June 2003

Kansas Originals Market Opens Two Stores on Kansas Turnpike

"Our goal when we organized the Post Rock Opportunities Foundation was to take the wonderful arts and crafts of the area to the people. We did this first in our home store on I-70 near Wilson and then we expanded to include other locations," says CEO Margery Lawson. "We have realized this is also an opportunity to promote our area by showing a sampling of what we have and sending people our way."

The Post Rock Opportunities Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation, which markets the work of over 500 Kansas artists, craftsmen and food producers, now has stores in two locations along the busiest section of the Kansas Turnpike. These locations are at the Topeka Travel Center and the Lawrence Travel Center.

Many of our items remind people of memories from their grandparents house, such as our handmade quilts and afghans, rag dolls, hand-crafted wooden shelves and rockers and our homemade food, snickerdoodle cookies and jellies. We have many quick and easy mixes with an old-fashioned flavor. Kansas Originals Market locations are owned by the Post Rock Opportunities Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation, which was created to help Kansas artists, craftsmen and food producers. We have been busy this past year. We opened a gift shop in the new Travel Plaza operated by Hardee's near Topeka and then in November the completely remodeled Travel Center east of Lawrence was opened as a McDonalds restaurant and Kansas Originals Market moved back into the newly decorated gift store.

The business, which opened at Wilson on Aug 1, 1991, has sold Kansas-Made products to people from across the United States and to visitors from over 100 foreign countries at the Wilson location. Kansas artists, craftsmen and food producers have been paid over $3 million for their Kansas-produced merchandise.

Another project is maintaining and updating the Internet Catalog. We continually add a wide range of products to those already in the catalog. Our goal is to get a majority of our artists featured in the catalog . The catalog, which offers the products of Kansans to a world market, is located at www.kansasoriginals.com.

The Post Rock Opportunities Foundation received the Penner Foundation Excellence in Retailing Award, has been featured on KSN Television's Main Street Kansas, has been featured in Midwest Living Magazine, Kansas! Magazine and in numerous newspaper and magazine articles. In 1999 Kansas Originals Market was selected the Kansas Department of Commerce Land of Kansas Company of the Year. Governor Bill Graves presented this award. Lawson received the Small Business Administration Kansas Plains Spirit Award for the year 2000. In 2002 the Foundation received recognition from The Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development as described on the Kansas Profile Radio Program.

The address for the business is 233 Hwy 232, Wilson, KS 67490, and the telephone number is 785-658-2602.