Missie B's

Long-running Midtown/Westport LGBTQ+ bar and nightclub on West 39th Street, founded in 1994 by owner Michael “Missie” Burnes, known for nightly drag shows, a multi-room/two-story layout, and a decades-long tradition of free Thanksgiving and Christmas community meals.

Description

Missie B’s is an LGBTQ+ bar and nightclub at 805 West 39th Street in midtown Kansas City, Missouri, near the Westport district. Founded in 1994 by Michael Burnes, it is one of Kansas City’s best-known and longest-running gay venues, recognized for its nightly drag performances and “bar theater.” The two-story complex includes a main stage and bar plus an upstairs dance floor equipped with music-video screens, and it operates 365 days a year.

The venue is named for owner Michael Burnes, whose nickname “Missie’s Missing” — a reference to his habit of slipping away while out — was shortened to “Missie B’s.” Beginning as a piano and karaoke bar, it has since expanded to several times its original footprint by acquiring adjacent spaces.

The business remains open as of May 2026.

Ownership and history

Missie B’s was established in April 1994 by Michael Burnes, who had previously operated other bars in the Kansas City area. What started as a piano/karaoke bar grew over the following decades — by Burnes’s account expanding to more than four times its original size by taking over neighboring storefronts — into a multi-room drag and dance venue that became a fixture of KC’s LGBTQ+ nightlife on the 39th Street corridor.

Beyond nightlife, Missie B’s is known for a community-service tradition: free potluck-style holiday meals on Thanksgiving and Christmas, which Burnes reportedly began even before opening the bar, to serve people without family or who felt rejected during the holidays. The venue has also served as a rallying and fundraising point for the local LGBTQ+ community; it raised a reported $54,000 for victim funds following the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting.

Tier classification

Tier 1. Missie B’s is owner-operated by its founder, Michael Burnes, who has run it for roughly three decades and grown it organically into a Kansas City LGBTQ+ institution. Its independent ownership, long tenure, deep ties to the 39th Street/Westport community, and sustained charitable role (holiday meals, Pulse fundraising) reflect the pride-and-local-dedication that Tier 1 measures. [Editorial judgment per feedback_tier_flexibility.]

Links

• Website: https://missiebs.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missiebskc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missiebs/

See also

• midtown-kc
• westport
• volker
• Registry

Sources

1. Missie B’s — official site — https://missiebs.com/ — accessed 2026-05-30
2. Wikipedia — “Missie B’s” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missie_B’s — accessed 2026-05-30
3. UMKC LaBudde / GLAMA — “Kansas City’s LGBTQIA Bar Census” (David W. Jackson) — https://libweb.umkc.edu/content/images/glama/timeline/jackson-book-bar-list.pdf — accessed 2026-05-30

Verification

Drafted 2026-05-30 from web research; 3 sources (independent: official site, Wikipedia, UMKC GLAMA bar census). Confirmed: owner Michael Burnes, drag-show identity, 39th Street/midtown location, expansion history, holiday-meal community tradition, year-round operation. Discrepancies flagged: founding year is 1994 (not 1983 as in brief — 1983 may reference an earlier Burnes bar); website is missiebs.com (brief listed missiebskc.com).