Woman-led Stories
Floraloom’s Colleen Monroe put her green thumb on the steering wheel, leaving LA for KC sunshine
Quarantine changed people — including Colleen Monroe, the serial entrepreneur said, looking back on the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles and the day she loaded her car with a few personal belongings and as many vases as it could hold. Uprooting her once-busy life, she hoped growth opportunities might bloom in…
KC designer’s new deck of cards celebrates Black icons who refused to play the hands they were dealt
Learning and celebrating Black history should be in the cards for more than just the month of February, Kearra Johnson said, unveiling a new design project that’s set to hit metro store shelves soon. “I really just want to create fun ways to get serious conversations started for the younger generation,” explained Johnson, founder of…
No ‘playing it safe’: Husband-wife team tackles Super Bowl demand with hometown-inspired tees
A family-owned side hustle is getting a major boost thanks to the Kansas City Chiefs second rush to a Super Bowl victory — and it couldn’t have come at a better time, explained Kendra’h Simmons. “Now everyone is in a tizzy,” said Simmons, who co-founded KreativeMindsKC in 2019 alongside her husband, Reggie, describing ways excitement for…
KCRise closes $41M Fund II, plans to invest in 20 high-growth tech companies
A newly closed, oversubscribed $41 million KCRise Fund II is poised to accelerate regional growth with an influx of talent and investment dollars for 20 high-growth technology companies benefitting Greater Kansas City, said Darcy Howe. And the work has already begun, the fund’s founder and managing director added. Before today’s closing announcement, Fund II had…
Love Hate actually: Valentine’s pop-up bar stirs emotions for romantics (and those who see the humor in them)
They’re just a couple of bar owners and friends, standing in front of a thirsty (and isolated) community, asking them to support local businesses — and have a little fun in the process, explained Erica Schulte, one of the minds behind a new Lee’s Summit pop-up bar that promises to put a creative spin on Valentine’s…