At downtown Mission’s newest storefront, everything is not what it seems.
Customers enter to find an unassuming neighborhood corner store. Various goods like Zapp’s chips, boxes of cereal, jars of almond butter, soaps and kitchen accessories line the shelves.
But the store’s “backroom storage area” hints at more to be discovered. If shoppers can tell the cashier the password, they’re led back to a dimly lit space with cocktails, music, and a lot of tiger decor.
That’s a nod to the bar’s name Common Tiger — a new speakeasy concept by the owners of nearby cocktail bar The Primrose. The team quietly opened the bar for its first curious customers last weekend.
Common Tiger is at 5616 Johnson Drive
- The bar is in a space in the center of downtown Mission, near Sandhills Brewing and Urban Prairie Coffee.
- Beardé Salon previously occupied that space, before closing at the end of 2022.
- For now, Common Tiger is open from 6 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Common Tiger offers a range of craft cocktails
Among the Common Tiger’s cocktail offerings are the aptly-named “tiger’s blood” (which comes with Mean Mule poblano agave spirit, grapefruit, blood orange liqueur, lime and grapefruit soda) and the “cabana boy” (which comes with rum, coconut, pineapple and lime).
Customers can enjoy those cocktails in corners on dark red couches or out on the dance floor.
Abby Hans and her co-owners (who also happen to be her parents Jason and Julie Hans and her older brother Mason Hans) opened The Primrose nearly two years ago.
When the family opened their first bar, she said, they knew they liked the idea of a speakeasy-type vibe. They leaned into that with The Primrose’s dark couches and “moody” ambiance.
But when the former Beardé space opened up with a separate front and a back component, she said, it was pretty clear right away that it would be a great space to bring their idea to fruition.
“Speakeasies in Kansas City and in other cities are really popular,” Hans said. “It kind of makes going to the bar an experience in itself.”
Hans family has other business ventures
Julie and Jason Hans also own Urban Prairie Coffee and Mission: Board Games down the street. The family took over the space when the Twisted Sisters coffee shop closed its doors in 2018.
“It’s been really fun working with my family and seeing new opportunities for businesses,” Abby Hans said. “I think we’re all kind of entrepreneurs at heart.”
They went on to open the Primrose in September 2022. While the Primrose and Common Tiger complement each other in some ways, Hans said, The Primrose has established itself as more of an intimate spot for date nights or small groups.
“With the Primrose being such a small space, we ran into the problem where we couldn’t take groups bigger than four,” she said. “I think Common Tiger addresses that issue. If anyone wants to come in with a big group of friends, they can, if we have the space.”
As for the corner store component up front, Hans said customers have already made good use of it too — stopping for snacks on their way out of the bar or after nights out elsewhere. Eventually, she hopes to potentially give the store its own gift shop identity, expanding its inventory and stocking it with more specialty items.
“There are so many opportunities for creativity here,” she said. “It’s fun going to different cities and seeing different bars and what concepts they come up with. I think that was a big inspiration.”
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