Looking to shop local? KC craft website started in pandemic opens store on Main Street

Shop Local KC began as a hashtag. Katie Mabry van Dieren used it to promote exactly what the name says: shopping local in Kansas City.

That hashtag became an online shop last year when the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily shut down local craft fair The Strawberry Swing. On Friday, it became a physical store when Mabry van Dieren opened Shop Local KC’s brick and mortar location at 3630 Main St.

The store will sell many of the same products available online. Mabry van Dieren said she pictured it specifically as a flower and gift shop because she likes the connection of people giving gifts. It will also include a studio in the building next door, where up to 10 local artists can rent space to work.

Opening a brick and mortar store has been a longtime goal for Mabry van Dieren, but as a mother of two married to a chef, she never had the time. Once the pandemic hit, though, her husband was able to stay home with the kids, and she was finally able to make it happen.

“I was able to get the business plan, get all my ducks in a row, while he was home during that three months,” she said. “And I had a really great offer I could not resist.”

Shop Local KC, just like its original hashtag, is self-explanatory. Mabry van Dieren sells products from local makers — “makers,” she specified, is a more accurate term than “artists,” since not all of what she sells is traditional art — from about 350 Kansas City businesses. That includes jewelry, clothing, stuffed animals, candles and cocktail kits, just to name a few. The products are so diverse, the website has 16 categories to account for them all and still needs a button for “everything else.”

Donna Sheffer, owner of Novy Jewelry, is one of those makers. She started selling her upcycled vintage jewelry through The Strawberry Swing last fall after realizing “those were my people.”

“I love the audience that Katie brings in. They appreciate the artisans and their work, and then also the vintage,” Sheffer said. “They’re looking for something different, something unique, and I think Katie has a good eye for choosing artisans and their work.”

For Sheffer, being able to sell her products in a store presents an opportunity she wouldn’t have otherwise.

“It’s just so exciting for us because it’s something we’d never be able to do on our own,” she said. “A lot of the makers have families and kids, so for us to open up our own shop or something like that, and just the inventory it would take. . . It’s just exciting to be able to come to one place with Kansas City makers.”

Helping people come together also inspired Mabry van Dieren to open the adjacent studio space. Selling through Shop Local KC isn’t necessary to rent a spot, though Mabry van Dieren said she could wind up selling what’s made next door.

What’s most important to her is ensuring people buy local.

“I want to make sure everyone is showcased and that the city knows how much talent is here,” she said.

The store is for the customers as much as it is for the makers. While holding socially distanced Strawberry Swing fairs, Mabry van Dieren said her favorite thing to hear was that the fair brought a little bit of happiness to people’s lives in a difficult time. With its bright colors, mural-covered walls and abundance of flowers, she hopes the same will be true for the shop.

“Hopefully we’ve given people a space where they feel happy and know they’re helping small businesses with each purchase,” she said.

Shop Local KC had a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon Friday, with a soft opening — including a visit from Mayor Quinton Lucas and several food trucks — to follow. Mabry van Dieren said to expect a grand opening and finalized store hours in the coming weeks.