Profiles

Jahna Riley, Aya Coffee + Books pop-up at Blip Roasters

Black and bookish: Founder hopes to turn pop-up page, eyeing coffee and book shop on KC’s east side

By Tommy Felts / February 25, 2021

Jahna Riley loves the atmosphere of coffee shops. Connecting with others over coffee and a good book is a personal joy, she said, noting one glaring exception in most shops: inclusivity.   “Kansas City has an amazing coffee scene, but it’s not necessarily one where I see my culture reflected in it,” Riley shared. “I want…

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Matt Castilleja, Castilleja Furniture | Objects

Why one KC woodworker says he won’t let ‘anything short of the best’ ship out his River Market door

By Tommy Felts / February 23, 2021

Matt Castilleja’s River Market furniture business ships sculptural and elemental pieces from coast-to-coast — often surprising high-end customers and design fans with the craftsman’s firmly planted Kansas City roots, said Castilleja. “People would think we were some New York boutique or based in someplace like Spain or Italy — more established design communities,” the owner…

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Paul McRoberts, Jacque Hansen, Matt Kirchner, and Brian Schumacher, Atonix Digital

Black & Veatch spinout gives Atonix Digital the startup space to scale on its own

By Tommy Felts / February 23, 2021

A newly independent Atonix Digital is leaning into growth opportunities after being spun out of its corporate home at Black & Veatch earlier this year. “The benefit to Black & Veatch is: they get to stay on their core business model. The benefit to Atonix Digital is: we get to be more nimble, pursue new…

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Jessica Washburn, Bliss Chocolatier

How one artisan chocolatier rewrote the recipe for her life — and molded a new, more approachable luxury chocolate

By Tommy Felts / February 19, 2021

A Blue Springs-dipped chocolate shop isn’t just selling show-stopping sweets, it’s unwrapping a community-coated adventure for a local mom — eight years in the making.  “I feel more a part of this community than I ever have before,” said Jessica Washburn, co-owner of Bliss Chocolatier, an artisan chocolate boutique dedicated to crafting a number of treats…

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Jasper Sanders, Deposit The Work

KCK trainer launches lifestyle, fitness app that pays users cashback for burning calories 

By Tommy Felts / February 18, 2021

Investing in your health just got a lot more literal with Deposit The Work — an app that pays users when they burn calories — explained Jasper Sanders. “I was trying to come up with a way for people to stay with fitness,” said Sanders, the app’s Kansas City, Kansas-based founder. “A lot of people…

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