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
It’s wheels up for KC flight attendant-turned headwear designer: Heavy Head takes flight
Jaclyn Heupel had a gut feeling early in the pandemic that she would eventually get furloughed from her job as a flight attendant with American Airlines. Brainstorming ideas for a side gig to help her pass the time led Heupel to a sewing machine and fabric. Watching YouTube videos brought experimentation with materials. She settled…
Chefs transform ‘ugly’ produce into beautiful dinners: How Kanbe’s Markets is taking food waste off the menu
From lumpy apples to a spotty potato, foods with cosmetic flaws are still edible and nutritionally dense, said Ali Curbow. “People turn away these types of produce because it is considered ‘ugly’ — but we’re hoping to showcase that these ugly produce can be made into something beautiful,” said Curbow, marketing manager at Kanbe’s Markets,…
Gator, shrimp po’boys made to order, but Chef Esra has more than sandwiches plated for KC’s East Side
Opening a restaurant is just one phase of Esra England’s vision for Kansas City’s East Side. “I’m looking at a restaurant as an anchor point. Once you have a restaurant in the area, the community will be able to do different things like host meetings or classes — and hopefully, other businesses will start to…
KC investors power $4.5M round for OP startup poised to ‘unlock billions’ for its customers
Overland Park-based Realto has closed a $4.5 million funding round — thanks in large part to the backing of Kansas City-based investors. “We’re excited to welcome these important investors as we continue to expand our robust trading capabilities across the universe of alternative products,” Brian King, co-founder and CEO, said in announcement of the funding round which…









