KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After Taylor Swift was spotted in a "New Heights" podcast-branded hat, a Kansas City manufacturer has been busy fulfilling orders to ship nationwide.
Sandlot manufactures hats sold by Homage, the retailer for the Kelce brothers' podcast.
Garret Prather, Sandlot's vice president of strategic partnerships, said he woke up to a slew of messages and orders last weekend.
“There are tons of business challenges,” Prather said. “This is a good business challenge.”
What started as a pre-order for 3,000 hats is now up to 8,000 and counting.
Prather said their process at Sandlot is different than most manufacturing companies. Sandlot goods are taken from raw materials and created into a bag, wallet or hat all within their Southwest Boulevard factory.
“It’s tough. There’s a reason there are only a couple of domestic manufacturers today for hats,” he said. “We go through a 12-13 step process. So it’s passing through a dozen people’s hands to get a hat from this all the way to a finished product and out the door.”
As employees face a tall order, there’s a sense of camaraderie in the air knowing they aren’t the first local business to have a "swift" change of pace.
“It just kind of shows all worlds seem to collide,” Prather said. “It seems like Taylor is bringing it together. Through her tours, through her wearing a simple hat at Coachella. It seems that the story continues. Next chapter? Who knows what awaits.”
The Homage website states any "New Heights" hat orders placed after April 18 will ship out by July 16.
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