Bella Patina

This is probably my favorite store in the West Bottoms right now. I love the selection and it’s not all just one type of design. I also love that vendors are often here on site to talk to, and I love that the prices are decent for the work put into the pieces. The customer service is fantastic and I’ve had no issues getting help or assistance. Truly there is a good vibe here, and people who love what they do, and it shows. If there is just one place you visit, this is a favorite, and one that I highly recommend. There are so many others in the area and I have a list of my must-​visits, and Bella Patina is right at the top.

If you’re going to West Bottoms for First Friday Weekend and only have time to stop at one store — this is it! Bella Patina has consistently been my favorite shop in West Bottoms for the past 6 months. The anticipation that builds up the last week of every month makes it that much more exciting when Friday comes.
Bella Patina has 3 floors with an amazing variety of unique treasures for anyone and everyone. My best friend completely furnished her apartment living room & dining room with pieces from here. I’ve purchased multiple knick-​knacks that fill my loft with character and make me smile every time I see them.
If you haven’t gone to West Bottoms — especially Bella Patina — for First Friday Weekends, you’re missing out. This place will make you happy with your first step in the door.

I must admit I have avoided the West Bottoms, probably because I don’t love the «hype». But I love vintage and antique stuff and my friends kept raving about the stores down there and showed me some of the stuff they picked up, so I thought it would be best to go with an open mind and see if I could find anything cool.
Out of all the stores in the Bottoms, Bella Patina hit all the notes our group was looking for.
Firstly, it’s a cool space to work your way through. Each floor has a totally different vibe and the inventory spans from industrial to shabby chic to retro to rustic. My friends all have varied taste so none of us felt left out looking through Bella Patina. Make sure to ride the giant freight elevator, it can take you to any floor and its an experience that anyone would love.
This place is huge, we spent probably 3 hours here, which was significantly longer than any other place. It was cool that vendors here negotiate on prices (some stores don’t). I got a stack of records at a bundled rate, it was a steal!
They advertise that there is a restaurant but an employee said there was electrical issues and the restaurant would return in October. When I go back I will review the food for sure.
Bella Patina’s employees were very helpful and would hop up to move something or check if a vendor would negotiate on a price.
A big highlight is the vendor with the industrial pieces on the first floor. I am going to start saving money so I can take home something from that booth in the future.

I have found several great items to bring back. Bella has a wide range of different styles from shabby chic/​country cottage to Mid Century Modern and lots of other styles. My favorite vendor is Meg. She has the little cubby on the 2^nd floor and has expanded to out in front of the little room (the room typically has items for nurseries/​kids rooms). She is VERY reasonable and talented. My second favorite vendor is on the first floor, right when you walk in… antique hotel doors for coffee tables! LOVE. One hint, mind the stairs, especially the third floor stairs, well, and the stairs to the entrance… they can be slippery and aren’t very deep. Other than the stairs (adventure), this is a great place to shop for First Fridays. OH! almost forgot. There is a sweetie who knits all of these hats for babies/​kids, and she can custom make them for you too. I had her make one for my toddler for Christmas, and it was really cute.

Since my first review, Bella Patina has expanded — they now occupy three levels of their 12^th Street building. Overcrowding seems to be more and more of a problem at the more popular WB shops, and this one is no exception. The shop does fairly well, particularly on the third level, which is open and spacious. However, the staircases can be frustrating because they’re so narrow. Nothing can be helped — but if you’re here, get off your phone, be aware if there’s someone behind you or waiting, and move your feet. This is becoming one of the shops my husband gets really cranky in when it’s crowded, so it might be best to drop the menfolk off at Jaskki’s for a coffee and come back for them later. It’s best to avoid Saturdays or come right at 9 when these places open.
Note in the summertime, this place is one of the few shops that has A/​C.
I still like the selection at this shop, and the prices are marked fairly and to sell. There are a lot of repurposed items, old furniture, jewelry, «antiques.» For instance, I found a basket of baseballs — I was able to strike a deal with the vendor too. I bought a repainted nightstand that looks beautiful in our bedroom; I also won a small cabinet from a vendor upstairs when I entered a drawing — I’ve gotten several compliments on it, and it’s been a fun piece for storage and decoration.
Though it’s a separate review, the CoffeeCakeKC truck is always parked outside Bella Patina on Saturday mornings… be sure to grab a sweet treat.

Of the big antique shops in the West Bottoms, Bella Patina has the most diverse and well-​priced selection. Yes, their first floor is über Shabby-​Chic, but to find the best deals go up the stairs and you’ll be pleased with what you find! I made out like a bandit by finding unique and beautiful gifts to hand out at Christmas. The staff is very helpful and will help you compile your purchases between the floors so you don’t have to climb those old factory stairs with your finds.
As a general rule of thumb for any of the antique shops in the West Bottoms, get their Friday morning as close to opening as possible. You’ll get a few good hours of shopping in before it gets a little too crowded.

I originally was going to give Bella Patina 2 stars, because man I really don’t like much of anything that’s in here. It’s all VERY girly and pink and shabby chic and makes me wanna barf. Just about every aspect of Bella Patina’s aesthetic gets on my nerves.
But then I changed my mind. Maybe as a dude I shouldn’t judge an obviously female-​catering store so harshly. It’s not like they’re TRYING to attract 30-​something men with their wares. So let’s talk about their good qualities:
— They are clean, well organized and well lit. Bella Patina looks like it could be moved to a neighborhood such as Brookside and still fit right in.
— Even though it’s all the aforementioned shabby chic aesthetic that I don’t much care for, I can still recognize that it’s QUALITY shabby chic. If that’s your look, you’ll find things you like here.
— The staff is friendly, with sunny dispositions.
I can’t give Bella Patina 4 stars, because ultimately I’m not a fan. But so long as I don’t have to go here, Bella Patina is A-​OK.

I found some great pages out of old large-​format magazines from the 1950’s that are just awesome and inexpensive. This place is definitely worth browsing — at first I was a little disappointed but after more in-​depth searching there were some interesting items that were to be found. Not the greatest but definitely worth looking into!

Surely, the sport of searching through old, sometimes charming, sometimes battered and broken, sometimes pristine and priceless furniture, curios, glassware, books, is one of my favorite ways to spend a weekend day. Some people go golfing. Some people go hiking. I go antiquing.
This was opening weekend for the newest antique shop in what is quickly becoming the «Antique Row» of The Bottoms.
Truly, I prefer this area to 45^th Street («officially» recognized as Kansas City’s Antique Row) for several reasons:
–affordability
–selection (typically more late 19^th century through mid 20^th century)
–arrangement of items in the «booths»
–relaxed vibe
–friendly vendors who will often bargain with you
Antique Row has some fantastic, often stunning items, but it’s all out of my price range (I mean, *really* out of my price range. I refer you to my review of Portobello Road & Camel Antiques where I casually asked the price on a desk and it turned out to be more than twice the price of my car).
Bella Patina is yet another wonderful addition to the Bottoms. Although not as crammed full with things as neigbhors Liberty Belle and Good Juju, today appeared to be a great start for them. I especially admired all of the vintage linens which were in excellent condition, offered by several vendors. I spoke with one of the gals who had an area (it’s a bit less «boothy» here than places like River Market Antique Mall) after I admired a set of green chairs that I came very close to buying. She told me from the get go that she was in the mood to bargain. Nice! I would have grabbed those chairs, but I wanted to look around a bit more here as well as Liberty Belle and Good Juju (where I ended up finding my dream slipper chairs).
I look forward to returning to Bella Patina once a month to see what new lovely things they have in store for us. I have very high expectations of this shop!