Made In KC

Made in KC

Sandlot Goods, Ampersand Design Studio and Little Freshie: Where Inspiration and Creativity Equal Happiness

Americans take a lot of pride in purchasing “Made in the U.S.A. Products.” It’s a clear sign of patriotism and support for businesses that employ family members, friends and neighbors. But some take that spirit a step further by buying things
designed, created and produced in the Kansas City area.

Ampersand Design Studio

Ampersand is a multi-syllable word created to function as a single-mark symbol bringing together two different effects. It’s believed to have originated from the Latin word “et,” which means “and.”

Throughout history, the ampersand has been the symbol typesetters have used to convey the personality of the font they are setting. Script requires a lacy, delicate ampersand, while thick lettering demands a bold and courageous single-stroke mark. For Carrie Kiefer & Morgan Georgie, it’s the symbol in the alphabet that gets to have a little more fun, just as they do in their Kansas City-based design business, Ampersand Design Studio.

Ampersand specializes in graphic and surface pattern design, with partners in the home décor, fashion and kids’ industries. Their clients include respected names such as Land of Nod, Giggle, West Elm, Hallmark’s upscale HMK stores, Tiny Prints and Staples, as well as small businesses around the country, including cafés, bakeries, wineries, photo studios and fashion boutiques. “We are driven by a desire to create products ranging from journals to rugs that give people a little jolt of happiness in their everyday lives,” noted Morgan. “We feel that the things with which people choose to surround themselves help define who they are.”

“At Ampersand, Morgan and I love the idea of helping people express themselves, whether it’s by choosing one of our totes to carry or a quilt we’ve designed for their child’s bed,” stated Carrie. “We hope to create designs that delight people and resonate with them, and maybe even, in some small way, help create happy memories.”

So whether it’s Carrie & Morgan or Morgan & Carrie, each designer brings her own sense of playfulness and surprise to every project, resulting in creations that captivate their customers’ visual senses. “At Ampersand, we design colorful, fun products for people’s homes and their lives. Our designs are seen on stationery, serving platters, shirts, tote bags, home décor and home accessories, and even tech accessories such as phone cases,” noted Morgan. “There are calendars and planners, personalized cards, invitations and more. Everything we create is designed with happiness, fun and a true passion for what we do.”

“We think of Ampersand as the place where inspiration meets happy and where color and pattern come to play,” stated Carrie. “Many of the products we create are in partnership with local Kansas City manufacturers. Some of our designs are licensed to other companies to use on their products. The spectrum is really broad, from rugs, pillows, fabrics by the yard to lampshades and wall and room décor.”

“From our screen printers we work with to produce our products, to the friends we buy our coffee from down the street each day, to the fellow entrepreneurs we have lunch with and share ideas with, to the other successful business owners in this city that we admire, all have played a part in our journey,” noted Morgan. “The community and sense of support in Kansas City is one of a kind, and we seriously wouldn’t want to be on this crazy adventure anywhere else.”

When asked about the future, Morgan & Carrie hope for more of what they’re doing right now. “We’re targeting more licensing partnerships and looking into areas we haven’t touched such as wall coverings for the home,” revealed Carrie. “We’ll continue growing and expanding our own product line. We even daydream about possibly having our own retail shop filled with our products one day.”

Sandlot Goods

You’ve probably seen one of their signature products on thousands of Kansas Citians, from seniors to business people to even babies sporting onesies. They’re the Made in KC T-shirts designed by Sandlot Goods, owned by Katy Bird along with her business partners Chad Hickman and Ryan Hill and creative director Neil Ryan. Even though they’re a huge success for this locally grown company, the Made in KC T-shirts paved the way for the true side of the business.

“In 2013, we had the idea to do the Made in KC T-shirt. The concept behind it is that Sandlot is a 100 percent startup; we received no funding from others,” remembered Katy. “Neil designed the logo and the team oversaw the production process. We put our money into this T-shirt with the objective to sell it as fast as we could and then use the income to finance the leather products segment that really was the foundation of the business. But the T-shirts really took off and worked far better than we ever imagined.”

The T-shirts were a huge success and generated the startup funds needed to get the leather goods side of the business going. Now Katy can focus most of her energy on the design and creation of high-quality leather goods, mostly men’s and women’s products, such as wallets, handbags, key chains and more. Each piece is made with quality materials such as genuine Horween® Leather and FilzFelt wool and features Sandlot’s signature stitch, which resembles the red threads found on a baseball.

“Our signature baseball stitch is featured on nearly every leather product we make,” remarked Katy. “It’s actually hand stitched onto the product or heat stamped onto it. You can’t stitch this on a machine. I nearly put it aside because I spent weeks trying to figure out a good way to actually construct it and make it durable. Finally, I woke up in the middle of the night with the formula in my head on how to complete it. I went into the studio the next day and it worked.”

Katy’s perseverance has come through for Sandlot in other ways, too, especially in the beginning. Because the company was just getting started with little financial backing, the Horween leather company was a bit reluctant to work with this startup KC company. But its leather was a necessity for Katy’s products because of its outstanding quality with the same feel as baseball glove leather. “I went to Chicago and pitched our brand concept and they were very hesitant,” recalled Katy. “Eventually, they let us buy a few hides of leather and not the very large order that we would have placed in a normal business situation, but we kept coming back with more orders. Now we have a great relationship.”

Relationships are important to a business, no matter if they’re formed in the company conference room or on the sandlots of playgrounds across the city. Everyone realizes that working as a team is the winning combination, and everyone gets a chance to play. The name Sandlot pays homage to a place and time many consider a defining moment of their childhood, and Katy channels that spirit into her handmade leather goods. “Our drive is to create something that’s good from all angles: where it’s made, the product source and the people we work with,” noted Katy. “Our efforts at Sandlot focus on being a key part of the growing artistic environment in KC. As I got into the design and art world of Kansas City, I absolutely fell in love. The energy and the support I’ve received are incredible. I love being here and making products here because of that artistic support and that good-natured Midwestern personality that goes with it. I wouldn’t want to be in any other place.”

Little Freshie

The shop environment at Little Freshie is a bit different, with the focus on hand crafted delicious treats from its soda fountain and espresso bar at 811 West 17th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. The business that started out as a food truck has now morphed into a brick-and-mortar restaurant boasting yummy snow cones oozing with adventurous flavors such as lemon prickly pear, mango ginger, blackberry lavender, raspberry rose, root beer or green tea pear, to name just a few of the changing menu offerings. Not only do these items tempt your taste buds, but they’re also a delight for the eyes with their bright, luscious colors. All are hand crafted, all natural and spring from the creative mind of owner Lindsay Laricks.

“There’s only one Little Freshie, and the place to experience it is in Kansas City,” stated Lindsay. “I feel good about what I’ve created in serving great food made with fresh ingredients and the contribution Little Freshie adds to my neighborhood and my city.”

Also on the menu are tasty, made-from-scratch treats such as scones, cookies, muffins and raspberry oat bars, to name just a few. At the espresso bar, enjoy an espresso, macchiato, cappuccino, latte, mocha, pour-over coffee, hot tea, hot chocolate, chai, toddy and affogato, many of which can be served hot or cold. Scrumptious sandwiches are also on the menu, and Little Freshie offers catering services to bring its treats to your home or outside venue.

“When I started this project, I wanted to keep it small and still make a living,” remarked Lindsay. “Mom and Pop shops like Little Freshie have a different sense of soul. I’m lucky to be able to run this business, pay my bills and offer an atmosphere that’s cozy, fresh and fun. It makes me happy to know that I’ve created this for others to enjoy.”

Given the success of these businesses, it’s easy to see why buying local is important to our community. Its support system extends from those who purchase products to those who make the items and to those who supply the raw materials to manufacture them. When it’s Made in KC, it’s quite obvious that there’s no place like home. HLM