Startland News

An introverted “creativepreneur,” Quincy Lee juggles video content creation, co-owning a digital marketing agency, designing his own apparel, and fatherhood — all while bringing bold ideas into focus. He launched his apparel brand this year as a side project.

Latasha N. Eley Kelly’s new storefront not only combines her love of books, education, and supporting local creatives, she said; Left on Read also serves as a unique community space that brings representation to #Wichita’s literary scene.

The moment local shoppers — aspiring to better entertain friends and loved ones — heard what Sarah Brown’s online store was offering, her home and lifestyle business “just blew up,” she said, detailing the demand now pushing the brand’s jump to brick and mortar.

What started out as a joke about an inflatable unicorn sprinkler “tooting” out candy has turned into a meaningful daddy-daughter candy business, Lee Urban shared. The Shawnee father launched Fantastical Droppings “for the little squirts that make your life complete,” he notes on the colorful packaging.

A just-dropped collaboration between two Crossroads makers stitch together neighborhood history and vintage streetwear, according to the creatives behind the SewKC and MADE MOBB brands. “We’re paying homage to the craftsmanship of the past but bringing it into this new age,” explained Jesse Phouanphet, co-owner of the popular Kansas City streetwear apparel company MADE MOBB. The Stitching KC Together collection from SewKC and MADE MOBB features a limited run of 100 quilt-lined, corduroy-collared, cropped-hem black jackets that can be customized with MADE MOBB/Sew KC/Crossroads embroidered patches. A limited number of the jackets will also feature an East meets West Crossroads design on the back.

Tamara Grubb was just looking for a nice office space when she walked into a Westport building — a long-ago gas station with a distinctive double-A frame roof that once launched the popular Ruby Jean’s Juicery brand. Her first thought: This space wasn’t meant to be an office. It was destined to become a coffee shop — a vision she brought to reality in October when she opened Triple Crown Coffee + Eats + Events in the building at 4001 Broadway Blvd. The shop offers espressos, cappuccinos, lattes, matcha, cold brew, tea, Americano, cocoa, milkshakes, smoothies, and other drinks.

An introverted “creativepreneur,” Quincy Lee juggles video content creation, co-owning a digital marketing agency, designing his own apparel, and fatherhood — all while bringing bold ideas into focus. “I’ve always been an entrepreneur all my life,” Lee said, reflecting on the early days of his journey. “It started small, but it planted the seed for what I do now.” As a child, Lee sold skateboard parts and sneakers to his classmates, unknowingly laying the groundwork for his future ventures. Today, he channels that same resourcefulness into his apparel line, “Imagination at Work,” a collection designed to showcase his creative philosophy.

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Government red tape is getting in the way of entrepreneurs’ ability to compete, said Mark Alford, detailing his efforts in Washington, D.C. to ensure affordable, equitable access to and use of “digital technologies” — especially when the federal government is involved, he added. “Small businesses are the fabric of America, driving innovation and growth,” said U.S. Rep. Alford, R- Missouri, introducing a bill this week that would clarify Small Business Administration rules to allow SBA 7(a) loan funds to be used for digital tools and services.

A Lenexa-based tech company focused on accelerating skills for avid golfers hit a funding milestone this week, announcing a seed round meant to bridge the gap between on-course and off-course play through its innovative physical and digital solutions. Albatross Golf — which boasts two flagship offerings: GolfTRK and Noonan — on Tuesday shared news of its $675,000 funding infusion, fueled in large part by the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit (KAITC) program. The statewide initiative incentivizes investments in Kansas startups by giving investors 50 percent of their investment back as Kansas tax credits.