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

Under the Cover is a romance-genre-only independent bookshop at 607 E 31st St in the Union Hill / Midtown area of Kansas City, MO — Kansas City, Missouri, not Johnson County. It was opened by Carley Morton, co-host of the romance podcast Smut Stuff, with a grand opening on November 25, 2023 after an eight-week build-out of an empty Midtown storefront. Contemporary coverage described it as KC’s first romance-only bookstore and one of fewer than a dozen romance-specific shops nationwide. Tier 1 — single-location, locally founded, owner-operated.123

Description

A single-genre bookshop: romance and its subgenres end to end, with a dedicated BookTok section for trending titles, self-published and indie authors alongside traditionally published ones, and a back accent wall carrying a mural of Stevie Nicks by local artist Allen Halsey. Non-book stock at opening included local candles from Effing Candles, postcards and bookmarks.23

Author events are central to the operation rather than incidental. The first-party storefront runs a continuous calendar of ticketed release parties, signings and in-conversation nights — August and September 2026 listings include events with Tarah DeWitt, Anya Keeler, Kat Singleton, Sierra Simone, Julie Murphy, Adib Khorram, Hailey Dickert and B.K. Borison. Tickets are sold through the shop (often bundled with a copy of the book, typically $18.99–$25) and via Eventbrite. The site also runs a heavy pre-order program stretching into 2027, sells audiobooks, and takes local-author submissions.1

Ownership and history

Carley Morton — a longtime romance reader who has co-hosted the podcast Smut Stuff with Jesicha Fontana and producer Kelly Weddle since December 2022 — conceived the store while recovering from wisdom-tooth surgery and pitched it to her husband. Attending Romance GenreCon at Mid-Continent Public Library in August 2023 firmed up the plan; she secured the Midtown storefront in September 2023 and opened roughly eight weeks later. The grand opening was Saturday, November 25, 2023, 10am–6pm, with Happy Belly food service, J. Rieger samples and live art by Kelsey Pike; the store had been selling before that date on a soft open.2

Morton on the genre: “Romance has always been looked down upon… I think it’s more of an empowering thing now.” Kansas City Magazine reported early sales well ahead of her projections and positioned the shop among fewer than a dozen romance-exclusive bookstores in the country.23

The trading entity is listed first-party as Under the Cover LLC. No parent company or additional locations found.1

Address note: first-party gives 607 E 31st Street; 2023 press (The Pitch, Kansas City Magazine, Shelf Awareness) gave 605 E. 31st St. The two are adjacent storefront numbers on the same block. First-party is treated as authoritative; whether the shop expanded into or shifted between suites is “.123

Location correction: the intake note flagged a possible Johnson County, Kansas location. That is incorrect — first-party address, phone and all contemporary coverage place the store in Kansas City, Missouri.1

menu_status: na — retail bookstore with no food or drink service. The November 2023 grand opening featured a visiting food truck (Happy Belly) and J. Rieger samples as one-day activations, not an ongoing kitchen or bar.2

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Under the Cover — official site (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: 607 E 31st Street, Kansas City MO 64109; phone 816-794-8244; info@underthecoverkc.com; hours Mon–Tue closed, Wed–Fri 11:00am–6:00pm, Sat 10:00am–5:00pm, Sun 12:00pm–4:00pm; entity name “Under the Cover LLC”; ticketed author events August–September 2026 (Tarah DeWitt Aug 19, Brittanée Nicole Aug 20, Anya Keeler Aug 27, B.K. Borison with Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone Sept 18, Adib Khorram Sept 22, Hailey Dickert Sept 27) with ticket prices $5–$25; pre-orders listed into 2027; audiobooks and local-author submissions. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. “Under the Cover, Kansas City’s first ‘romance-only’ book store, officially opens Nov. 25,” The Pitch, Nov 20, 2023 (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: owner Carley Morton; address 605 E 31st, Midtown Kansas City; grand opening Nov 25, 2023, 10am–6pm, soft-open purchases before that; Smut Stuff podcast with Jesicha Fontana and producer Kelly Weddle since December 2022; Romance GenreCon at Mid-Continent Public Library August 2023; storefront secured in September, built out in eight weeks; stock includes BookTok titles, self-published authors, Effing Candles, postcards and bookmarks; opening-day Happy Belly food, J. Rieger samples, live art by Kelsey Pike; Morton quote on romance being “more of an empowering thing now.” ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  3. “KC has its very own romance novel-only bookshop,” Kansas City Magazine (accessed 2026-08-13). Asserts: owner Carley Morton, Smut Stuff co-host since 2022; 605 E. 31st St. in the Union Hill neighborhood; opened within weeks of securing the storefront; one of fewer than a dozen romance-specific bookshops nationwide; full-spectrum romance inventory plus a dedicated BookTok section; Stevie Nicks mural by local artist Allen Halsey; readings and signings for local romance authors; sales exceeding projections. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

See also

Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/under-the-cover · record updated 2026-08-13