Farm Dog Studios artwork
I’ve seen these decor signs in several homes I’ve shown to buyers and in a few restaurants in the area..I always wondered, where do you buy them? Last week I was in 5B&Co Candlemakers in Brookside and…there they were, neatly displayed on a wall. I tracked down the artist and found out all the details about yet another home grown Brookside business, Farm Dog Studios.
Amy January in her Farm Dog Studios space
Farm Dog Studios is Amy January. She grew up in Fairway, and earned a BFA at Miami of Ohio. After several years working in art licensing and graphic design, she left the corporate world to raise her three children while living in Brookside. One day, inspired by a subway sign, she wondered aloud why Brookside doesn’t have similar landmark signage. In her studio, Amy and a (former) partner came up with the artwork emphasizing major streets in our neighborhood. She sold one sign at a Visitation auction and had requests for more. A company was born.
Each sign is handmade in her Brookside East studio. The process is a stencil and mask system, going through several steps from start to finish. Besides the subway-style signs, Amy creates wall decor for children’s rooms, sororities and fraternities, local sports teams and universities. There are also tee shirts, pillows and tea towels with her unique designs–those are made elsewhere. She describes her art as “modern yet broadly appealing maker aesthetic”. She added: “This is so fun for me because everything I’ve ever done is here. I like all the quirks from hand painting to licensing. I love coming up with the designs involving painting and typography”.
Of course I had to ask her how she came up with the name for her business. It’s a story every mom will appreciate: Amy’s husband grew up on a farm in rural Kansas. She explained every farm has a ‘scrappy dog’ that works challenging, long hours despite some obstacle–perhaps he’s blind in one eye or uses only three legs. Amy was determined to get the company going while raising her school aged kids and all the running around and organizing that requires. Hence, Farm Dog Studios.
Cool Brookside stuff from Farm Dog Studios!
You can stop by Farm Dog Studios to browse and purchase the artwork–she’s at 633 E 63rd St in Brookside East, next to Golden and Pine. Current hours are Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am-3pm. You’ll also find her creations at 5B& Company, Stick Sisters, Made in KC stores and J’Adore.
Features include a new arch swing, climber, spring rider, swings, and play structure on top of mounded rubberized ‘hills’ .
This Thursday through Sunday, July 7-10, 2016 is the annual Brookside Side Walk Sale. Stop by and check out the bargains at your favorite stores…and browse some new shops as well! Many merchants are open until 8pm on Thursday evenings. Make a day of it and enjoy a meal or snack while you are picking up some sale stuff.
I’m not a foodie…actually I am a very picky eater. So on my blog, I don’t give my opinion about local restaurants and eateries in the Brookside/Waldo area. However, the meal my husband and I had at 
So what did we eat? We started with an appetizer featuring a roasted garlic bulb, pomodero sauce, sheep cheese and arugula pesto served with grilled bread. This was followed by a small salad of greens, radish, candied orange peel, almonds and figs. I was so enamored of the fresh pomodero sauce on the appetizer that I ordered the house made pasta with that same sauce (tomatoes from Powell Gardens) and my husband had the braised pork shoulder over pasta. Every bite was…just so fresh and bright and flavorful. Using the local ingredients makes so much difference (Andrea boasts there is not a can opener or microwave in the kitchen!). For dessert, we shared a caramel bondino (not sure of the spelling of this Italian word): a thick pudding with a smear of whipped cream on top of a dark chocolate cookie crumble. (The menu posted online is a little different from what we ordered from; items do change on a regular basis depending on the season).
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 