KC needs elevated ambience, founder says; how her soon-to-open Westwood home store sets the table for ‘touches of trend’
December 6, 2024 | Joyce Smith
The moment local shoppers — aspiring to better entertain friends and loved ones — heard what Sarah Brown’s online store was offering, her home and lifestyle business “just blew up,” she said, detailing the demand now pushing the brand’s jump to brick and mortar.
Place setting by Blair & Blythe; courtesy photo
“It showed that people in Kansas City need and want what I’m offering,” said Brown, founder of Blair & Blythe, which focuses on traditional merchandise for the home with “touches of trend” — European brands, vintage, and other items unique to the metro.
“People in the South are just masters of hosting,” continued Brown, who spent time in Texas working in retail. “Seeing that hole in the market, I wanted to bring it here.”
Through its three-year-old online shop, Blair & Blythe carries “elevated tabletop” items including fine china, flatware, drinkware, cocktail and dinner napkins, tablecloths and table runners, and candleholders, as well as stationery, lamps, Mahjong game accessories, and furniture (currently swivel chairs, bar carts, Winchester chests, rattan coffee tables and more).
Click here to check out Blair & Blythe on Instagram.
Blair & Blythe’s popularity with locals online inspired Brown to explore a physical space in the metro — ultimately leading her and her husband to purchase a two-story, nearly 6,000-square-foot building at 4812 Rainbow Blvd. in Westwood in 2023.
View this post on Instagram
Renovation work on the building — formerly Ambience Furs, also owned by a local couple, which had long operated in the space, but closed last year when the owners retired — is near completion with Blair & Blythe tying up inspections and other finishing touches.
“It’s a very old building, built in 1930, and we are giving it new life,” said Brown, who is trained as a professional counselor, primarily working with adults with personality disorders, and substance abuse issues, as well as couples counseling.
Rehabbing the Westwood space — which includes a new floor plan, design consultation room, and shipping and receiving dock — gave Brown a new creative outlet from the counseling job; a diversion that also fueled the initial creation of Blair & Blythe, she said.
An opening date for the brick and mortar has not yet been announced.
Click here to follow Blair & Blythe’s journey to opening.
The mid-renovation Blair & Blythe storefront at 4812 Rainbow Blvd. in Westwood; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Place setting by Blair & Blythe; courtesy photo
The shop will have a gift and wedding registry, and Brown wants to launch her own luxury curated line of table linens and tabletop pieces.
For the holidays, Brown already has pulled together stag head serving sets and bowls, Candy Stripe & Checks lumbar pillows, and tartan check assorted dish towels.
“After COVID we all understand the importance of coming together,” Brown said. “To have a story laid out on your table I think is just so special.”
Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follower on X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
How one of KC’s earliest Esports leaders is leveling up inclusive gaming (and why it’s C-suite or bust for his next plays)
Change comes through leadership, said AbdulRasheed Yahaya, announcing he’s acquired co-ownership of one of the largest Esports facilities in the nation — positioning him to take the controller and level up on his long-standing commitment to make the industry a fair game for all. “To do this, I’ve always known I have to be at the…
DC-based lobbying group for entrepreneurs names former Pipeline leader as new leader
A fresh face joining the helm of a leading lobbying organization for entrepreneurs is expected to bring Midwest perspective and representation to the fight to create more jobs through the innovation economy. Joni Cobb, the founding president and CEO of Pipeline Entrepreneurs — a Kansas City, Kansas-based network of startup founders now led by executive…
Retro-inspired activewear brought this stay-at-home mom out of isolation; why it’s go-go time for Molly Heise’s budding business
Molly Heise’s earliest memories go back to playing marbles on her great-grandma’s avocado-colored shag carpet, captivated by the various floral patterns that surrounded her, she recalled. Today, those memories inspire her personal style and activewear line, GoGoBloom. “I’ve loved the retro style for as long as I can remember,” she shared. “But in the past…
PlaBook to compete for $1M in prizes at world’s largest pitch competition for edtech startups
Fresh off its selection to Pipeline’s latest fellowship, a Kansas City edtech startup is now set to compete at The Elite 200 as a semifinalist in The GSV Cup — representing top pre-seed and seed stage startups in digital learning across the “Pre-K to Gray” space. KC-based PlaBook is set to vie for $1 million…