Lovin’ Lux: LUX by Mitzy a newly opened jewelry-based business that sheds light on Kansas City’s Hispanic culture.

It’s easy to miss LUX by Mitzy — a hidden gem of Latino culture in KC — in a row of red brick buildings on 6124 Johnson Drive. The small business with a Hispanic culture customer base had its grand opening on Feb. 22. The owner of the local boutique Mitzy Romero is hoping to spread the word about her shop that specializes in jewelry and knick-knacks that are perfect for gift-giving. 

You’ll need to keep an eye out for the golden and baby pink lettering reading “LUX” on the storefront glass — the store doesn’t have an overhead sign for street and car viewing yet. A display overflowing with pink roses and green vines, along with a few pairs of Mitzy’s earrings, that welcomes shoppers who will likely be greeted by Romero herself upon entering. 

The store is packed with homemade earrings, KC Latina shirts, souvenirs, tote bags and more. Soft elevator music playing and scattered plants creates a calming shopping environment.

Romero clearly works on showcasing other small businesses with a large wooden table covered in varieties of handmade jewelry from local vendors — creating a refreshing change from large chain businesses. According to Romero, she values displaying the creations of other vendors and using her storefront to help them. Her next batch of vendors will start their collaborations with her this April. 

I chose a gold hoop dangle with a transparent heart-shaped earring made from resin out of the options of acrylic, resin or wood earrings. All resin earrings by Romero are made with real preserved flowers and have a small number of golden flakes throughout. The earrings are priced from $12-14 and didn’t disappoint — they look like they were pulled straight from my Pinterest board.

The back of the store features a special Kansas City collection with shelves filled with KC earrings, small tacky pins, scented candles, tote bags and even stuffed gnomes dressed in Chiefs gear.

My personal favorite was the light beige tote bags, large enough to hold a laptop with a bolded black swirly font reading “Kansas City” plastered across the front of the bag. The soft, pillowy material with the lengthy tote shoulder straps makes the bag way more comfortable to bring around town than your average handbag. This collection allows buyers of LUX by Mitzy to display their KC pride all throughout the year.

Nearing the left of the large, center jewelry table are the faux green grass-covered walls with brown wooden shelves of decor upon them. Among the walls were racks of pink, black and gray cotton t-shirts made by a local artist who also makes other merchandise items in the store. The shirts on the racks include a group of soft pink “KC Latina” shirts, black “Yo Soy KC” shirts and seasonal green St. Patrick’s Day “Lucky” shirts. 

Grabbing the soft pink  “KC Latina” shirt off the rack to feel it, the smooth cotton t-shirt had five white and pink alternating rows of the bolded words “KC Latina” running down the shirt. The $25 shirts shows love to Kansas City and pays homage to Hispanic culture in a cute and universal way. 

Adding to the Hispanic culture of the shop, items such as small “Latina” mugs, Day of the Dead KC art and colorful sewn homemade masks from Mexico are placed on display throughout the shop.

The way Romero effortlessly combines local KC pride and her Hispanic roots is nothing short of inspiring.

The Kansas City Hispanic culture art throughout LUX by Mitzy makes the entirety of the shop fall into place by bringing one of Kansas’s perfect elements to the store — the city itself. Tall glass office buildings, the Kauffman, Union Station, the Western Auto sign and even the large white and orange ‘Birdie’ from the Nelson-Atkins Museum all drawn into a Kansas City coffee mug in a white wooden frame brings the heart and soul of KC into her store.

As you make your final way around the store, a rose-themed photo wall featuring a light-up yellow and blue “LUX by Mitzy” sign and a ring light hangs for all your Instagram photo-ops to top off your shopping trip. It’s the perfect way to capture a photo of your recent purchase — I couldn’t help but get a shot to remember my trip.

Leaving LUX by Mitzy with a satisfied bag and heart, the newly opened jewelry-based business left me in awe wanting to make another trip back to the shop soon.