Clean and Green
Michal Antonuk started making natural soaps for her family after realizing many soaps were “packed with artificial and harmful ingredients.” After creating some natural soaps, she decided to share her creations with others by opening Four Ladies & Co., which is named after her four daughters, in 2023. The business, based in Republic, offers handcrafted luxury bars of soap and nourishing face oils. “The inspiration to start the business came from the realization that buying natural soaps could get very expensive, with some companies charging $10 or more per bar,” Michal says. “As a family of six, that just wasn’t feasible. So, I decided to make my own soaps using only natural and organic ingredients that I could trust while also keeping it affordable for others.” Her products are made from 100 percent natural and organic ingredients. “Building a loyal customer base and knowing that our soaps are making a difference in people’s lives has been incredibly rewarding. We’ve also grown our product range and reached more people, which has been exciting and motivating,” she adds. Customers can find the business’s products and where they are sold on the website.
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• Ampersand Cards
Greetings From Kay
Kay Foley was unhappy at her job when she read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and became inspired to start a new adventure. In 1998, she decided to create Ampersand Cards, an art and greeting card business based in Columbia. “Julia Cameron’s book is all about finding what you love to do and doing it,” Kay says. “My business was directly inspired by The Artist’s Way. I quit my job and took a big leap.” Kay sells a wide range of art forms, from bright abstract paintings to collages with handmade paper and hand-written text to hand-drawn children’s books. In addition, she creates greeting cards made for a variety of holidays, featuring original collages, verses, and photographs. “I consider my biggest success to be the fact that people take comfort from my writing and from the cards, and that my art brings joy. People so often say that the cards say just what they’d like to say and that the art makes them happy. Those are my goals.”
Browse through products on the website, or at Poppy in downtown Columbia and Stockton General Store in Rocheport.
• Pigs in a Blanket Quilting
In Stitches
Lorelai Kuecker started her business from her favorite hobby—quilting—in 2021 when she was just 12 years old. Lorelai, owner and artist of Pigs in a Blanket Quilting, based in Concordia, sells intricate quilted creations. Lorelai first learned to sew straight lines on a sewing machine at five years old; by 11, she had created her first quilt. “For as long as I can remember, I have needed to be working on a project of some sort. I always say, ‘Boredom is my mortal enemy,’ ” Lorelai says. While attending online high school and participating in theater and band, Lorelai still makes time to juggle building her small business. “When other quilters view my work either online or in shows, they either don’t realize it is made by a youth quilter or don’t believe that I made the projects entirely on my own,” Lorelai says. “My mission in creating a youth-owned quilt business is to introduce many young, aspiring artists to the industry so that passionate youth quilters become commonplace.” See the online store to shop or learn about upcoming classes and events.
This story was originally published in the June 2025 edition of Missouri Life magazine.
