September 11, 2025

A historic Westport building buzzes with refreshed energy as Q, an all-inclusive LGBTQ+ space.

Words
Lisa Waterman Gray
@lwgtravels

Designers
Will Brown Interiors
@willbrowninteriors

n a monumental moment that brought design and the LGBTQ+ community together, Q Kansas City opened its gorgeous, luxe space in one of Kansas City’s oldest buildings this past Valentine’s Day. Initially a general store catering to traveling pioneers, the building previously hosted multiple bars, too.

Today, clean, crisp white paint covers exterior brick, with fuchsia ceilings above the entryway. Just inside, a massive gold giraffe overlooks the reception stand. Black, gray, and white floor tiles repeat a striking pattern, reminiscent of triangles that identified gay people at Nazi concentration camps and later paid homage to the AIDS epidemic.

Co-designed by Will Brown and Abraham Colone, Q KC’s bold, unapologetic aesthetic brings to life co-owners Brett Allred and Lance Pierce’s vision for a safe, welcoming space for the local LGBTQ+ community.

Pierce praises the showstopping “magic” in Brown’s and Colone’s design style, including one-of-a-kind murals by local queer artists Jared Horman, Kerry Grant, Jessie Green, and Dr. Miles Crowley. Words by Kalen Dion on an outdoor mural hint at Q KC’s viewpoint, too: Encouraging someone to be entirely themselves is the loudest way to love them.

The Q KC design emphasizes inclusivity, with a modern, fun, whimsical, elevated, and approachable vibe. It also demonstrates emerging ‘resi-mercial’ design, a commercial and residential design hybrid with a softer feel than many traditional commercial designs.

Multiple spaces accommodate different customer interests. Rich rainbow hues create dramatic contemporary design, from walls to furnishings, and each stall in the gender-neutral bathroom features a different vibrant color of paint and tile.

The sleek black, first-floor bar incorporates dramatic, mural-filled wall arches, disco balls, and a dance floor, plus adjustable mood lighting. Two televisions visually melt into the surrounding black walls when turned off.

An undulating, wall-spanning, colorful mural, cozy loveseats, and bucket-style chairs fill the adjacent cove area, where adjustable lighting shifts the mood. Upstairs, the brighter Q&A lounge resembles a speakeasy, with a quieter vibe and deep teal wall curtains. There are mixologists and a dressing area for performers, too. On the patio, murals with an urban feel complement comfortable, easy-to-move furnishings, plenty of overhead lighting, and ceiling-mounted space heaters.

Community input also shaped Q KC, with over 300 tours and numerous online comments. A place the community can be proud of, Pierce says, “It’s a reflection of our really diverse group of people, and it’s clear that queer people were at the helm.”

“Q KC is a safe space that’s more important now than ever,” Brown adds. “[Customers] can leave their worries at the door.”

Q Kansas City
504 Westport Road
Kansas City, MO 64111
@qkansascity