Tag: Strawberry Swing

Daya Johnson, Daya & Me

Repairing weapons to crocheting dolls: Soldier deploys maker skills to craft Daya & Me

By Tommy Felts / July 9, 2020

Armed with a crochet hook — one more tool than the standard-issue weapons cache of her fellow soldiers — Daya Johnson was in a battle against time. Typically less than nine months. “In the middle of Kuwait, I had a huge tough box that was full of yarn that I had my sister send me…

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Sara Kharatyan, Crown & Heart

Art teacher-turned-maker: You don’t need to be in a museum to be a ‘real artist’ (or full-time to be an entrepreneur)

By Tommy Felts / July 1, 2020

Amid the hustle and bustle of raising a young family and teaching elementary school art, Sara Kharatyan sneaks away to her kiln.  It’s her quiet place; a spot just for her, tucked away in her Parkville home. And what started as a hobby is now padding her family’s bank account in unexpected ways.  “The business…

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Green Bee Tea Towels

From maker to CEO: Green Bee founder turned KC resources into a brand buzzing online, in stores

By Tommy Felts / September 7, 2019

When the inventory of vintage goods Rena Krouse sold online started to dwindle, her entrepreneurial roots helped her recreate history.  “I grew a huge Instagram following and they would get irritated when I would run out of certain things,” Krouse, CEO of Green Bee Tea Towels, said in explanation of how her maker’s journey began. …

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Sarah Walsh, Tigersheep Friends

Watch: Tigersheep Friends creators build a ferociously off-beat, under-the-radar KC brand

By Tommy Felts / August 6, 2019

From three-eyed leopards to strawberry cream giraffes, the creative minds behind Tigersheep Friends love illustrating off-beat versions of animals to keep their artistic passions alive, said Sarah Walsh.  When the husband-and-wife duo started the company in 2011, they were looking for an alternate creative outlet, said Sarah Walsh, co-founder of the online product line. Click…

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Andy Talbert, Snow Pops

Hustle in the making: Startups scaling ‘maker’ concept with high-growth models (Photos)

By Tommy Felts / November 15, 2018

Andy Talbert is in no way crafty, the Snow Pops co-founder said. “At all,” he emphasized, eliciting laughter from the crowd at Startland’s “Hustle in the Making” Innovation Exchange. The event — sponsored by Plexpod and Polsinelli — explored the evolving spectrum of startup businesses that could be considered “makers” in modern entrepreneurial culture. Kansas…

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