Sara Eskilson, sophomore studying marketing and minoring in advertising, has spent the last year operating her own bleached flannel business. “My mom started her own business back in 2012, so I’ve always been around entrepreneurship,” said Eskilson.
Eskilson discovered the idea of bleaching flannels on Pinterest and from there she and her mother decided to bleach flannels for fun, not realizing it would later turn into a thriving business.
Eskilson said she was inspired by the pictures she saw on Pinterest, but wanted her own twist on it.
“I had some extra money to spend,” said Eskilson, “so I decided to buy some inventory and see what might happen,” Eskilson started purchasing flannels from various thrift stores and experimenting with bleaching them. “I’m a pretty creative person, so it was really fun,” said Eskilson.
Eskilson said she was starting up her business around the same time she was taking entrepreneurship classes at K-State, so she applied those teachings when starting Sara’s Grunge Flannels.
As Eskilson was starting her business, she said she had no expectations for it and assumed it would be a little thing. However, the demand kept growing.
“Sara is a great business woman and markets her clothing well. She’s also such a great person in general so supporting her business is worthwhile,” said Maddie Rues, sophomore studying social work.
Rues purchased a flannel from Sara’s Grunge Flannels and said she loves getting compliments on the flannels when she wears them. “No flannel is exactly the same, which gives the clothing such an authentic and trendy vibe,” said Rues.
Santiago Amarilla, junior studying advertising, said he appreciates how unique Sara’s Grunge Flannels are. “What I love about them is how fashionable they are, especially now that it’s fall,” said Amarilla.
Eskilson now has her grunge flannels featured in three stores in Kansas City, KS, such as: Downtown Restoration Emporium located in West Bottoms and Leawood, as well as the Hallmark store located in the Plaza.
“If someone would have told me that I would have a brand sold in stores, I would have never believed them,” said Eskilson. The store exceeded Eskilson’s expectations.
Eskilson said she is still trying to figure out where she is going with the future of her business because her true passion is video and production. However, Eskilson said she still has a great interest in entrepreneurship.
“With the digital age, I may consider an online store,” said Eskilson. Since there is so much work that goes into starting a boutique, Eskilson said an online store might be the better choice. However, if an opportunity to open a store in Manhattan came along she would take it.
