L.L. Bean sets November opening in Leawood

Legendary outdoor gear and apparel retailer L.L. Bean plans a November opening for its new Town Center Crossing store.

The Leawood store will be the company’s first in Kansas and its 26th full retail store outside of its home state of Maine. It selected the Leawood location as “part of its overall retail expansion plan” and because of “the high level of brand affinity the area residents have for L.L. Bean,” a company statement said.

The 15,000-square-foot store, at 4401 W. 119th St., will have about 100 employees. It will offer an assortment of active and casual apparel and footwear, as well as gear for hiking, fly-fishing, kayaking and camping.

Its Outdoor Discovery Schools also offer demonstrations, clinics and hands-on introductory activities. In 2014, more than 130,000 people participated in the programs.

L.L. Bean Inc. was founded in 1912 and now has annual sales of $1.61 billion. It is based in Freeport, Maine, just down the road from its original store.

L.L. Bean is taking the former Charming Charlie space and part of the former Z Gallerie space.

Charming Charlie has moved to a temporary space in Town Center Crossing and will move to a permanent space in the center this fall.

Z Gallerie temporarily moved to the former Restoration Hardware space at 4853 W. 117th St. in Town Center Plaza, sister shopping center to Town Center Crossing.

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 4:13 PM with the headline "L.L. Bean sets November opening in Leawood."