Johnson County shop carrying 145 local vendors is closing: ‘We never saw it coming’

The owners of Lenexa’s Bulk It shop were gearing up to celebrate its eighth anniversary this summer.

Instead the shop will be closing.

The lease is up at the end of May, and while they planned to renew it, they missed the deadline (both are taking care of elderly parents). When they touched base with the landlord, the landlord was already “exploring other options.”

“We never saw it coming, never ever,” said Nancy Baum, Bulk It owner with Vicki McIntosh. “We survived the big box stores, COVID, and the tragic death of my boyfriend during COVID with a malignant tumor on his brain stem.”

Leasing agent Bill Schultz said the shop had an option to renew the lease, which they did not do.

“They were then advised they would be on a month to month tenancy when the lease expired in June,” he said. But the Bulk It owners did not want that type of lease.

The longtime friends opened the shop in mid-2014, at 13444 Santa Fe Trail Drive in Old Town Lenexa. They sold items in bulk until big box stores started doing the same. Now Bulk It’s inventory includes food, craft beers, honey, candles, pottery and more, using small vendors nationwide, along with about 145 local vendors.

“We have the greatest customers. Everyone has been so kind,” Baum said. “We were fully stocked because we didn’t expect to close and they are cleaning us out. It’s crazy. People are sobbing and I have kids grabbing my legs. We thank everyone for their love and support over these eight plus years. It was so much more than a store.”

This story was originally published May 11, 2022 at 3:03 PM.