New Johnson County store replacing longtime cafe will be an ‘experience,’ owner says
Playful, but sophisticated.
Lively, but refined.
Kristie Pettibone’s children’s clothing store, Wild Plains, will be split down the middle — vibrant colors and graphics on the “wild” side, neutrals and dressy outfits representing the “plains” half.
Mossy green on one side, beige on the other.
“Plains” is also a nod to the Great Plains, and elements of the Kansas landscape will be woven throughout the store, Pettibone said.
Her boutique will open in Leawood’s Ranch Mart North at 9421 Mission Road, in the old Foo’s Fabulous Cafe.
Pettibone is eyeing a mid- to late-April opening date.
“Everybody has been nonstop asking me when I’m gonna be open because they’ve been holding out purchases,” she said.
Wild Plains’ predecessor, Foo’s, had been open for 13 years. It served coffee and custard before it closed in 2019.
Foo’s owner told The Star at the time that the landlord told his team they’d found a national tenant to take over their lease.
“I was crestfallen when I found out we were being kicked to the curb,” Jeff Stottle, owner of the Leawood location, said. Foo’s still has a location at 6235 Brookside Plaza.
But Trip Ross, principal with Cadence Commercial Real Estate, said he “had every hope (Foo’s) would be part of the future of the shopping center.”
The space has been vacant since Foo’s closed.
Pettibone knows Foo’s was a favorite of many, and that’s partly why she decided to include a lounge in her shop: to keep the community feel of Foo’s alive.
“I don’t want to be another white box,” she said. “I want people to come in and feel the experience.”
Local architecture firm Hufft constructed a structure with pale, wood slats surrounding the seating area and dressing room. These are meant to resemble wheat bending in the wind, Pettibone said.
While parents peruse Pettibone’s selection of European brand clothes, which will include Me & Henry and Dear Sophie, children can play on a custom-built Jeep. (The vehicle was constructed at the urging of Pettibone’s car-obsessed 3-year-old.)
Pettibone is a graphic designer by trade, but she’s always wanted to open a boutique. She spent several years consulting for other local clothing stores, helping design their window displays.
With her once far-off goal of opening her own store falling into place, Pettibone said she’s in the process of ordering inventory: organic cotton baby rompers, frilly skirts and printed leggings.
“It’s unique things you can’t find in the U.S.,” she said.
Just around the corner, Billie’s Grocery sells coffee, pastries and lunch items. Billie’s opened its second location at the end of the year. Its original location is at 3216 Gillham Plaza.