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Burgundy C ircus
VKC: Why did you start Burgundy Circus? Mike: I got started after finding true ap- preciation for American made goods from the likes of Wood & Faulk, Strawfoot, and Ewing Dry Goods. I knew these guys sewed and hand stitched all of their canvas and leather goods and decided to give it a shot. I had a sewing machine lying around so I Youtube’d a video and sewed my first camo twill weekender bag about 3 years ago, and that bag is still being used to this day. The same with the leather goods, bought a side of leather, bought some basic tools and I’ve been using the first ever made slim card wallet for 3 years now. VKC: What inspires you? Mike: Good, clean, simple design inspires me. I’m not flashy and neither are my prod- ucts. I try and let the quality and craftsman- ship speak for itself. VKC: What do you love about KC? Mike: What I love about KC is the cama- raderie between makers. I have never met another maker that isn’t willing to provide information or give a shout out about another maker’s goods. I probably talk more about other makers products than I do my own! VKC: What challenges have you faced? Mike: The challenges have been just Simple, good design meets functionality and craftsmanship
breaking into the market and informing people on handmade quality versus big box store products. Also living in south KC has made it tough to get taken seri- ously as a true maker. I think there is so much talent in every corner of this city and we’re going to see a lot more of it unveiled as time goes on. VKC: What is your favorite part of being a small business owner? Mike: Favorite part of owning a small business is just being able to create without having to have 16 meetings or conference calls to beat it to death. You just sit down and make it while it’s still fresh, and tweak it as you go to make it better. VKC: Why Burgundy Circus? Mike: As I was designing and painting my son’s nursery in 2005 my mom came for a visit to check out the progress. I had painted big, bold, vertical burgundy and cream stripes and she made the comment that it reminded her of a burgundy circus tent, and on that very day the name was born. I sat on it forever and in 2013 made it the proper business name of Burgundy Circus Hard- goods—Purveyors Of 100% Handmade Usable Goods came true.
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For more information, visit bchardgoods.com.
46 vintagekc winter 2015
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