Category: Businesses

Jenny Sands Revitz Soper always wanted to live in a big house. That was pretty much the entire premise for the adventure she has undertaken in the last year. It began in July 2018, during a visit to Independence to clear out the home of her late parents, Bud...

A Bolder Humboldt Group dreams big and gets to work in Humboldt In a town of fewer than 2,000 people, there’s a revolution happening. The proof is found on the downtown square. An abandoned building, formerly a jewelry store, has been transformed into a luxury candy shop with shiny...

Rural By Choice Schenker Family Farms and McCune Farm to Market invest in SEK – while serving customers around the world It was 2008. Cherie Schenker logged on to Craigslist, a relatively new website at the time, to advertise a quarter of Schenker Family Farms’ grass-fed beef to local...

History on Route 66 Old Riverton Store a fixture of SEK – and Route 66 – since 1925 On the small, 13.2-mile stretch of Route 66 that calls Kansas home, there’s a business that’s been operating since 1925 – one year before the Mother Road was even established. Old...

World-Class Boats Built in Small-Town Kansas Cobalt Boats in Neodesha celebrates nearly 50 years in the marine industry When it came time for Casey Lair to buy a boat, the choice was clear. In fact, he says, there really wasn’t much of a choice to be made at all....

Candy Craze Iola attracts multiple candy companies over the years, including Sifers Valomilk Next time you spot Valomilk, that vintage chocolate-coated treat with a runny marshmallow center, make sure you thank Iola.  Valomilk’s creator, Sifers Candy Company, originated in Iola and was based there for several decades before moving...

Made by Hand Elk Falls Pottery celebrates 40 years of craftsmanship It was in college that Steve and Jane Fry fell in love with pottery – and with each other. They haven’t looked back since.  This year, the Frys celebrate 40 years of running their family business, Elk Falls...

Glorious Glass ChaGlaz Designs in Glass wows with one-of-a-kind glasswork Keith Wilson examines three handmade marbles in his Parsons garage-turned-art studio, twirling them in his hand as their colors and sparkly dichroic glass catch the light. “These are absolutely one of a kind,” he says. “I’ll never be able...

Vogel Family Vineyards Vines flourish on Galena family’s land Ten years ago, Steve and Sheryll Vogel took a trip to Napa Valley. Like millions of wine enthusiasts, they were impressed with the beautiful northern California landscape. Unlike many of those other visitors, however, they decided to try to replicate...