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
Edison Jumpstart grants offer early stage startups an office space entry point
A new grants program will give entrepreneurs the opportunity to “try it before you buy it” — removing a barrier to entry for young startups looking for high-end office space, said Matt Druten, announcing the Edison Jumpstart Program. “We’ve always said [Edison Spaces’ flexible office setup] was built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs,” said Druten, CEO…
WSJ report: Overland Park-based DEG posts $150M exit in deal with Japanese ad behemoth
Top-tier Kansas City digital agency DEG will provide a global advertising giant with an opening into the U.S. market, as well as push the locally-headquartered firm’s reach international, the companies said Tuesday. Dentsu Aegis Network announced the acquisition of Digital Evolution Group (DEG) as part of an effort to transform its existing creative hub, Isobar.…
KCultivator Q&A: Katie Kimbrell pushes reimagined education, equality for women
Editor’s note: KCultivators is a lighthearted profile series to highlight people who are meaningfully enriching Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The KCultivator Series is sponsored by WeWork Corrigan Station, a modern twist on Kansas City office space. MECA Challenge and Startland News are both programs of the Kansas City Startup Foundation, though the content below was produced…
Wild Way mobile coffee shop makes camp for winter in Crossroads warehouse
Winter weather has proven a little too wild for Christine Clutton’s coffee camper, the Wild Way founder said, revealing an indoor, seasonal home for the mobile coffee shop. “We are in a warehouse, but operate in a camper still,” she said of the Wild Way Winter Warehouse space at 708 E. 19th St. “We just…