Nonprofit launching retail incubator for Asian-owned businesses; next up: a cultural district in Columbus Park
February 20, 2026 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu | Minority-Led, News, Woman-led
A new retail incubator in a former Columbus Park tattoo shop is expected to push forward the nonprofit mission of Hella Good Deeds — amplifying the Asian community in Kansas City — while boosting sales for Asian-owned, product-based businesses, said Béty Lê Shackelford.
The former Tiger Alley Tattoo Parlor at 913 E. 5th St. in Columbus Park; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
The vision for “Jade Market”: take over the recently-vacated Tiger Alley Tattoo Parlor at 913 E. 5th St., across the street from Café Cà Phé, a Vietnamese coffee shop that already has become a cultural hub for members of the local Asian creative and business communities.
“The goal is to be able to have our own space that people can come to when they require services and resources,” explained Shackelford, who helped launch Hella Good Deeds as a nonprofit in 2025 after it began as an initiative of Café Cà Phé. “We’ve become the go-to Asian connector in the community. And rather than just being like, ‘Oh, text or call me,’ I can say like, ‘Hey, we have people here to support you in person.’”
A soft launch for Jade Market is planned for May, with a more formal opening set for early June, just as World Cup fever hits Kansas City. The space is expected to welcome a handful of businesses, as well as serve as the headquarters for Hella Good Deeds.
“We asked ourselves, ‘How do we justify paying rent and the overhead that it takes for a physical space?’” explained Shackelford, who serves as executive director of the organization. “And what would be a win-win-win-win-win? We thought that would be Jade Market: a space that could provide a stream of revenue for us, as well as uplift entrepreneurs who are amplifying the Asian narrative and Asian culture.”
Hella Good Deeds has applied for a community grant to help with the rent, Shackelford said, but organizers plan to make the space work even if the financing doesn’t come through.
“We wanted to really build a place where people know that it’s safe for them to go to and ask for resources,” she added.
Click here for tickets to a Lunar New Year Night Market fundraising event planned for Saturday, Feb. 21 at the Zhou B. Art Center. It also serves as a celebration of the Year of the Fire Horse.
Cohort built in the sweet spot
Shackelford — a member of the latest Pipeline Pathfinder cohort — views Jade Market as a bridge between Café Cà Phé and retailers like Made In KC for Asian vendors, she said.
Béty Lê Shackelford, founder and executive director of Hella Good Deeds; photo by Nicole Bissey Photography, courtesy of Pipeline Entrepreneurs
“That’s our kind of sweet spot,” she explained. “Café Cà Phé has supported vendors with 12-by-12 shelves that they rent out. Made In KC gets hundreds of applications a year, so they have a super robust selection process and it’s more difficult for entrepreneurs to get into their spaces.”
The first vendors for the market will be from Hella Good Deeds’ inaugural Jade Market Cohort, participating in a four-week incubator for six to eight Asian, product-based entrepreneurs who want to grow into retail.
The cohort — set to run Saturdays from April 4-25 — is expected to cover branding, pricing, packaging, and marketing in an interactive workshop and will be led by Christine Lau Quigley, corporate gifting manager at Made In KC. After Quigley connected with Shackelford at several events, she volunteered to create the cohort once she heard about Hella Good Deeds’ plans for Jade Market.
“She is basically holding our vendors hands and showing them what would make their application competitive if, eventually, they want to be in a bunch of Made in KC locations,” Shackelford explained. “I think sometimes it’s intimidating to go into that world if you don’t feel like you know someone or have organizations that are supporting you.”
Applications for the cohort are open through Feb. 28. Click here to apply.
“Our superpower is accessing populations that are scared or apprehensive to ask for help,” noted Lauri Pham, communications director for Hella Good Deeds. “Christine is fully in control of the curriculum and the program and teaching it, but then we are able to push out this opportunity to businesses that could really use it but maybe wouldn’t seek it out on their own.”
“We are the hand holders,” Shackelford added. “We’re not doctors, but we’ll drive you to the doctors. We will support you through that journey.”
Creating a cultural epicenter
In addition to showcasing vendors from the cohort, Jade Market is expected to feature a curated collection of AANHPI-themed goods by MADE MOBB — like the Kansas City streetwear brand’s Three Ladies tee — and select items from Asian-owned businesses nationwide.
ICYMI: How a decade of grit proved these urban heroes from MADE MOBB are ‘more than just clothes’
Hella Good Deeds hopes to eventually create a larger Asian district — The Jade — in Columbus Park, Pham noted, as the neighborhood has a large Asian population and a history of Asian immigrant resettlement. The team would eventually like to have a larger space to add a food hall to highlight even more Asian entrepreneurs and have a bigger event space.
“We want to revitalize some parts of the neighborhood that haven’t been active for a while,” Pham continued, “but also be able to have this truly be the community gathering space for Asian populations around Kansas City. We also want the greater Kansas City community to know this is where you can go to really experience what it’s like to be a part of our community.”
Hella Good Deeds began in 2021 as a community outreach program of Café Cà Phé — in direct response to the Stop Asian Hate Movement that followed a 2021 spa shooting in Atlanta. In early 2025, it officially became a nonprofit of its own.
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The organization has hosted three events as a nonprofit so far, with plans for four more this year, Shackelford noted, starting with Saturday’s Lunar New Year Night Market.
“We always center vendors at these heritage events,” added Pham. “So Jade Market will give entrepreneurs an opportunity for a more consistent, year-round platform to sell their items.”
But it’s not just about uplifting Asians, Shackelford said.
“With Jade Market and with The Jade, eventually, we’re hoping to center the experience around sharing our culture and shifting narratives,” she said. “We want it to be a place where — no matter your background — you can come to enjoy, for example, Asian cuisine together.”
“I would love for Kansas City to be known as the epicenter of Asian culture in the Midwest,” Shackelford continued. “So that if you’re from Hannibal, Missouri, and you want somewhere to experience and be immersed in the culture, you know you can find it in Kansas City — even when there are no events going on.”
