Emily Bordner couldn’t believe the once-in-a-lifetime response to her Travis Kelce-themed ring’s appearance on the finger of one of the world’s biggest celebrities.
“I’m still in shock,” said Bordner, owner of EB and Co., after images of superstar Taylor Swift rocking her jewelry at the AFC Championship Game on Sunday exploded on social media and in newspapers across the globe.
Always on the lookout for Easter eggs, eagle-eyed Swifties spotted the singer-songwriter sporting an EB and Co. Chiefs-inspired ring, shaped like a tiny red football jersey with Kelce’s No. 87, on her right pointer finger.
“Now I’m just trying to get the orders fulfilled and out the door,” Bordner said, describing the rush of sales that followed her design’s unexpected appearance on the NFL broadcast.
EB and Co. is a Kansas-City based accessory and gift boutique with stores in Brookside, and on the Country Club Plaza. The store also sells merchandise at Made in KC Marketplace locations on the Plaza and in Lenexa.
Reflecting on the success of EB and Co., Bordner acknowledged the impact of influential figures like Swift and Donna Kelce — mother of the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and the Eagles’ Jason Kelce, and who has herself become a pop culture phenomenon over the past year since the 2023 Super Bowl — sporting her jewelry on Chiefs game days.
“We first heard that (Donna Kelce) tried to buy our earrings, but they were sold out at one of our wholesalers. So, we sent her a pair,” said Bordner. “She’s awesome. We’re super grateful to her.”
The store received more orders overnight Sunday after the AFC Championship Game than ever before, she said, noting she and her team will ship out more than 500 orders over the next few days.
Amid the whirlwind of attention and a buzzing phone, Bordner remains focused on the day-to-day operations, prepping for a restock of the ring, she said.
“We just need to check off a long list of to-dos before I could actually, probably in a week or two, sit down and be like, ‘OK, that happened. That was crazy.’ Until then, I’m just in work mode,” Bordner said.
Fashion with a purpose
EB and Co. started its journey in 2012 when Bordner embarked on a quest to discover the perfect handbag — something modern and simple, both affordable and of high quality. When she couldn’t find anything that matched the criteria, Bordner decided to create her own, she said.
“I was selling handbags and everything was going really well. So I ended up introducing some jewelry, and that really took off,” said Bordner. “I just expanded based on what people wanted to see more of.”
Following a series of successful pop-up experiences, a more established business was born. In 2019, she opened her first brick-and-mortar store in Brookside.
Bordner has incorporated a philanthropic dimension into her business, with the company pledging to donate a portion of its profits to Newhouse KC — which seeks to break the cycle of abuse for domestic violence survivors — a cause selected by EB and Co.’s audience through a survey.
“We were asking them, ‘Is there a certain cause that you are really loving or that you’re passionate about?’ and they all answered domestic abuse,” said Bordner.
Having established a connection to Newhouse through a friend, Bordner found the partnership to be an ideal match for their charitable initiatives. “It was a natural marriage.”
With EB and Co.’s Kansas City collection seamlessly blending Chiefs icons with their signature dainty jewelry, Bordner shared insights into the creation of the popular collection. Currently, she mixes wholesale curation from various vendors while also designing pieces herself.
“We also started designing and customizing some of the Kansas City collection. Things like the Taylor Swift ring, all that is an original design of mine that we have manufactured in-house,” said Bordner.
Bordner revealed plans to expand the Kansas City collection, expressing excitement about upcoming jewelry collaborations with the Royals, KC Current, and KC Sporting.
“We’re going to work on those this year, and then they’ll debut in the fall of next year,” she said. “We have a lot more ideas in store.”
