Tuesday · 7 PM
Author Talks in the Back Room
Kansas City writers read from new work, then stick around to sign copies and argue about endings.
Free · RSVP at the counterCrossroads Arts District · Kansas City, MO
Kansas City's late-night bookstore.
New, used & rare books in the heart of the Crossroads. Local authors on Tuesdays, jazz & poetry on Thursdays, and a reading nook that stays lit until 11 PM on weekends.
Open today · Kansas City time
- New Releases
- Used & Rare
- Kansas City Authors
- Jazz History
- Poetry
- Graphic Novels
- Kids & YA
- Signed First Editions
Staff picks · September
Handpicked by people who read too much.
Every month our booksellers pull four books off the shelf and tell you why. Hover a book to turn it toward you.
This week after dark
Follow the ember through a week at the shop.
Something happens here almost every night. Scroll and watch it light up.
-
-
Thursday · 8 PM
Jazz & Poetry Night
A local trio in the spirit of 18th & Vine, open-mic poets between sets, and the lamps turned low.
$5 suggested donation -
Saturday · 10 AM
Story Hour for Small Humans
Picture books, puppets and a very patient bookseller. Grown-ups get free drip coffee.
Ages 2–8 · Free -
Sunday · All day
Used Book Swap
Bring a bag of books you've loved and walk out with store credit and a brand-new stack.
Up to 40% trade-in credit
Our story
Started in a Crossroads warehouse with 3,000 used paperbacks.
Ember & Ink opened in 2011 in a brick warehouse on the edge of the Crossroads, with two armchairs and a borrowed espresso machine. Fifteen years later we're still independent, still family-run, and still convinced the best recommendation comes from a person — not an algorithm.
Say hi to Basie, our shop cat. He's usually asleep in Poetry.
- Trade-in credit. Bring your used books, leave with new ones.
- Book club kits. 10% off for groups of six or more, discussion guides included.
- Free local delivery. Anywhere inside the I-435 loop, usually next day.
40,000+
books on our shelves
312
author events hosted
15
years in the Crossroads
48h
to special-order any book in print
A city of fountains, jazz and burnt ends deserves a bookstore that keeps the lights on a little longer.
Visit us
Come in. Stay late.
Ember & Ink Books Crossroads Arts DistrictKansas City, MO 64108
Street parking nearby · a short walk from the KC Streetcar on Main St
| Monday | 10 AM – 9 PM |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10 AM – 9 PM |
| Wednesday | 10 AM – 9 PM |
| Thursday | 10 AM – 9 PM |
| Friday | 10 AM – 11 PM |
| Saturday | 10 AM – 11 PM |
| Sunday | 11 AM – 6 PM |
🔥 Open until midnight on First Fridays.
Ember & Ink · Crossroads, KC