I always wanted to learn to sew, so my advisor at Iowa State University suggested I major in fashion design. After I graduated, I took a year off and lived in London, traveling and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I went back home for about a year to save up and make my move to Kansas City. From there, I started a women’s handbag company called SE14, which was my postal code in London. Unfortunately that company failed, but it gave me much need practical experience in the business/manufacturing world. From there, my business partners and I started Sandlot Goods. That, with the experience from my previous company, has been a roaring success.

THAT’S FUNNY. Your question makes it sound like I’m sitting on the streets, asking random people for money. I assume you mean when I ask people to empty their pockets to look at their wallet or purse. When I do this, I look at the products that they have and try to find flaws in the functionality, organization, or quality. I then design products that address these flaws, hoping that someday they will come across my product and purchase it. Not only do I want to make something that looks nice, but I want to design something that is practical.

A FEW YEARS AGO, my business partner’s brother passed away. He told us stories of how they would spend endless summers playing baseball together. His stories made us all think back to the simplistic beauty of childhood relationships, and how strong and valuable they are. In a way, Sandlot Goods is synonymous with childhood nostalgia, and we hope our products will allow our customers to relate to that.