Minority-Led

JT Daniels’ murals infuse sparks of Kansas City into new downtown collaborative workspace

By Tommy Felts / September 2, 2020

A sprawling mural inside Spark Kansas City offers the new collaborative workspace and its members more than just a few pops of color, said JT Daniels. “The subjects are all important figures specific to KC’s history, both past and present,” said Daniels, a Kansas City-based illustrator and muralist tasked with helping bring Spark KC’s common…

$100K in microgrants awarded across 23 struggling, but resilient minority businesses

By Tommy Felts / September 2, 2020

Editor’s note: The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a financial sponsor of Startland News. This report was produced independently by Startland News’ nonprofit newsroom. A COVID-era resiliency fund that quickly closed applications after receiving a deluge of response from entrepreneurs in need has awarded microgrants to 23 minority businesses on both sides of the state…

Toddlers and baristas: MY Play Cafe bets on playground coffee shop concept in Lee’s Summit

By Tommy Felts / August 18, 2020

You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, Tiffany Kim said, recalling a trip to Las Vegas that inspired her to roll the entrepreneurial dice back home in Kansas City — despite a raging pandemic.  “I call it the most relaxing day of my motherhood career,” laughed Tiffany, co-founder of Lee’s Summit-based MY Play Cafe, recalling…

Pressed for cash: Ruby Jean’s gifted $10K second shot with new nonprofit’s debut grant

By Tommy Felts / August 13, 2020

Three months after its founding, one of Kansas City’s newest entrepreneurial support organizations might have just saved Ruby Jean’s Juicery from closing its doors for good.  “It’s amazing to see a dream come true and really get it done,” said Christoper Stewart, board president and founding member of Generating Income For Tomorrow (GIFT) — a newly…

Fashion (role) models: How Love Spot KC’s simple statement tees inspire more than words

By Tommy Felts / July 31, 2020

One of Kansas City’s latest apparel companies isn’t just another T-shirt shop — it’s a Black-owned, woman-owned empowerment engine that even a global pandemic hasn’t shaken, said Courtnee White.  “A business that is showing diversity in women, I think that’s a huge thing,” White, owner of the Love Spot KC, said of the brand’s mission to…