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.

Weird wonders. Cars that make you go, "hmm"

Sometimes, you’ll look at a car and say to yourself, “what the deuce?!”

Anyone who believes car shows are all ’57 Chevys and ’69 Camaros aren’t really paying attention. Sure, you’re going to see the old stand-bys, but most every gathering of vintage iron is going to have at least one completely off-the-wall, extraordinarily unusual ride. Bizarre? Perhaps. Creative? Definitely.

Today, we celebrate that alternative world. These are cars that you would never think you want, but you just can’t help but be attracted to them. These are the freaks—microcars, radical rats, shorties, home-built haulers—cars that are wonderfully comfortable in their own skins. They are nerdmobiles, but they’re too cool to know it.