The Story Behind Upside Down Mercantile

Located among the other eccentric boutiques and restaurants on Historic C-Street, the Upside Down Mercantile offers handmade products and goods you won’t find in any other shop, with more than 16 collections developed and dreamed up by local individuals with Down syndrome. 

The Down Syndrome Group of the Ozarks (DSGO) first started the program in October of 2023 after seeing a need for supporting families and individuals with Down syndrome. “DSGO historically has been really good on the front end of life,” says Executive Director Scott Kirby. “We’re there at the hospital with gift baskets and care for new parents that have a baby with Down syndrome. We celebrate this precious new life with them and give them resources, then walk them through all the next steps like special education services, but we started looking at life after school and job opportunities and there just wasn’t a strong presence.” 

Beyond providing a space to showcase skills and talents, the DSGO team also felt the Upside Down Mercantile was the perfect opportunity to raise awareness for the community. “With Upside Down Mercantile the whole premise is that society has had a view of individuals with Down syndrome that focuses on everything they can’t do, whereas for everyone else they’re not subject to that and are instead defined by what they can do and things they’re good at,” he says. “Unfortunately, many times individuals with Down syndrome don’t have that luxury, so we wanted to flip the whole narrative upside down—thus the premise for the name—so we can highlight what they can do and what they’re good at.” 

Kirby recognizes that just like anyone else, not all individuals with Down syndrome are called to an entrepreneurial role, but he hopes that the store opens the door for other opportunities in other sectors across the community. For businesses open to hiring individuals with disabilities, Kirby worries over the potential for miscommunication surrounding what that should look like. “Families just want their loved ones to have the ability to be included in society and I always say true inclusion is not a handout,” Kirby says. “It’s not hiring an individual with Down syndrome so that they can do some menial task over in the corner. Inclusion is giving them a chance to show what they can do and letting them go if they can’t do that work just like you would with any other employee.” 

This standard is why Upside Down Mercantile only accepts products that are entirely dreamed up and developed from start to finish by individuals with Down syndrome and not simply done by a family member with their face on it. Throughout the process, DSGO provides support where needed, whether it’s with brand development or logo creation. “The idea is that they are very capable and so it has to be a product that they are engaged with and love being involved with; we just walk alongside them with what the product line needs may be,” he says.