Jade Market launches incubator for Asian retailers amid vision to build cultural, business hub in KC
April 18, 2026 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Members of the inaugural Jade Market Cohort pose with the program's leaders amid paint cans and construction materials in the new headquarters for Hella Good Deeds; courtesy photo
A small group of Asian entrepreneurs leading product-based businesses are getting an opportunity to brush up on their retail readiness in Hella Good Deeds’ inaugural Jade Market Cohort.
The seven founders — with products ranging from ceramics to herbal tea to textbooks — are spending the month of April learning more about business fundamentals to get ready to stock the shelves at the soon-to-open Jade Market retail incubator, shared Christine Lau Quigley, a small business insider who is leading the cohort.
Béty Lê Shackelford, executive director of Hella Goods Deeds, top left, leads a conversation among Jade Market Cohort entrepreneurs; courtesy photo
“We want to uplift and support Asian narratives through equipping small businesses, makers, and artists in the areas of brand clarity, pricing, packaging, and marketing,” said Quigley, who is also the corporate gifting manager for Made In KC and serves on the Small Business Task Force for Kansas City, Missouri.
It’s about strengthening a growing Asian entrepreneurial community in Kansas City, agreed Béty Lê Shackelford, executive director of Hella Goods Deeds, a nonprofit with the mission of amplifying the Asian community in Kansas City.
“We’re excited to build a pipeline for our Asian entrepreneurs to streamline the process from ideation to business development to launching at Jade Market to eventually The Jade (a larger Asian district in Columbus Park),” she said.
A soft launch for the Jade Market retail incubator — in a former Columbus Park tattoo shop secured through the city’s Open Doors! Program — is planned for May, with a more formal opening set for early June, just as World Cup fever hits Kansas City. In addition to showcasing vendors from the cohort, Jade Market is expected to feature a curated collection of AANHPI-themed goods by MADE MOBB — like the Kansas City streetwear brand’s Three Ladies tee — and select items from Asian-owned businesses nationwide.
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After originally consulting on the potential retail space for Jade Market, Quigley recalled, she learned about Shackelford’s dream to host a cohort for Asian-owned businesses.
“I got so excited to hear more as helping small businesses succeed has been a priority for a long time,” she continued. “So our dreams collided, and through that, we started forming what is now known as the first Jade Market Cohort.”
On top of business fundamentals, the cohort will learn about branding, pricing, packaging, and marketing in the retail industry, Quigley noted.
“The curriculum is designed to be interactive, experiential, and community-oriented through our intentionally small initial cohort,” she explained. “We hope to host more cohorts as we grow and learn together.”
Members of the inaugural Jade Market Cohort beginning early days in the program; courtesy photo
Participants in the inaugural Jade Market Cohort include:
- Kenny Nguyen — a ceramicist from Dodge City, Kansas, who is passionate about connecting with people through handmade ceramic art and teaches classes in his private studio at Agnes Arts
- Maiko and Joseph Anderson-Story — creators of JMCraftstore, who live in the countryside of Kansas and offer Japanese traditional Kintsugi (ceramic repair)
- Sydney Strauss — creator of Rooted Jade, herbal teas blends to support daily health and wellness, who is passionate about integrating ancient eastern wisdom to modern everyday life
- Erika Sakata — a first-generation, non-binary multi-medium artist whose work fuses color, culture, and personal storytelling to examine race, identity, and queerness
- Isoko Durbin — teacher and writer born and raised in Japan who launched the Japanese textbook publishing business Bilingual Writer and Japanese Textbooks in 2024
- Hao Quach — owner of Ginkgo Embroidery, a Kansas City-based studio specializing in custom embroidery, original product design, and mobile embroidery activations
Columbus Park, Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, 64106, United States
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