News

Taylor Swift’s Super Bowl ring: How a $14 gold loop on the world’s most famous popstar scored big for this KC maker

By Tommy Felts / January 30, 2024

Emily Bordner couldn’t believe the once-in-a-lifetime response to her Travis Kelce-themed ring’s appearance on the finger of one of the world’s biggest celebrities. “I’m still in shock,” said Bordner, owner of EB and Co., after images of superstar Taylor Swift rocking her jewelry at the AFC Championship Game on Sunday exploded on social media and…

It’s showtime for KC makers as demand for Super Bowl gear hits the jackpot: Go BTS with Charlie Hustle

By Tommy Felts / January 30, 2024

Even though the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years, Jordan Betts shared, fans are still snatching up merchandise like it’s the first time. “These aren’t even winning-the-Super Bowl shirts,” said Betts, communications manager for Kansas City-based Charlie Hustle, referencing the apparel brand’s newly debuted “Showtime in Vegas”…

‘You’re not just a fan; it’s your livelihood!’ KC makers’ work featured in Chiefs’ playoffs trailer

By Tommy Felts / January 27, 2024

The NFL playoffs tease a new season of creativity for Kansas City makers like Johnny and Michele Dawbarn — especially when the Chiefs’ success starts the clock on new opportunities. The couple behind Collective EX, sewKC, and HITIDES Coffee (all within their symbiotic studio space in the East Crossroads) recently helped design several items featured…

Tech workforce program championed by former Chiefs star graduates its first KC class

By Tommy Felts / January 27, 2024

An education initiative recently launched in Kansas City not only focuses on lifting up young people from low-income backgrounds and helping them succeed in the high-tech sector, said pro football hall of famer Will Shields: it upends a cycle of decline and replaces it with building blocks. i.c.stars, headquartered in Chicago, launched in Kansas City…

Build-A-Bear founder joins VFA’s board, lauding group as an ‘onramp’ to entrepreneurship for overlooked young professionals

By Tommy Felts / January 27, 2024

ST. LOUIS — A hometown founder and entrepreneurial icon is joining the board of one of the region’s premiere work placement opportunities for early-career professionals. Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop — the teddy-bear-themed retailer she launched in 1997 in St. Lous — is the latest appointment to the national board of directors for Venture…