Listen: Madison Flitch founder carves a furniture firm with KC stories ingrained
February 10, 2017 | Bobby Burch
Editor’s note: In partnership with the KC Greats podcast, hosted by Scott Parman, Startland News hopes to offer its audience more avenues to learn about entrepreneurs in Kansas City. Opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone.
In this episode, Parman chats with Madison Flitch founder John Pryor, who shares the story of bootstrapping his custom furniture firm.
After escaping his corporate tech job in the Boston, John returned to his Kansas City roots to start a new entrepreneurial journey harvesting local trees for beautiful furniture with a local story.
Located in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, Madison Flitch gives a second life to local trees by harvesting them from the area and transforming them into pieces for a home or office. Founded in 2016, the firm’s collections focus on high design and the natural beauty of the wood to offer pieces that are meaningful and rare.
Learn more about Pryor’s journey with this podcast and check out our photo gallery below that.

2017 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC team developing tool to get low-income entrepreneurs online (and it just got a $240K boost)
A collaborative project to “bridge the gap” in Kansas City’s digital divide secured one of the 2022 Heartland Challenge grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. PCs for People Kansas City (formerly Connecting for Good), in partnership with The Usher Garage and No-Where Consultants, will receive $240,000 in funding to be used over two years…
How this KC trucking platform is helping drivers achieve the ‘American Dream’ amid high industry demands, burnout
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of truck drivers in the American economy, said Jeff Dema; and Foxpoint is targeting its efforts to ensure that drivers succeed and stay in the demanding industry. “Being a truck driver is a hard job. They’re gone 250 plus nights a year from their home. It requires lots of…
Google’s $100K ‘stamp of approval’ for PlaBook reads like validation for KC-built edtech startup
Kansas City expatriate PlaBook is set to receive $100,000 from Google’s initiative to provide funding to Black-led startups. But for Philip Hickman, it’s not just about the funding, he said. It’s also a credibility boost. “We were happy to receive an investment from Google,” the edtech startup founder said. “It’s a stamp of approval to…
KC’s first Hispanic beer company craft-brews conversations beyond stereotypes
Defining his own cultural identity has been a lifelong struggle for Damon Arredondo, the longtime brewer said. Coming from a mixed-cultural background, Arredondo often felt as if there was “a checklist” that decided whether or not he was able to identify with his heritage, he shared. “Only recently in the last five year have I…









