Editor’s Note: Small Biz Shoutout is a new monthly series where The Gazette highlights a local small business, and talks with them about their story, their triumphs, and more. Have a small business that you would like featured? Please email amanda@emporia.com.
From an early age, Kinsey Jones was familiar with two concepts: entrepreneurship and cattle.
Jones grew up in a family of farmers. Her grandfather and her father were farmers, and raised cattle through a feedlot system.
“I grew up with the vision that you work for yourself,” Jones said. “That’s all I really knew.”
After several jobs, including a stint in graphic design and in cosmetology school, Jones found herself drawn back to agriculture 12 years ago. With the help of her father, Jones got into the breeding business and started with her own herd of mother cows and calves. She began speciality breeding with miniature cattle in 2019 – right before Covid rocked the agriculture world and beyond.
“I downloaded TikTok and I started doing little funny videos of my cattle and farm life and then I started educating people and just using that platform to entertain me,” Jones said. “It took off really fast and after two years of being on it, I gained almost a million followers.”
@minicowgirl, Jone’s TikTok, exploded in popularity. Captivated by her cows, her followers hailed from the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Canada, and quickly asked for merchandise. Jones launched minicowgirl.com and sold ranching-themed items, including a stuffed animal of a popular bottle calf.
Jones’s store and social media presence came to a halt in 2022 and 2023, when she started a new adventure – motherhood. Kason Jones, her son, was born in 2023. After a traumatic birth and navigating postpartum life as a single mother, Jones decided to launch the online store for Midwest Mama Co. in 2024.
“I wanted to be Kinsey and I wanted to have my entity be separate from minicowgirl while still keeping minicowgirl alive,” Jones said. “I wanted something different, and so I opened Midwest Mama Co.”
The Midwest Mama Co. online store was a resounding success, and Jones set her sights on a storefront. In late March, Jones cut the ribbon on the official Midwest Mama Co. storefront, located at 1107B Commercial St.
“I’ve been an entrepreneur for most of my life but I wanted something where people could come in and I could interact with people and I could make people happier,” Jones said. “I did that on my mini cowgirl platform a lot but it was just me behind a phone, I didn’t get to interact with people. It’s a very good feeling to see people come in and be like ‘wow, this is a really awesome store, thank you for doing this.”
The majority of Midwest Mama Co.’s products are inspired from life on the farm, ranching, and relatable everyday issues. Visitors to Jones’ storefront can find clothing, home decor, homemade products, and more. Almost all of her products are either made locally or in the state of Kansas.
“There’s something for everyone here and it doesn’t matter who you’re shopping for,” Jones said. “I’m sure you can find it. That was my goal – to have a wide range of items, not just apparel, not just decor. I have soaps and candles and I even have local products.”
In her entrepreneurship journey, Jones’s biggest challenges have been juggling mom life, businesswoman life, and storefront life, on top of a recent foot surgery. She credits her strong support system and support for her business for making it all possible.
“I appreciate Emporia and the surrounding areas for coming in and giving me such great feedback and loving the items that I have,” Jones said.