Silk Road Travelers

This is a wonderful place to visit and find all kinds of lovelies!
The owner is welcoming (welcomes dogs too!) and is helpful with finding the perfect item for you or a gift for someone else. Scarves, jewelry, décor, furniture, tea sets, and more. Bob can give you the history of all peices and share stories of how items were used. A lot of his knowledge comes from his many travels to China and love of the culture.
Make a stop in, even if just to browse… but you’re going to find something you like. Trust me. I always find something and make a mental list for my next visit. Your purchase will be wrapped delicately in pretty paper and bag. If you’re gifting something, it’s a perfect way to do so. If you’re traveling and need extra packing, he’ll find a way to carefully pack and protect your purchase. I saw him do this for someone boarding a plane later in the day. Thoughtful.
Want a strange surprise?! Ask about the seahorses and gecko. Fascinating.

I was looking for a pashmina. The store was interesting, the pashminas were lovely, the guy was really nice. He gave my daughter a bracelet.
They had some pretty jewelry, tea sets, a cool dragon puppet… If I wasn’t with a 3 year old, I would’ve wanted to browse more. I gotta buy my mom something from this store sometime.

Step out of the cold and into the warmth of the Silk Road Travelers’ shop. The owner clearly has an eye for interesting and engaging artifacts from the Far East.
The Lady and I have stopped by several times and despite the relatively small size easily spent almost an hour enjoying the pieces available for sale. There’s always a group of ladies and gentlemen (friend of the owner) enjoying the ambiance and probably a drink or two.
We were encouraged to return when we had more time available so we could really enjoy the place, and that’s exactly what we intend to do!

You’re generally reluctant (for whatever reason) to visit the River Market area in KCMO. But now that you’ve learned about Silk Road Travelers, that might piqué your curiosity enough to venture over there.
Not enough good things can be said about this little gem in the river market.
It’s a treasure trove of antiquities, replete with a huge laughing red buddha, ancient doors– turned– dining table, dragon statues, chinese lanterns, meditation balls, Chinese symbols, jades & pearls everywhere.
From the very moment you enter the store you are transported to a different place. The hustle and bustle of the city outside seems to fade with each step you take further into the store. The smell of incense and exotic teas fill the air and it is bliss. You are greeted warmly and are encouraged to browse and ask any question you might have.
Things are surprisingly reasonably priced.
The staff are a wonderful, knowledgeable bunch especially Bob who is the owner. A truer gentleman there was not. Just a wonderful, kind, kind soul. Tall as all hell but what a wonderful human being.
Silk Road travelers should be rated *Whimsical” but for now will have to settle for 5 stars.
P.S Dogs always allowed!

I have my own fantasies of traveling the ancient Silk Route some day, picking up giant pieces of antique wooden furniture to outfit my three-​story loft space that has an entire floor devoted to such décor. I’d have a carved wooden Chinese Wedding Bed gracing the space, with red and black silk bedding. Ah, life’s little luxuries (Impossible? Never say impossible!) .
What I love about Silk Road Travelers, besides allowing me to fall into fits of fantasy, has as much to do with the friendly proprietor, who showed me around to give me a quick tutorial of the various pieces, such as:
–the exquisitely carved Four Seasons cabinet, with secret drawers (Chinese craftspeople love to put secret drawers into their armoires and cabinets, didja know?) I can only imagine what unmentionables I might like to stash in there.
–a table made out of hundred year old wooden doors
–wedding dowry cabinets (these would be trekked for miles between villages, I’m told, and there’s nothing lightweight about them). Note to self: tell my father so he can appreciate how low maintenance I am.
–jade curio pieces
–the farmer’s bed with porcelain pillow (ladies sleep on these so as to not mess their extravagant hairdos!)
Even if you can’t afford a piece of furniture here (the prices are fair in comparison to places I’ve seen similar pieces at, by the way), there is plenty in the way of budget-​friendly gifts (check out the local jewelers on display!)
The owner also told me that people are encouraged to come in with a small group to have their lunch or tea in the space. Is that not awesome? This seems like the kind of place that might inspire you to create a visual or written masterpiece.
I have a new favorite place in town!