Béty Lê Shackelford hopes Hella Good Deeds — the nonprofit sister organization of the popular Vietnamese coffee shop Cafe Cà Phê — makes members of Kansas City’s Asian community feel held and hugged, she said. “Hella Good Deeds is here; we love... Read more
Chatterbox speaks the language of reluctant learners: games featuring global cast of AI tutors
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. WICHITA — A Kansas-built language-learning app takes a gamified approach... Read more
Husband-wife culinary duo among 8 KC bars, restaurants named James Beard semifinalists
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. Many of Kansa... Read more
Pegah’s expands its family of restaurants to Martin City with new faster-service concept
A locally owned restaurant chain is putting a drive-thru emphasis on breakfast with its newest location in Martin City — offering “hand foods” handed directly to hungry diners. “We’re trying a fast-casual drive-thru focusing on coffee and bevera... Read more
Tractics partners with UK software company to ground heavy construction market with powerhouse cloud platform
Integrating a Kansas City startup’s construction management tech within a global software provider’s solutions for small businesses builds on both brands’ strengths and trusted products, said Tyler VanWinkle. Tractics on Tuesday announced a sign... Read more
The Black Pantry’s new retail-coffee spot is far from copy and paste, owner says; offers fresh taste of Good Karma
A new store on Gillham Road fuses retail and coffee culture, creating what Brian Roberts calls an “elevated Black coffee space” that moves beyond the transactional nature of traditional coffee shops. “I like my store concepts to be a representat... Read more
Editor’s note: This article was written for a class at the University of Kansas’ William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and distributed through the Kansas Press Association. Icons like Charlie Parker and Count Bas... Read more
Editor’s note: The following story was produced through a paid partnership with MOSourceLink, which boasts a mission to help entrepreneurs and small businesses across the state of Missouri grow and succeed by providing free, easy access to the h... Read more
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. MANHATTAN, Kansas — A newly unveiled collaborative office space at Kansa... Read more
Best-selling tea towel maker’s business model hangs by this thread: ‘the more I give back, the more I’ll succeed’
Elene Banks, founder of Kansas City-based Absorb-Lumen, turned her boutique clothing store into a mission-driven business that puts eco-friendly kitchen essentials in the spotlight, all while giving back to the community through a charitable b... Read more




























