This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Rex Vintage (formerly Rex Catalog) is a brother-founded West Bottoms vintage clothing store that grew from a teenage side hustle into a 16,000 sq ft flagship in three years, with an affordability-first curation ethos.

Description

Rex Vintage is a Kansas City vintage clothing retailer founded by brothers Thomas and Reade Rex, notable both for the speed of its expansion and for its explicit affordability positioning within a category that often trends expensive.12 Reade Rex began the operation as a high schooler in 2023, initially on Kansas City’s Westside, before the brothers expanded into a West Bottoms storefront at 1420 W 13th Terrace in 2024.12 In July 2026 the business consolidated into a 16,000-square-foot flagship at 1280 Liberty Street in the West Bottoms, a footprint that includes plans for an in-store café concept.3

The rebrand from “Rex Catalog” to “Rex Vintage” tracks that flagship-scale move; earlier press consistently refers to the business under the Rex Catalog name.12

Ownership and history

Founders Thomas Rex and Reade Rex operate the business as brothers; Reade launched the venture as a high-school student, and the pair grew it from Westside origins in 2023 into a dedicated West Bottoms retail location in 2024.12 Startland News’s July 2026 coverage of the 1280 Liberty flagship describes the new space as a substantial jump in scale (roughly 16,000 sq ft) with a planned café component intended to broaden the retail experience into a longer-dwell destination.3 The café concept was announced but not confirmed operational at the time of drafting — treat as pending. “ for café opening date and operator.

Inventory / Vibe

Curated vintage apparel with an explicit affordability posture — the founders’ pitch, across both KCUR’s 2023 profile and Startland’s 2024 coverage, foregrounds price accessibility as a differentiator in a category where curated vintage often skews high.12 Specific inventory categories (denim / outerwear / graphic tees / womenswear splits) are “ pending direct site or in-store verification. The 2026 flagship’s café concept, once live, is intended to extend dwell time in-store.3

Sources

Footnotes

  1. “The Rex Catalog,” Startland News, August 2024 — West Bottoms expansion and brother-founder backstory. URL ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. “Kansas City vintage clothing store Rex Catalog,” KCUR, October 14, 2023 — teen-founder profile and Westside origins. URL ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. “RexKC West Bottoms,” Startland News, July 2026 — 16,000 sq ft flagship at 1280 Liberty St with café concept. URL ↩ ↩2 ↩3

See also

  • Registry
  • Owner-And-History-Research-Toolchain
Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/rex-vintage · record updated 2026-08-26