Rooted in growth: WallyGro launches à la carte plants after its ‘year of new products’
Fulfilling a long-awaited request from customers, WallyGro — a Kansas City company known for its innovative hanging planters — announced Friday it launched its first line of à la carte plants, said Callie England. “This past year the demand was:... Read more
Checking out at home? Hotel Kansas City launches in-room remote working (and an exclusive KC bourbon)
One of Kansas City’s newest luxury hotels is ringing the service bell on a mid-pandemic professional getaway option, unpacking a plan to fill empty rooms with remote workers looking for a break in their COVID-19-restricted routines. And maybe a... Read more
Expanded Techstars role means more eyes on KC, Lesa Mitchell says; accelerator returns in June
Lesa Mitchell’s promotion within Techstars — a Boulder, Colorado-based accelerator network with global reach — is a value-add for Kansas City, she said Monday. The outgoing managing director of Techstars’ local program also teased the popular ac... Read more
Cultivating kindness over brunch: Why a Wichita couple’s homegrown chain is expanding to KC this summer
Attracted to the spirit and community of Kansas City’s Brookside neighborhood, Jon Rolph immediately knew it was the perfect place to expand his Wichita-based daytime eatery, he shared. “We wanted a place that feels like home to us,” said Rolph... Read more
Plaza plus Prairiefire: How a conversation over coffee tripled Messenger’s expansion plans
A new, slow-roasted Johnson County location for Messenger Coffee Co. is expected to anchor the Kansas City brand south of I-435 with sprawling windows, copious light, leafy plants, open baking and the familiar wafting scents of coffee and pastri... Read more
Boulevardia cancels 2021 music, maker festival; awaiting full COVID comeback before summer party’s return
One of Kansas City’s premier summertime events — and the first major local festival canceled because of the pandemic in 2020 — won’t be back this June after all, organizers announced Tuesday. “When the decision was made last year to cancel Boule... Read more
Is that pothole getting fixed? City launches myKCMO app to connect residents to services, answers faster
Kansas City, Missouri, residents have a new tool for reporting potholes, illegal dumping, missed trash pickups and other concerns impacting their neighborhoods — and it’s likely already in their pockets, city officials said this week, announcing... Read more
Bippity, boppity boon for Disney pin collectors: Family uses tech expertise to build trinket trading platform
What might look like nothing more than tiny pieces of artwork pinned on a lanyard or to a jacket has become an unexpected livelihood for Jenn Nickols and her Kansas City-raised family of Disney fanatics. “We went to Disneyland and we discovered... Read more
Why Betty Rae’s new owner traded a finance career for waffle cones; ice cream shop reopens Monday
Reopening Betty Rae’s Ice Cream could prove as risky for Alec Rodgers’ waistline as his wallet, the 23-year-old employee-turned-owner jokingly suggested — smiling as he looked across the River Market shop with a mix of nostalgia and youthful exu... Read more
We Got It Covered: LaRonda LaNear feeds her soul (and yours) in a world catered to men
LaRonda LaNear was tired of the working world’s status quo. “I’ve always hated authority and it’s always been men in power, telling me what to do — and it never made sense,” she joked, shedding light on a real problem that robbed he... Read more