Minority-Led Stories

Dr. Marion Pierson, MO Hives KC

For the good of the hive: KC pediatrician builds buzz with award-winning urban bee farm effort

No one is more surprised by pediatrician Marion Pierson’s newfound career success as a beekeeper and advocate for urban apiaries, the Prairie Village doctor said. “I didn’t know this would happen,” Pierson said. “In fact, I’m scared of bugs. My husband asked me how I was going to start a bee farm. When I’m in…

Hometown startups want their due; sister-led QuickHire’s $1.4M round could be just the start

QuickHire’s potential for success is enhanced — not limited — by the young tech startup’s south-central Kansas geography, said Deborah Gladney, one half of a sister-led Wichita venture that recently announced its $1.4 million round boosted by a leading Kansas City fund. “Being from Wichita, we’ve come to know and appreciate everything this city has to…

Toilet Bombs by Bear Soap Co., Soap Bar in Westport

Toilet bombs dropped less than two weeks ago; retailers can’t seem to keep them on the shelves

Bear Soap Co.’s latest bestseller might have begun as an accident, but the bath bombs for toilet bowls are making a splash as shoppers discover a cheeky new stocking stuffer that fizzes beyond the holiday season, said Matt Bramlette. “The toilet bombs can be a fun novelty gift; or they can be something that people…

Kiffany Bosserman, Cottontale, Cookies and Creamery

Cotton candy calling: Why a South KC sweets shop’s signature treat is still hand-spun with an air of nostalgia

Each ding of the oven generates more buzz for this whimsy-frosted bake shop and creamery in South Kansas City. But it’s the soft, sticky sweet treat that fills small tubs and lines the store’s shelves — (hand) spinning the entrepreneurial dreams of its owner into a sugar-rush of a reality.  “I really hit the jackpot,”…

The Fat Plant Society installation at The Laya Center in Kansas City's Crossroads Arts District

Moss-backed design studio nurtures nature indoors with sustainable pieces ‘neither living nor dead’

Green statement pieces across Kansas City’s Midtown and Crossroads neighborhoods — from Westside Flats to the spas at The Laya Center and the herb dispensary at Fresh Karma — boast just a snapshot of the story behind the mossy growth of The Fat Plant Society. The eye-catching biophilic designs — which have the appearance of a…