‘HERstory’ roundtable distills women entrepreneur’s restless spirits into June 4 celebration
June 2, 2022 | Austin Barnes
When women are at the helm, there’s herstory to be made. A new Kansas City-based conference hopes to showcase it.
“The Sewing Labs proudly presents, Make’n HERstory, a celebration of women who use their creative muse to make a living and a life,” the nonprofit organization said, teasing its Saturday, June 4 conference experience.
The event is planned for Winnetonka High School and is expected to include panel and roundtable discussions, a silent auction, a makers fair hosted by The Strawberry Swing, lunch from Thelma’s Kitchen, and a keynote address by Jenny Doan, American quilter, author, and YouTube personality.
Additional speakers include Whitney Manney, designer and founder of WHITNEY MANNEY; Tamara Day of HGTV’s “Growing Days” and “Bargain Mansions”; Nataliya Lucia Meyer, founder of Lucia’s Sarto; and Benay Shannon, co-founder of Restless Spirits Distilling Company.
The event provides an opportunity for each of the women to showcase their accomplishments and lessons learned, Shannon told Startland News, sharing her entrepreneurial story ahead of the event and highlighting some of her own achievements.
Restless Spirits
“When we first started seven years ago, I was one of only six women distillers in the country — and I’m still the only one in Missouri,” Shannon said, noting she and her husband, Michael, founded Restless Spirits in 2016 when she transitioned out of a career teaching science classes at Park Hill South High School.
“One summer, between school years, I created [our] gin recipe — just to make a gin that I could drink and that non gin drinkers would enjoy,” she said, noting her science background has largely led the way in her second act as a distiller.
A vodka, branded Duffy’s Run, and multiple types of whiskey followed, further establishing the Restless Spirits outfit, which also boasts a North Kansas City tasting room, and multiple partnerships with major league baseball teams like the Kansas City Royals and Boston Red Sox and Kansas City’s women’s soccer team The KC Current.
“Those are all pretty exciting things and they’re opening a lot of doors for us,” Shannon said, adding she is expected to further elaborate on her success and the intersection between creativity, the maker space, and entrepreneurship as an event panelist.
Click here to learn more about Shannon and Restless Spirits or to place an order.
Beyond the conference, The Sewing Labs will expand its Make’n HERStory celebration into a June 10 gala event, set to raise necessary funds that will support its mission to create a community that embraces the legacy of sewing for employment, entrepreneurship, and enrichment.
The evening will include food, drinks, music, and impact stories from students and teachers who’ve participated in The Sewing Labs programs.
Tickets to both events are available now. Click here to learn more.
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
JQ Sirls is the king of his own universe; his new book puts a distinctly Black hero at the center of it
JQ Sirls started popping through the multiverse as a child; escaping through various worlds and alternate realities via stories like “Where the Wild Things Are,” “Peter Pan,” and “The Wizard of Oz” — as well as magical realms he created himself. “Those are my DNA,” said Sirls, a Kansas City-based author, artist and the entrepreneur behind…
His KC theater shines spotlight on queer voices; How one playwright is giving stage time to a new wave of talent
Kansas City’s theater scene should be a safe and comfortable space, said Kevin King, detailing his effort to specifically provide a place where queer voices can not only feel heard, but celebrated. “Since 2019, we’ve been basically gay all the time,” said King, producing artistic director at Whim Productions, an LGBTQ+ theater company with a…
Premiere Kansas City startup acquired by Texas-based IoT leader in proptech industry
The acquisition of Crossroads-built Homebase by Lone Star State smart home innovator Quext brings together two of the most disruptive companies in the space, said Blake Miller, founder of the premiere Kansas City startup. The move — creating a single source for multifamily operators to get the best-in-class smart community and managed WiFi solutions their…
Starlight wants to add a canopy to KC’s famed outdoor theater; Here’s what else its $40M capital campaign would bring
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. If fully funded, the campaign will make capital improvements across the entire Starlight campus — including the construction of a production…