Locally Speaking Kansas City
All things local to the Kansas City metro and beyond
recent posts
- Hope One Stitch at a Time: How The Sewing Labs in Kansas City, Is Changing Lives
- Why Great Picture Books Still Matter
- Meet Carol: The Quilt Appraiser Preserving History One Stitch at a Time
- A Little Legacy in Mission: Discovering Legacy Fabrics
- “Chef Marwan’s Nour’s: A Labor of Love and Lebanese Comfort”
about
This is a blog to learn more about the Kansas City and surrounding communities.
Kristy Johnston is a retired educator, with a passion for continue learning.
-
Sometimes the best local discoveries happen by accident. While searching for a Japanese dyeing class, I stumbled across The Sewing Labs in Kansas City—and discovered a nonprofit that’s doing much more than teaching people how to sew. This organization is creating career opportunities, fostering creativity, and building community one stitch at a time. Now celebrating…
-
Some people make quilts. Others collect them. Carol has spent more than 30 years helping preserve their history as one of the region’s few certified quilt appraisers. After taking two family quilts to Carol for appraisal, I became curious about how someone finds such a unique profession. Her story is one of lifelong learning, patience,…
-
A Family Tradition There are some businesses you walk into and immediately feel something special. Legacy Fabrics in Mission, Kansas, is one of those places. I recently had the pleasure of visiting this darling mother-and-daughter-owned shop, and I left with that wonderful feeling you get when you’ve discovered a place that is about so much…
-
Some People Are Meant to Stay in Your Life There are some people you’re simply meant to keep in your life. Chef Marwan Chebaro is one of them.I’ve known Chef Marwan since the 1990s, when he owned Tribal Grill and Café Rumi on the 39th Street Corridor. Café Rumi operated for more than 13 years…
-
Some of our good friends and neighbors recently told my husband and me about an unforgettable culinary experience at Jasper’s Restaurant in Kansas City. The class celebrated the best flavors of summer, featuring heirloom tomatoes from Kurlbaum’s Heirloom Tomato Farm, locally grown vegetables, Jasper’s homemade mozzarella, and fresh ricotta cheese. Chef Jasper shares his family’s…
-
Three Quilts, One Unexpected Journey I have three quilts that have been passed down through my family, each with a story of its own.One is a lovely pink-and-white quilt from the early 1900s that was draped over my great-grandfather’s casket during his wake, which was held in the family home. Another is a neighborhood quilt…
-
There are places you visit because you need something, and there are places you visit because they make you feel something. Prospero’s Books is firmly in the second category. I recently stopped by to photograph the store and spend some time talking with owner Will Schwalbe. I expected to hear the story of an independent…