The world is shopping local at Union Station
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Entrance to the City of Entrepreneurs. Photo: Abbey Higginbotham/Axios
More than 100 Kansas City makers have set up shop at Union Station, turning the World Cup crowds streaming through town into local customers for five weeks.
Why it matters: KC is hosting six World Cup matches this summer, and the city built the marketplace so local entrepreneurs, not just national sponsors, can share in a moment expected to draw about 650,000 visitors.
How it works: Run by the city and the Economic Development Corporation of KC, the City of Entrepreneurs Marketplace gathers vintage sellers, skincare makers, jewelry designers and food vendors, from first-timers to familiar names like Ruby Jean's Juicery and Oh My Gooey KC.
- The marketplace fills Union Station's Grand Hall, steps from the FIFA Fan Festival at Liberty Memorial.
- It runs from 12pm to 6pm on Thursdays and Sundays and 10am to 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays through July 12.
- Admission is free and open to the public.
Zoom in: Business owners like Colleen Hassan say this event gave her more eyes than she could have imagined.
- She debuted her accessories line, Jolie Franc, at the event with stadium-ready clear bags, flag scarves for the tournament countries and a KC charm bracelet, plus a "story wall" where visitors pin where they came from.
- One customer flew in from India to cheer for the Netherlands. "It's where the world meets you," she tells Axios.
Brittany Coleman is running the Honeybee Apothecary table through Porter House KC, a local co-op that rotates a new business into the booth weekly, in what she said is the brand's first full year operating full-time.
- "We wanted to get our brand not just locally known but on a world stage," she tells Axios.
At the vintage racks, the World Cup has flipped the usual crowd. Jackson Conroe and Jonathan Wells, who sell old sports gear through Martin City Vintage and Racing Club, normally cater to local teens and young adults.
- "This is definitely putting us in front of a little bit of an older crowd, and an international crowd," Conroe tells Axios.
The bottom line: Makers are getting an influx of business, and they're hoping the exposure sticks around longer than the crowds.