Urban Arts + Crafts Appeals to All


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Urban Arts + Crafts Appeals to All
For six years, Karen Roark, midtown Kansas City, has run Urban Arts + Crafts, catering to the creative minds of Kansas City. She spent four years in the River Market area and moved two years ago to Briarcliff Village. “Briarcliff has all those locally and independently owned stores and that is the reason I started in the River Market. There was that wonderful mix of tenants, but I knew I needed more space for classes,” she says. “The Briarcliff Village space gives me the chance to offer participants a chance to start a project and finish it within a two-hour class. And you can’t beat Briarcliff Village as a wonderful destination.” The concept of “urban” appeals to Roark. She did not want a “country” crafts store, but a store that had some of those boutique items that a shopper or crafter cannot find in certain stores, including those larger box chain stores. Roark handpicks items and selection changes constantly to keep the store fresh and new. “I am the purchaser and buyer. I have to be comfortable in what we offer. I wanted a sophistication and an appeal to the artistic. I know what I like, after 12 years in interior architecture, and I know what I want to share with customers.” The urban concept continues with a younger clientele, but Roark enjoys watching the cross-generational appeal of the store. She says it is not uncommon to see a mother, daughter and granddaughter come in and all of them are knitting or crocheting. The younger women are reintroducing their grandmothers to the new yarns with the cashmere and silk blends. “The yarns are so pretty and feel so good,” she says. Classes are another focus for Roark. She likes the offerings of photo arts, soldering and screen-printing. Seasons also dictate what classes and crafts are popular. In the winter, knitting and crocheting increases while the summer, more patrons are interested in jewelry making. “Sewing is becoming the next knitting as people start finding all the cool, fresh and modern fabrics like Amy Butler.” As for the future, Roark is always looking for the next big trend in independent crafts. “There is more to this movement with fabric designers and technology geared toward this medium. I want to stay up on the trends and make sure that we are carrying products that offer class to a project.” www.urbanartsandcrafts.com

For six years, Karen Roark, midtown Kansas City, has run Urban Arts + Crafts, catering to the creative minds of Kansas City. She spent four years in the River Market area and moved two years ago to Briarcliff Village.

“Briarcliff has all those locally and independently owned stores and that is the reason I started in the River Market. There was that wonderful mix of tenants, but I knew I needed more space for classes,” she says. “The Briarcliff Village space gives me the chance to offer participants a chance to start a project and finish it within a two-hour class. And you can’t beat Briarcliff Village as a wonderful destination.”

The concept of “urban” appeals to Roark. She did not want a “country” crafts store, but a store that had some of those boutique items that a shopper or crafter cannot find in certain stores, including those larger box chain stores. Roark handpicks items and selection changes constantly to keep the store fresh and new. “I am the purchaser and buyer. I have to be comfortable in what we offer. I wanted a sophistication and an appeal to the artistic. I know what I like, after 12 years in interior architecture, and I know what I want to share with customers.”

The urban concept continues with a younger clientele, but Roark enjoys watching the cross-generational appeal of the store. She says it is not uncommon to see a mother, daughter and granddaughter come in and all of them are knitting or crocheting. The younger women are reintroducing their grandmothers to the new yarns with the cashmere and silk blends. “The yarns are so pretty and feel so good,” she says.

Classes are another focus for Roark. She likes the offerings of photo arts, soldering and screen-printing. Seasons also dictate what classes and crafts are popular. In the winter, knitting and crocheting increases while the summer, more patrons are interested in jewelry making. “Sewing is becoming the next knitting as people start finding all the cool, fresh and modern fabrics like Amy Butler.”

As for the future, Roark is always looking for the next big trend in independent crafts. “There is more to this movement with fabric designers and technology geared toward this medium. I want to stay up on the trends and make sure that we are carrying products that offer class to a project.”