Sandlot Goods is known for its locally made products with the highest quality materials. You’ve seen their wallets, journals, bags and belts. Now, they are making a name for themselves making masks.
“The Sandlot mask initiative began as a Hail Mary to keep my people working and doing some good. We felt that we could both do good by providing masks while also keeping people safely working and bringing in an income,” Sandlot owner Chad Hickman said. “We knew there was a need but just didn’t quite understand how big the need truly was. It has been an overwhelmingly positive experience.”
The masks are made by the team of 25 in-house sewing professionals. The masks are made with dual layer cotton, using a durable but breathable cotton rip stop for the outer layer. The inner layer is a more tightly woven cotton broadcloth for the liner. The elastic is latex free and is a nice mix of durability and comfort.
Chad said he was inspired to refocus his team to mask making after watching the news about the shortage of personal protective equipment for medical professionals and other essential workers.
“Honestly, New York Governor Cuomo inspired me. Politics aside, he runs a very informative and fact based style press conference. In early March he put out a call during a press conference for the public to make cotton masks. The shortage of real PPE was leading to a need for what we call “last resort” face masks,” Chad said. “We felt if we could standardize our fabric and produce a mask without cat prints or unicorns medical professionals might actually wear them. It turned out to be true.”
The masks come in a variety of sizes as well as specific masks just for kids. Find them at available at Made in KC retail locations and madeinkc.co.
If you would like to contribute to the Sandlot effort, you can donate money for supplies or sponsor masks for a specific organization by emailing the mask team. You can also volunteer to sew masks from home; find out more here!
Sandlot Goods is also a great place to find Father’s Day gifts like their leather wallets or journal covers. Whether its masks or gifts, Chad just wants Kansas Citians to think about the importance of supporting local, especially now.
“I just want people to think about the positive impact on our community purchasing a locally manufactured product has. A locally made face mask, a jar of locally made honey locally produced food, all of those things directly pay the wages of people in our community,” he said. “Buy local, but better yet buy locally made.”
