Minority-Led

55-shoe collection to online sneaker platform: How Nazr El-Scari opened a market to affordable, rare kicks

By Tommy Felts / August 3, 2022

Sneakers are a distinct statement of individuality, Nazr El-Scari said, lacing up his venture’s sole purpose: to put dream shoes within reach “Growing up, I remember the excitement of opening a new pair of shoes. My older brother and his friends always had the dopest sneakers that you couldn’t find anywhere in Kansas City; it…

It starts with wool on 125-year-old looms; story of Pancho’s Blanket weaves KC into family mission

By Tommy Felts / July 30, 2022

The popularity of Jonathan Garvey’s favorite wool jacket from Mexico eventually would weave a story of entrepreneurship connecting Kansas City to his family’s home and artisans in Latin America. It took the COVID-19 pandemic and a desire to help impoverished communities in Mexico to propel that plan into action. About a year and a half…

Healthtech app bridges care access gap: Recovery takes time, but patients need mobility today

By Tommy Felts / July 28, 2022

As an occupational therapist for the past 15 years, Dr. Brandy Archie noticed a hole in the healthcare system, she said. “Your medical insurance covers things that accommodate your body, but doesn’t cover things that accommodate your environment,” she explained. That observation led Archie in 2017 to found AccessAble Living in Kansas City — now…

Smart dog crate created in KC could be just months away; Interplay set for August crowdfunding, launch party

By Tommy Felts / July 26, 2022

Dog owners are one step closer to getting their hands on the world’s first interactive dog crate as Kansas City-based Interplay plans the Aug. 12 launch of its hotly anticipated debut product, PlayTach. The milestone has been a long time coming, said Jonaie Johnson, founder and CEO of Interplay, who has been working on it…

Passion project set in stone: 2000 Vine Street’s ‘cultural inheritance’ is 150 years in the making

By Tommy Felts / July 20, 2022

Editor’s note: This story is the first in a series from Startland News highlighting entrepreneurs, businesses, and creators leading revitalization and redevelopment efforts in and around the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. Click here to read additional stories from this series. The revitalization of the two oldest public works buildings in Kansas City, abandoned…