This shop in downtown Overland Park will close after more than 20 years
A beloved gift shop in Overland Park is closing its doors this coming Saturday.
Unique Finds, located at 8025 Santa Fe Drive in historic downtown Overland Park, will shutter after over 20 years of selling one-of-a-kind goods from both local artisans and from ones around the world.
The shop took pride in their products telling a story, selling items like hand-loomed shawls by women from India and hand-painted works from earthquake victims in Haiti.
“This is a bittersweet announcement, but our hearts are full of gratitude for all the support many of you have given us,” the shop said in a Facebook post in December.
Robert Southard, a retired pastor, opened the store over 20 years ago in the hopes that a second stream of income could help those in poverty meet basic needs, stimulate the economy and support various missions by the Baptist Church, according to their website.
“I love helping people, and it’s pretty clear to me that it’s helped at a lot of levels,” Southard said in a post. “Missions, people in poverty, staff, development, helping artisans find and develop their business.”
The reason for the closure was not specified in the post. The Star reached out to Unique Finds through Facebook but did not immediately hear back.
“We are thankful to our business and community partners, local and global artists and our amazing customers,” the shop said in another post. “You all have sustained our business for over 20 years, and we will carry our times together in our hearts. Thank You!”
Unique finds is closed Monday due to weather, but will be open Tuesday through Saturday. They are open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
