Baby Boi recounts their teenage years, when they saw Soakie’s for the first time:

“A couple, you know, friends and I, we went to a haunted house.‡ And of course, we’re looking across the street, and we’re like, what’s up with that place? Because on the sign, you see ‘Famous for Sandwiches’ (laughs); but you see certain individuals walk in and they look a little different from so-called “everyday people.” I wasn’t old enough to really comprehend it.

When I got a little older, my friends and I would tell our parents we were going out to so-and-so’s house, but really we would all sit in the parking lot across from Soakie’s and look in awe.”

It wouldn’t be that long before Baby Boi became part of the view. Baby Boi would be adopted into Kansas City’s Ballroom scene, and perform at Soakie’s under the pseudonym “Baby Beauty” of the House of Beauty.§ Later on, Baby Boi would join the House of Carrington, where their role expanded into hosting shows and segments as well.

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