Matthew Gwin

With tens of thousands of social media followers, the fashion brand Yvonne and Mitchel is the passion project of Jared Armstrong and Caylin Willis. They take clothing and materials from secondhand stores like Scraps KC and repurpose them into new outfits.

A decade after Missouri's film tax credit program expired, Gov. Mike Parson signed into law the Show MO Act to offer incentives for movie productions. David Dastmalchion, an Overland Park actor who recently starred in "Oppenheimer," hopes that will lead to more projects being shot here.

The Jackson County Legislature passed a resolution to declare June 10 as “Dragon Boat Festival Day." The annual event at Country Club Plaza began in 2005, and is the only one in the world that takes place on a creek.

Sales of Brendan Curran's "Ted Lasso"-themed T-shirt soared when Jason Sudeikis, Curran's Shawnee Mission West basketball teammate, wore them on the Emmy award-wining series. He also wore them off the set while promoting the show. Curran expects sales to keep growing with the expansion into "Ted Lasso" merchandise.

Despite more than 300,000 people attending the NFL Draft over three days in Kansas City and huge promises for local spending, many small businesses actually saw sales decrease — leaving them stuck with extra inventory they had bought in preparation.

Godfrey Riddle, a Kansas City social entrepreneur and founder of Civic Saint, will appear on an episode of the new Peacock show. Executive produced by Amy Poehler, the series features individuals recovering from trauma and helps them clean out the possessions of departed loved ones.

Located on Troost Avenue inside of Ubuntu Village, Equal Minded Café recently received a $30,000 grant from Kansas City G.I.F.T. to help them expand their operations and host more events. Owner Dontavious Young says they've continued to grow mostly through word of mouth — especially about their chai.

Artist Kurt Ryan began began making pom pom earrings and selling them at local craft shows across Kansas City. Ryan says the expression of queerness and gender identity is “ever-present” in their art, which uses upcycled materials and pattern clashing.

The gallerist and curator has kept busy during the pandemic, and has big plans for the rest of 2023 — she wants to finish two books and has her sights set on building a women-focused recording studio.