After 25 years and two concepts, Johnson County restaurant and bar closes for good

Jenna Thompson
·1 min read

Another Johnson County restaurant rises and falls.

Gravity, an American bar and restaurant, has closed after less than two years at 4160 W. 71st St. in Prairie Village. It opened in 2022 as a replacement for another restaurant owned by KC Hopps.

Blue Moose had operated there for over 20 years, but in late 2020, KC Hopps announced that it would close.

After COVID relief packages rolled in, however, KC Hopps decided to reopen the space as Gravity: a modern bar with a “lighter and brighter” feel.

“The Blue Moose had a long and successful run. However, everything must end,” Ed Nelson, president of KC Hopps, said in a statement then.

Nelson’s sentiment rings true today. A sign taped to Gravity’s door thanks customers for their patronage.

Bethany Ferrero, a spokeswoman for KC Hopps, told The Star in a statement on Monday that they decided not to renew their lease, and another tenant will move in.

“We had 25 great years in this location, and we wish the next operator the same success,” Ferrero said.

Before Blue Moose, KC Hopps operated Mosaic Bistro and Wine Bar there for a little over a year.

Gravity offered specialty craft cocktails, beer on tap, and menu items like BLTs, seasonal flatbreads and seafood linguine.

KC Hopps owns several other bars and restaurants, including O’Dowd’s Gastrobar and Tanner’s Bar & Grill.