Normal Human Sets Up Shop in Westport
UpJohn Blount is proud to work with Normal Human – a “wears and wares” local shop that recently found a new home in one of our spaces in Westport.
We caught up with Dan Mahaney, Co-Owner at the popular new shop for both locals and those passing through.
UJB: Are you a KC Native?
My business partner, Pat, and I were both born and raised in Kansas City. We each moved away for college for a few years, but moved back after to pursue careers and eventually start Normal Human.
UJB: What was the inspiration behind Normal Human?We started the business with the idea of being more of a general print shop, not necessarily focused on apparel; we also print housewares like bar towels, aprons, etc, as well as flat prints such as cards and posters. The apparel aspect has always been a part of the operation, and we’ve just tried to remain flexible in producing what is most in-demand at any given time, which lately has been t-shirts.
UJB: Where was the shop before and what made you look for a new space?
We started in Mission, KS, but were in a spot that wasn’t conducive to foot traffic. We actually partnered with Aron Real Estate, whose focus is on the Crossroads district, and they introduced us to Marshal and Kevin, when we expanded our search to Westport. We had actually toured the space before Upjohn Blount had the listing, but weren’t sold on it. We came back to it when Upjohn Blount started showing it, and were able to reach a great agreement! We had to move pretty quickly, as the end of the lease on our space in Mission was rapidly approaching, and Marshal and Kevin partnered with Aron and us to expedite the process and get us moved in a timely manner!
We highly recommend stopping in and picking up a locally made item at Normal Human – or a few!