SábaDos creates opportunities for entrepreneurs, artists in monthly pop-up

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For three years, SábaDos dominated the underground pop culture and art scene in Kansas City.

The pop-up started in a Mexican restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas, and is outgrowing its current location in Lemonade Park in the West Bottoms.

“We feel like people every day are inspired by each other. This is a great place to start,” explained FK Menace, creator of the event. “People come here and have been able to dip their toes in the water and work full-time on their businesses .”

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The festival’s inspiration was to create a platform for DJs and music producers to present their work.

While SábaDos still offers opportunities to these artists, the event has since grown to showcase established entrepreneurs and vendors.

“The pandemic has really left people feeling discouraged and made them realize that ‘OK, I can do this,’” said FK Menace. “It is essential that we have spaces like this for people to meet and make them feel comfortable to make their dreams come true.”

Alexis Briones — owner of Lexoh, a home-based incense dipping company — attributes her time off to SábaDos.

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“When the pandemic hit, I was like nothing else mattered and I needed to put myself through it,” Briones said. “People who love the same things as me, love the city and want to give back. It was such a beautiful opportunity because it really opened up my world.”

Lexoh offers custom incense burners and hand-dipped incense sticks with a QR code that offers a playlist to match the scent’s “census.”

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SábaDos vendors range from cannabis dispensaries to vintage clothing sellers and local artists.

Made Mobb, a streetwear-inspired KC clothing store, participated in the festival on October 12.

“We started selling out of a trunk,” explained Alex Harris, sales manager at Made Mobb.

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Since then, the Kansas City apparel brand has grown to collaborate with the city’s professional sports teams, creating items inspired by the team’s colors and field jerseys.

Harris said the key to Made Mobb’s success is perseverance.

“Consistency is key. Find something you can scale, find your community and target market. So support them,” Harris said. “Be present with them. This is how you will grow.”

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Briones said he thinks “about Made Mobb constantly.”

“They are present in my mind because I feel like I saw it happen,” she said. “To be able to see the types of collaborations they were doing…they were just normal people who believed in themselves.”

Believing in the work of local entrepreneurs is SábaDos’ mission.

The festival concluded its final celebration of the year on Saturday and will return in May 2025.

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SábaDos, which means second Saturday in Spanish, is held on the second Saturday of each month.

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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County, Kansas and Cass County, Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.