811 Retail Incubator opens its doors on Kansas City’s east side

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A business incubator and storefront intentionally mentoring and helping businesses owned by women and people of color has opened its doors at 811 East 31st Street in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Porter House KC has been working for years to support entrepreneurs from systemically disadvantaged backgrounds.

“As we were working with them, they were emphasizing how they wanted to move from a vendor-based pop-up space to being able to move into a brick-and-mortar and there were not a lot of open, accessible transition options for them,” said The Porter House KC Director of Operations Miranda Schultz.

“So that’s really where this building comes into play is being able to give them that option with low lease rates, and education components attached to it.”

Business owners can sell their products from the space for up to 18 months while they receive mentorship and guidance on how to grow their business.

“It’s like being able to get your feet wet, get a taste to see if you really, really want to do this,” said Thrift The Runway Founder Ciara Barton.

Barton knows she already does after running Thrift The Runway since COVID made it harder for some people to shop and find a reason to show off their clothes.

“Dressing up was pretty much obsolete [during COVID], but not for me,” said Barton.

“That’s part of my fashionability, that’s part of my personality.”

The clothes she curates in her vintage collections allow people to maximize their style while minimizing how many clothes get thrown out. The 811 Retail Incubator also brings investment and attention to Kansas City’s east side and minority-owned businesses, which have both historically not gotten investment.

“Where do you have a vintage shop, or where can you go and buy skincare [on the east side,” said Barton.

“Not too many places, but you have a hub here, you can do all of that in here and it’s accessible to people on the east side and the west side.”

“I thought this is the perfect opportunity to test my ideas to learn what customers like, to have fun with new formulations, expand the line,” said Someday Sunday Founder LaToya Ebony Sirls.

She she started crafting skincare products during COVID but only officially created her business in January. Already, she’s part of The Porter House KC network that’s helped dozens of systematically marginalized business owners thrive.

“If I talk about the beauty community, black and brown people are some of the highest investors in beauty products,” said Sirls.

The 811 Retail Incubator is open to customers Wednesday through Friday from 12-7 pm and Saturday from 10-5.

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