeks—they’ll be open seven days a week from 4 p.m. until midnight or later. There are about 30 bar seats, a few low tops and high tops, and a few leather couches. They’ll also have a pool table and a couple of TVs.
Gunderson hopes that Something Good will be able to offer… well, something good for everyone. “The goal of a neighborhood lounge is to be a spot that’s good for people who live and work nearby, but also somewhere that brings people in,” she says. “We want people who find themselves in the area to swing in and discover an unforgettable place to hang out with their friends over drinks and snacks.”
Several neighborhood lounges are popping up all over the city, and many have quickly developed a strong following—think Hank’s Garage, Varsity Club, and the like. Judging from the success of Son of a Gun, we’re pretty confident that Something Good will follow suit. Keep an eye on their socials for a definitive opening date, but look for it sooner rather than later.
Something Good is located at 802 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64105. It is expected to open mid-May, with hours from 4:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and 4:00 p.m.–1:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
