New news: This KC shop makes the sold-out hats for Kelces’ popular podcast; now you can find even more merch in store
December 16, 2023 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Sandlot Goods is taking its new retail space in Leawood to new heights, shared Garret Prather, announcing an in-store exclusive: a partnership that allows Sandlot to locally carry gear from Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast in its shop.
Sandlot Goods at Park Place in Leawood; photo by Sandlot Goods
Just in time for the last-minute holiday rush, the opportunity offers the perfect gifts for the 92%ers — and maybe Swifties — in Kansas City, said Prather, vice president of strategic partnerships for Sandlot, noting the skyrocketing popularity of the headline-grabbing professional football players — among Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles fandoms and beyond — along with the boosted appetite for their brotherly podcast this season.
Click here to learn more about the podcast.
Sandlot — Kansas City’s only local hat manufacturer — scored the distribution deal with Homage, an Ohio-based sports and pop culture apparel maker, for its store at Park Place, 11530 Ash St., after a “slow burn” year developing a trusted relationship with the complementary brand.
This fall, Sandlot, one of Startland News’ Startups to Watch in 2023, started making the New Heights hats for Homage, Prather said, but the apparel is normally only available on Homage’s website.
“It was really just them trusting our relationship and our partnership to be able to do that,” he continued. “We’re super stoked.”
RELATED: Sandlot Goods takes a swing at a brick and mortar
Sandlot Goods at Park Place in Leawood; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Homage and Sandlot are similar operations, Prather noted.
“We feel like we’re two businesses that are trying to do the right thing — going the right direction when it comes to a vintage feel and working with license — and just kind of striving to be that,” he said. “We’re not the multibillion-dollar brands that you have today with names X, Y, and Z in the license world. So It feels like a nice tie in with them.”
“But then also the authenticity of the Kelce brothers being from Ohio and Travis Kelce is now here,” Prather added. “It just felt like a natural thing.”
Sandlot’s relationship with Homage started early in 2023 when founder Chad Hickman and Ryan Vesler met at a trade show for licensing in Las Vegas, Prather shared.
“Ryan ended up visiting in the spring and looking at how we could potentially work together,” he explained. “What I appreciated was it was a slow burn of us figuring out if we had a good connection, just as far as values, what we’re looking to do, the vibes of the company. So I can’t speak for Ryan and Homage, but we’ve really enjoyed it.”
New Heights podcast hat by Sandlot Goods
At the beginning of this football season, Sandlot started making the New Heights hats, which are currently sold out online through Homage, but Prather noted they are working quickly to restock.
“It was awesome for them to entrust us with doing that because it was really taking off at that time, even more so,” he said. “Knowing and understanding everything that surrounds this podcast — to me, now, it’s beyond a sports podcast. It’s a cultural podcast.”
People appreciate the authenticity of the New Heights podcast, he continued.
“They’re talking about football, but so much of life gets talked about in it,” he added. “These are just two regular human beings who also love their mom, give shit to their dad, and it’s hilarious. … I feel like people are into the podcast as much as we are ourselves at Sandlot. So hopefully they see (the New Heights gear) as a great holiday gift and unique, especially for this season.”
Featured Business
2023 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Exited founders: Face the tough conversations first; avoid a messy post-honeymoon breakup
Preparing for an exit begins with co-founder alignment at the startup’s launch, three veteran Kansas City founders agreed. “You are getting married to your founders,” explained Tony Caudill, who co-founded two tech startups with his best friend — including aware3, which was acquired in 2018 by Nelnet. “Just like when you find your mate of…
Hy-Vee’s small biz competition sends Midwest entrepreneurs racing for $50K checkout; Here are the winners
BaKIT Box, a Chicago-based subscription service offering baking kits inspired by diverse global cuisines, took home the $30,000 grand prize at the 2024 Hy-Vee OpportUNITY Inclusive Business Summit. Shelley Gupta, the founder and CEO of BaKIT Box, was thrilled to receive the grand prize, she said. “It feels incredible,” Gupta said. “I flew here last…
How city dollars could help crime victims get back to business; Mayor unveils new fund to support struggling entrepreneurs
A newly introduced fund aimed at helping KCMO small businesses recover from and prevent property crimes — offering grants up to $3,000 for damage repairs and $5,000 for security upgrades — is a step in the right direction, said Joe Giammanco, whose pizza shop was recently hit by criminals. “Programs like this are going to…
KC pet tech startup fetches $120K Techstars investment, taking founder’s pitch to Atlanta
As Kansas City-built Interplay prepares to bring its debut product to market, the pet tech startup is getting a jolt of new energy from one of the nation’s top accelerator programs. The timing couldn’t be better, said founder Jonaie Johnson, announcing Interplay’s acceptance into Techstars Atlanta & New Orleans Powered by J.P. Morgan, which welcomed…