Ararat Shriners continue Kansas City swap meet tradition at the Antique Fairgrounds

For as long as I’ve lived in the Kansas City area, there has been a tradition of annual automotive swap meets, and the biggest ones are usually hosted by the Ararat Shriners.  They have been held everywhere from the Crown Center parking garages, to the Woodlands, to Worlds of Fun.  There were two such events this year, and the last one was at their new location in the Antique Show Grounds in Lathrop, Mo.  This venue is a little out of the way (especially with the road construction on I-35 north of Liberty—ugh!), but once you get there, the trip is worth it.

Searching for car stuff at the First Fridays event in the West Bottoms

Do you like treasure hunting? Discovering that rare vintage car collectable can be pretty exciting, but traveling from antique store to junk shop can be expensive and time-consuming.

There is a trending pastime in Kansas City known as “First Fridays,” and more and more collectors are doing their shopping all in one place.

Most of this is happening on the first weekend of the month in Kansas City’s West Bottoms area. Primarily known in modern times for Halloween haunted houses, the historic landmark buildings are now homes for several antique and vintage clothing shops.

Spotlighting the good stuff at the Brass Armadillo Antique Mall

The Brass Armadillo Antique Mall in Grain Valley, Mo., is big. We're talking 42,000 square-feet big. So if you're just going out there to look for automotive collectables, you're going to have a lot to sift through.

But don't worry. I've done the work for you. I went there this weekend and found the good stuff ... the important stuff ... the car stuff. 

Find a little car collectible of your own at W.D. Pickers Antique Mall in Platte City

If you’re like me, you can turn any experience into a car experience. Going to the grocery store? Hey, there’s Jeff Gordon’s car on the Corn Flakes. Going to the doctor’s office? I haven’t read this issue of Motor Trend yet.

Naturally, the old car radar doesn’t shut down at someplace like an antique mall. There could be a stack of Picassos, but if they had an old toy poking out from behind one of them, I wouldn’t see the paintings at all. When it comes to antiquing, I have perfect automotive tunnel vision.

Karlin Lane and Country Classics antique malls in Bolivar, Mo., are worth pulling off to check out if you like cars

1948 Playboy

While many Kansas Citians think Bolivar, Mo., is a place that you have to pass through to get somewhere else, I’ve always considered the little southern Missouri town as a destination point. And if you like cars, there’s good reason for that.

For one, it is the home of Bolivar Speedway (formerly known as I-44 Speedway). It’s a great 3/8-mile paved track that hosts weekly Late Model and Modified events throughout the summer. It was one of the home tracks of Larry Phillips, one of the most accomplished NASCAR short track drivers in history, and drivers like Jamie McMurray also cut their teeth on the high-banked oval.

Bolivar is also the location for the Country Classics and Karlin Lane antique malls, which are pretty car-centric in their own rights. The two stores are located right next to each other, just off Highway 13.