Mid Coast Modern closing Westport shop, relocating Bear Soap brand to west coast
May 28, 2024 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
After nearly a decade as a local retail staple, Mid Coast Modern is closing, founder Matt Bramlette confirmed.
The Westport Road gift shop — which opened in 2015 and supports makers/artists and indie businesses — is expected to shut its doors at the end of the month.
Matt Bramlette, founder of Mid Coast Modern, Bear Soap Company, Soap Bar, in June 2020; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Sales have declined since the pandemic — especially after losing foot traffic from nearby restaurant The Corner closing in March 2020, said Bramlette, who also owns Bear Soap Company. That brand’s popular products — from body soaps and bath bombs to beard balms and toilet bombs — are crafted in-house and sold online, in Made in KC stores, and other retail locations.
“It was definitely a battle to keep income with so many external factors that we had no control over,” he explained.
Bramlette’s Bear Soap Company will continue on, moving with the founder to California in the coming months. His venture Soap Bar, which heavily featured the Bear Soap brand, closed in June 2022 when Bramlette consolidated his Westport storefronts into Mid Coast Modern.
Bramlette loved creating the Mid Coast Modern space — its soon-to-close storefront is also dealing with window damage from a deadly shooting in Westport over the weekend — and making it a unique destination for shoppers, he said.
Mid Coast Modern, May 2024; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
“I liked the hunt for interesting products and helping small brands flourish,” Bramlette noted.
He’ll miss the employees and customers who have become like an extended family, he said.
“We made lots of friends with customers and it was a joy when people would say it was their favorite shop,” he added. “I’ve lived in KC my whole life and have great connections and many good friends and family here.”
On Instagram, Bramlette also noted he’ll miss working with local makers.
“KC has a lot of creative spirit and we wish success to all of you,” he posted. “Please keep supporting local and keep small businesses alive. It’s where the personality of a city lives.”
Upon moving to California, Bramlette plans to operate production spaces in both Kansas City and California.
“I expect new opportunities to arise out West,” he said.
Featured Business
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Godfrey Riddle wants to build you a home; How Civic Saint’s eco-friendly bricks could reshape the foundation of affordable housing
Winning $55,000 in a recent national LGBT pitch competition provides Godfrey Riddle the building blocks for a hard pivot — shifting the focus of his lifestyle company Civic Saint from handmade retail goods to earthen bricks used to sustainably create artful, affordable homes. “Affordable housing is a problem I’ve been pondering since my family lost…
KC Cattle Company steaks its reputation on wagyu hot dogs; Why this rural MO business enlists veterans on its new mission
WESTON, Missouri — Patrick Montgomery struggled to find his way after his service in the U.S. Army, he said. Now on a new mission — his venture KC Cattle Company — Montgomery is helping other veterans at a similar crossroads. “The military does some things really well and they do some things really poorly,” he…
KC-area startup earns spot in first-ever AWS accelerator for emerging GovTech companies
A Lee’s Summit-based startup focused on developing tech for the criminal justice industry has been selected for Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) inaugural GovTech Accelerator cohort. eHawk — led by co-founders Bart Cooper and Ted Green, a former bail bondsman and trial attorney — is one of 13 companies tapped for the program. The Kansas City-built…
This virtual jukebox app is bringing live music to Lemonade Park; Here’s how the interactive show works
A one-of-a-kind interactive music festival that allows anyone to be the DJ arrives later this month in Kansas City, shared YouSpin founder and CEO Adell Hendon. The YouSpin Anywhere Music Festival — set for 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at Lemonade Park — is planned as a crowd-driven concert using Hendon’s socially-interactive virtual jukebox app. “People…