As private money pours into 18th and Vine, residents worry about a ‘plastic Disneyland'

Kansas City and private investors are finally starting big redevelopment efforts in the Historic 18th and Vine district, after years of fits and starts. But locals worry that these new projects may come at the cost of its current residents and historic legacy.
“You can't avoid the fact of its uniqueness,” declares Joey Thomas, sitting inside 18OV Barber Salon. “When it comes to 18th and Vine, it’s more than just entertainment.”

Thomas has run 18OV on Vine Street since 2013, leasing a space in the Lincoln Building with around 40 other businesses. On a recent Saturday afternoon, gentle soul music flows out of a speaker, blending with the hum of electric razors inside.

From his barber's chair, Thomas has witnessed how Kansas City has attempted, again and again, to build the Historic 18th and Vine district back to its former glory. East of Troost, business loans and funding have long been barricaded behind racism, redlining, and misperceptions about the area.