In 2014, Brandon Ratzlaff and his wife Afton had a bare wall in their home that needed decorating, and they simply could not find the right print for the space. To remedy the situation, Brandon, a professional designer, created a print that celebrates calling the state of Kansas home.
Thinking others might enjoy displaying such prints in their homes, he began selling this print as well as similar prints for other states. All the designs say “home” in the shape of the state they represent.
Not long after creating some of these initial prints, the Royals won the World Series, and there was opportunity in the market to expand to T-shirts, apparel and other gift items that reflect hometown KC spirit.
The result is a venture called Flint & Field with Brandon designing the products and Afton doing the behind-the-scenes work such as prepping orders, packaging, inventory and the like.
Brandon says another aspect of the motivation for Flint & Field is to show others that Kansas and the Midwest are a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. While he is originally from Hillsboro and Afton is from Topeka, they now live in the Kansas City area. As such, they have always appreciated their Kansas roots.
Brandon describes his style as a clever take on everyday objects.
“I really try to take simple, recognizable locations, landmarks or objects that might have a more recognizable shape and envision them in a way that people don’t see right off the bat,” Bandon says.
To that end, one of his designs makes the Chiefs arrowhead into the letter C in “KC,” and in another design he uses the concept of the Western Auto sign and transforms it into an arrow. Representations of the Nelson Atkins shuttlecock are visible in other products as well.
Flint & Field products are available online and through wholesale at Made in KC, Mid Coast Modern, Tea Ella Boutique, Westside Storey, Local Foundery and Kindred Shops.
Brandon says he is always working to develop new ideas for each season. Currently, their products include T-shirts, hoodies, key fobs, wall signs, coasters, pillows, doormats, greeting cards and prints. He is also seeking to expand the number of designs he puts on existing product types.
Overall, he said his goal is to give people a sense of local, state and regional pride by making items that bring people moments of joy.
“When someone is proud of where they come from, whether that's a particular city or state, I strongly believe that the community they live in will benefit from it,” Brandon says. “That sense of pride is often what drives us to continuously invest in and improve the place we call home, the place where our kids develop lifelong skills from passionate teachers or where we gather with neighbors to watch the local teams in the playoffs.”