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
Photos: Culture pops as Kritiq puts KC’s fashion family on the runway
The evolution of the Kritiq fashion show — from a one-night event to a full weekend showcasing up-and-coming artists and fashion designers in streetwear and high fashion — was an intentional effort to reflect Kansas City’s booming creative landscape, said Mark Launiu. “The culture [of Kansas City] is changing and we have to be a…
KCultivator Q&A: Dan Smith coaches retail potential from within east side entrepreneurs
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 Plexpod, a progressive coworking platform offering next generation workspace for entrepreneurs, startups, and growth-stage companies of all sizes. As Dan Smith looked around Kansas City, he saw his hometown continuously…
OHUB needs whole community to achieve vision of ecosystem inclusion, leaders say
Opportunity Hub isn’t an exclusive club, said Rodney Sampson. “What I would like to see is greater collaboration with the existing players already on the ground,” explained Sampson, founder of the Opportunity Hub (OHUB), noting that his organization’s goal to foster entrepreneurship within Kansas City’s minority communities doesn’t mean animosity toward the broader startup landscape. …
Social Side Effect: Kilee Nickels says Instagram built Nickel & Suede (and the proof is in the postings)
Editor’s note: Social Side Effect is an ongoing profile series that identifies the intersection between social influencing and entrepreneurship When customers care, business is better and social media proves it, said Kilee Nickels. “Having Instagram, having Facebook, having a blog, definitely got our business started and kept us going for so long,” added Nickels, CEO…