Lots of Local Love: Pop-up shop selling handmade items made in Kansas City opens in downtown Shawnee

With the most authentic thing from Kansas City I own being a too-small Charlie Hustle “I Heart KC” shirt, I feel like a failure of a Kansas citian. So when I got word of I Heart Local, a pop up shop in downtown Shawnee full of locally made items, I figured it was time to liven up my Kansas City fan wear.

Rushing through the glass doors of the small storefront to avoid the unbearably cold wind, I immediately found myself apologizing for bumping into another shopper. The classroom-sized store was crowded and single filing around the square room was the only route option because of the cramped space, but even though it was cramped I knew I wasn’t going to be disappointed because of the walls and tables full of items. 

I was offered a sample from a candied nut assortment — the dark chocolate almonds I snagged were the perfect shopping snack. The flavor was much better than my go-to Price Chopper guilty pleasure and left me wishing there weren’t so many eyes around so I could sneak a few more.

I walked in expecting a shop full of Kansas City themed clothing — based on the name alone — yet was surprised with a boutique filled with everything from home decor to chocolates and flavored honey. It’s not everyday I see a “KC” themed store that sells things other than different colored T-shirts with a printed “LA KC NY” on them or shuttlecock socks and hats.

The slow pace of single file gave me a chance to get a good look at everything the store had to offer. Every few steps I spotted a different piece of unique, vibrant art, cozy hand-knitted mittens and a pair of crafty looking earrings perfect to gift my mom or sister. It was very plaza-art-fair-esque with so many varying items in one place. 

Due to the cramped space it got a little difficult figuring out who was an artist and who was a customer, or when one maker’s work ended and another began. Nevertheless, the small room contained enough to keep my eyes from getting bored while scanning the space. 

The $3-$200 price range was reasonable considering the large difference in sizes and types of goods being sold. With an average price of $25, I was glad to see it was somewhere I could come back and Christmas shop at without going broke.

After around fifteen minutes and still only halfway through the store, I was welcomed by East Alumni and co-owner of the store Haley Crosser, her mother and former SHARE director Pat Kaufman and other co-owner Breck Liston. 

With an original goal of 10 vendors within the shop including themselves, they exceeded their goal with 24 and counting and still have about 12 on the waitlist with offers coming in almost every other day, according to Crosser. 

 Because of the small maker community, or community of people who make and sell their own items, in Kansas City, the owners already knew most of the vendors in the store from craft shows or other makers.

The boutique will be open until the end of December — just in time for the holiday season. From there, the owners will decide whether or not to run with it full time.So from now till Dec. 31, I will be avoiding the chaos at Town Center or Oak Park for my holiday shopping needs and head over to I Heart Local to get gifts that have a little more meaning than just a Bath and Body Works candle for each of my friends.