KC hat maker’s sales soar after national news spotlight, capping year with validation: Made-in-the-USA still sells
December 21, 2024 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Santa came early for Sandlot Goods — in the form of an ABC World News producer, said Garret Prather.
Garret Prather, Sandlot Goods
On Dec. 13, Kansas City’s only local hat manufacturer was featured on the “Made In America Christmas” segment on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.
“Forty-five workers, 10 new hires, and 115,00 hats this year, many of them soon under the Christmas tree,” Muir mentioned during the segment.
Within just a few hours of the broadcast, Sandlot saw a 700-percent increase in its daily online sales average, noted Prather, the vice president of strategic partnerships for Sandlot, one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023.
A Sandlot Goods hat going through the shaping process at the company’s Kansas City production site; photo courtesy of Sandlot Goods
A Sandlot Goods worker sews one of the Kansas City company’s popular green dad hats, crafted for the “New Heights” podcast featuring Travis and Jason Kelce, in partnership with Homage; courtesy photo
“Momentum has continued after that, including requests on our custom bulk order side,” he continued. “But that initial spike had us all scrambling to answer the online chats and then quickly get orders fulfilled.”
Sandlot is currently running a 15 percent off sale — using code ABC — in appreciation for being showcased, he added.
Prather said it feels reassuring to see the Kansas City company featured on the national news.
“The response from the national audience told us we are on the right track,” he explained, “both with our designs — but just as important — with our belief there is a wide appeal for ball caps made in the USA that are also high quality.”
Sandlot learned they would be highlighted on the national news a week before the segment aired when a producer from ABC World News reached out on the website chat, Prather shared.
“From there, it was a quick scramble to create the content and send it over for their team to edit for the segment,” he explained. “Huge credit to our team, and in particular Blake Hamilton, who did the filming.”
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
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…
Swifts endorsement: KC couple opens Cadillac of Cajun restaurants along streetcar line
Richard and Sheila Swift started small: selling their Cajun cuisine out of an existing bar and grill in Kansas City, Kansas, in late 2022. Within a few months they had a loyal following. Still, they wanted their own operation. So they paused and spent a month planning their next step. They formed an LLC, splurged…