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Grateful for this moment (again): Fantrepreneurs back in play as Super Bowl boosts small biz
A blitz of Super Bowl-bound Chiefs-inspired playoff sales feels like a winning two-point conversion after a holiday season touchdown for Kansas City makers; many of whom in recent years have seen their longtime fandom intertwined with their businesses’ bottom lines.
Morgan Georgie, Ampersand Design Studio
“We are fans and also small business owners all wrapped into one,” said Morgan Georgie, co-founder of Ampersand Design Studio, alongside Carrie Kiefer. “So it’s impossible for us to not want to design the very gear that we are wearing to watch the game, attend the games at GEHA stadium, and create entertaining pieces for us to use to entertain our very own friends and family at home.”“It’s all very genuine, we are fans and we get to design things that we actually want to own ourselves,” she continued, describing the inspiration for many of Ampersand’s products, which range from apparel to wall art, paper goods, and kitchen and dining wares. “It’s a really lucky spot to be in.”
Sandlot Goods’ Garret Prather recognizes that moments like these — the Chiefs attempting a third consecutive Super Bowl win Feb. 9; this time against the Philadelphia Eagles, after rising from the depths of seeming irrelevance to dominate the NFL with a quarterback some believe is the league’s best-ever player — aren’t guaranteed, he said.
That means balancing enthusiasm, gratitude and the awareness that Kansas City is in the midst of an unprecedented time that will be difficult to duplicate, explained Prather, the vice president of strategic partnerships for Sandlot.
“I try — both as a fan and at work — to enjoy the moment as much as I can, knowing down the road I will also look back fondly at what we are witnessing,” he said.
Garret Prather, Sandlot Goods
“We are all lucky to be around during a historical run by this team, in what could be called an annual tradition over the last decade of playing into late January and usually February,” Prather continued. “My wife and I try to make sure our kids understand that as much as possible, but being 6, 3, and 2 that can be a challenge. They truly don’t realize the era they are growing up in, my oldest expects this every year because it’s been the norm his whole life, and my hope is it continues on for them to start making memories as they get older.”
Georgie and her business partner are excited to live in the moment, she said, expressing that their passion for the Chiefs’ success hasn’t dimmed with continued playoff and Super Bowl glory.
“Honestly, every game feels like a bit of a rollercoaster — we’re so hopeful, then we realistically think we can’t possibly keep winning, and then we do; again!” she said. “It’s a wild, thrilling ride to be cheering on the Chiefs.”
Team members from Made in KC and Sandlot Goods unload a shipment of Chiefs gear at the brands’ shared warehouse; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Behind-the-scenes teams
It was an all-hands-on-deck effort Tuesday afternoon on Southwest Boulevard, as team members from Sandlot Goods and Made in KC unloaded box after box of newly produced apparel in their shared warehouse space — rush-ordered from local vendors in the wake of Kansas City’s 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills to win the AFC Championship.
Freshly unpacked gear slated for Made in KC; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
With red-and-gold products bound for stores and shipping directly to customers, the most-pressing challenge after a big win is speed, said Keith Bradley, co-owner of Made in KC.
“Our suppliers are local and we can only afford to take action if our home team wins — meaning we don’t want to preorder or preprint anything that could lead to waste both in terms of dollars but also of product and the environment,” he said. “It’s a serious consideration of ours and one of the reasons people can and should feel good about supporting and shopping locally.”
“Larger national companies take the risk, just to be first to market but that leads to meaningful unnecessary waste,” Bradley added.
The same effort, energy and teamwork that it takes to put on a good holiday season in the retail business is the same needed to coordinate an opportunity like this week — even if it’s an experience they’ve seen for multiple playoff runs, he said.
“From working with the screen printer, local suppliers and vendors, and coordination between our buying team and marketing team, nothing would work as smoothly with teamwork,” Bradley said, emphasizing their mission to support Made in KC’s hometown shoppers, makers and team remains worthwhile, year after year.
“Very few things in our city and society unite and bring people together like winning sports teams,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing that we don’t take for granted. For Made in KC, it means supporting more artists and makers by buying more locally made and designed products.”
Chiefs- and Super Bowl-inspired shirt designs from across the spectrum of KC makers. Click here for 30+ apparel designs celebrating Kansas City.
Creative kingdom, by design
The key to crafting a design that really resonates with fans: authenticity, said Georgie.
“We are true Kansas City Chiefs fans so our enthusiasm and excitement is real,” she said. “The whole city wants to show their pride, have something fun and new for Red Fridays and game days. So we are thrilled to provide some of those items and that Kansas City fans continue to shop local for their gear.”
“It’s huge for us and we’re so grateful.”
Ampersand Design Studio’s New Orleans shirt design
Ampersand released two new designs this week: one called Bold KC (“It’s simple, to the point, and screams KC pride,” Georgie noted) and a New Orleans-inspired design (on pre-order, starting mid-week). The design studio also offers several evergreen pieces for tailgating and entertaining, including its popular “Chiiiiiiiefs” platter (which also comes in a tee) and KC red grid beer glasses.
Click here to shop Ampersand Design Studio’s Red Kingdom collection.
Sandlot Goods, like many Kansas City apparel companies, jumped into action Sunday night as soon as the Chiefs clinched their spot in New Orleans — quickly releasing three new T-shirt designs — The Big Threasy Collection.
“At Sandlot we’re really lucky to have an excellent graphic designer who leads the way and is very patient when we drop in random thoughts and ideas,” Prather said, noting he enjoys seeing new designs pop up from across the city, showcasing the creativity of the local maker community.
“The fact we all have so many chances to put out designs is what gets me most excited,” he continued. “The creativity of the city shows through the interpretation by each company of how to bring the latest playoff run to life, so the consumer is able to get a variety of options, and because of the past six years we’ve seen a lot of different designs as Kansas Citians. There isn’t anything else going on like this in the country.”
A box of Sandlot Goods’ New Orleans tees is unpacked at the warehouse; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
A Kansas City-made Kingdom hat from Sandlot Goods; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“As a fan, all this is unprecedented; you nearly forget having to overcome the curse of the Colts in the playoffs,” Prather said. “From a professional standpoint, it helps us at Sandlot Goods to continue to build brand awareness by putting out fresh designs on high quality products.”
Sandlot has seen its share of high-profile appearances on the national stage — some of which came thanks to the Chiefs. The brand makes merch for Kansas City tight-end Travis Kelce’s wildly popular “New Heights” podcast, with brother Jason Kelce; and when No. 87’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was spotted in one of the Sandlot-made hats in April 2024, sales skyrocketed.
The company later earned a spotlight in an ABC News special report on holiday shopping that specifically featured products made in the U.S.
“I like to joke that we continue to expand nationally, but my goodness, we have so much going on in our own backyard we can’t ignore that either,” Prather said.
Wear it outside, every day
The timing was right for Jake Williams. The Wichita-based maker had dabbled in screen printing for years, and in 2020 got his own equipment and began printing out of his garage. With his Kansas City Chiefs fresh off their first Super Bowl win in decades, he’d just begun printing for customers and experimenting with own designs.
Then it clicked, he said, realizing he could combine his plans to make apparel with his love of the team. And he already knew how his brand, Always Outside, could approach a soon-to-be-crowded market.
“As a graphic designer, I wanted to create shirts with more of an everyday vibe, not just game-day gear,” Williams said. “I came up with my first design and put it on Etsy, and it was a hit. From there, I ran with it. Honestly, I just make shirts I want to wear.”
Jake Williams, Always Outside
Always Outside — a Kansas City football fan brand focused on releasing standout designs that blend creativity with a lifestyle vibe — definitely sees a spike in sales and interest when the Chiefs are winning, Williams said.
“Fans are looking for new and exciting ways to show their pride, and I’m glad my designs are part of that,” he added.
Williams ships orders to fans largely in Kansas, Missouri, Texas, and Nebraska, but also has fielded purchases from Chiefs enthusiasts in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, he said.
A bold design that reads “Talk About the Refs, We’ll Talk About the Rings” — released in October — has been a big hit, he noted, as criticism of the team appears to have ramped up dramatically during the Chiefs’ “villain” era.
“People always blame the refs, but lately the noise is at an all time high,” Williams explained.
Editor’s note: The shirt is among those featured on Startland News’ roundup of Chiefs-inspired apparel. Click here to check out 30+ designs from Kansas City-area makers.
“I’m always thinking about new ideas,” Williams added. “I look for moments in games or iconic moments to memorialize — those special instances that really resonate with fans and turn them into something you’d want to wear every day.”
Startland News editor Tommy Felts contributed to this report.
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