Bliss Books & Wine hosted its grand opening and ribbon cutting on Saturday at 3502 Gillham Road in Kansas City, Mo. KSHB reported that co-owners La'Nesha Frazier and her sister La'Nae Robinson had several reasons to celebrate. Their dream of opening a bookstore "where customers could also buy and drink wine while hanging out," which began in 2019 with a pop-up that was forced online in 2020 by the pandemic, hit another roadblock last year when their chosen physical space ran up against a city ordinance that prevented them from getting a liquor license because of density issues.
"Our community has been with us from day one. We pivot, they pivot. We rise, they rise. We backtrack, they backtrack," said Frazier. "They have been the pushing force for us. it's been awesome.... The battle with the liquor license, I was going to fight it to the death, because I was fighting for my community."
Last summer Frazier and Robinson worked with city councilwoman Andrea Bough to change the city's ordinance so they were eligible for a waiver.
"This is what we dream of for Kansas City," said Mayor Quinton Lucas, who attended the grand opening. "Making sure not only do we have Black-owned businesses, but that they thrive. And in particular, Black, women-owned businesses--that's what this is all about."
KSHB noted that "based on the turnout for Saturday's event, Bliss Book and Wine provides something the community craves--a space to buy local books, to hang out, to drink wine and to experience culture."