Lee’s Summit store stems from cocktails, a cruise & community. It’s coming to KC
After celebrating their one-year anniversary at their Lee’s Summit location, Team Cocktail, a vacation-inspired clothing brand, has grown bigger than the storefront’s four walls can contain. Its second location is opening in Zona Rosa.
“We have a lot of customers who will make the trip down here, and so they’re all very excited about us being up there, which is awesome,” said the co-owner and “director of awesomeness” of the brand, Lyndsey Fliehs.
The location will be open starting Saturday, July 26, at 7213 NW 86 Terrace.
“We’re excited because we know Zona Rosa has a really great community up there, and it’s a totally different market for us. We haven’t ever been in the Northland,” said Fliehs.
For small businesses, there’s always a fear of people not liking their products and having to close their doors, but Fliehs is sure that they bring something unique to the mall in Kansas City’s Northland, she said.
“We know our guests will love the fresh energy Team Cocktail brings to our mix of tenants and growing group of small businesses,”Scott Zigler, general manager of Zona Rosa, said in a press release.
With a strong community already championing the brand, they’re excited for the new neighborhood, said Fliehs.
The area was a perfect fit for Team Cocktail with the surrounding lakes. The brand was inspired by the Caribbean, but their apparel works just as good for the Midwest.
“Team Cocktail is a community of people. That’s how it started on the cruise, and that’s how it is still today,” said Fliehs.
One cocktail at a time...
In 2006, on a cruise in the Caribbean, the idea for Team Cocktail was born.
On their trip, their group, consisting of Fliehs’ family and friends, would want to buy the fun, vacation-style merch, but they found it to be low quality, said Fliehs. This gave them the idea to make their own Team Cocktail merch.
First, it was a name for their travel group, and they would make custom merch, like T-shirts or drink koozies, solely for the group, she said.
“We have a group that is having a lot of fun. People would ask us, ‘Well, how do I become part of the team?’” said Fliehs.
It inspired them to trademark the name for the brand and start making high-quality vacation apparel, sold online, in 2010. The brand began with Fliehs, her brother, sister-in-law, parents and a friend.
They started out doing T-shirts and branched out to hats, swimwear and more. They get their best inspiration from just sitting around having cocktails, Fliehs said.
“We’ve really added to the brand since then,” she said.
Starting the brand with no previous experience wasn’t easy, between sourcing materials, finding manufacturers and doing research, she said.
“It wasn’t easy because we didn’t really know what we were doing, right?” Fliehs said.
They went to trade shows, where industry experts show off their products, and sought consultants to help, she said.
“We still do that to this day. We still go to trade shows and meet with manufacturers and feel the fabrics and make sure that they meet our qualifications,” Fliehs said.
They draw the most inspiration for designs from vacation and talking to people out and about, giving ideas for fun sayings for t-shirts, she said. They also love using bright colors; some collections are based solely on color schemes.
“We like bright and fun and different,” Fliehs said.
With a combination of fun vacation-style or alcohol-based sayings, bright colors, and patterns, the brand has a style uniquely its own.
Cocktails and community
When the brand started, it was solely online. They built their Facebook following to get feedback from customers since a website couldn’t provide a direct connection, she said.
“Now that we have a storefront, it’s awesome because every single day somebody comes in and I can have the interaction,” Fliehs said. “That’s what’s the best; hearing from the customers.”
The business was first ran from Fliehs’ Olathe home, then moved to a warehouse in Lenexa. Their first location, opened in 2022, was about 30 minutes from Kansas City, in Lake Latawana, Missouri. In May 2024, they moved to their current Lee’s Summit storefront.
“It’s all about the community, and downtown Lee’s Summit is its own community,” said Lindsey. “They are so supportive of small businesses.”
Their current location makes shopping a fun experience, with free margaritas and beer for customers over 21 years old while shopping, she said. They also put on events like alley parties for their anniversary, Moms & Margs for Mother’s Day, Team Cocktail After Dark, Boozy Boutique Bus, gameday tailgate parties, and sip & shop nights.
They even show support to other small businesses with their Rock the Lot event, where they host 40 to 50 local businesses and vendors with food, drinks and DJs.
Hosting events is part of what makes Team Cocktail more than a retail store. They’re excited to bring their events to the Northland, but also ready to start new traditions with the Zona Rosa Community, Fliehs said.
“I obviously as a small business owner, I love supporting other small businesses, and so it’s a great way for us to have a Sunday, fun day parking lot party,” she said.
For Fliehs, there’s nothing better than seeing strangers support their local small business. It’s the reason they do it all, she said.
“It’s all about making people feel good, making them feel like they’re a part of something and that you’re not just buying another T-shirt, right? You’re buying into a lifestyle,” Fliehs said.
