New curated, eclectic antique shop opens in KC’s West Plaza neighborhood
A husband and wife opened an eclectic antique shop in the West Plaza.
Web Thomas and Erica Immenschuh have owned the nearby Frame Gallery for 30 years and have been collecting antiques to style the frame shop for nearly as long.
“I have an appreciation for everything. I mean, anything that’s kind of old, unique, I collect it or appreciate it. I don’t collect one certain genre or style, just, if I like it, I buy it,” husband said.
WE, short for Web and Erica, opened May 16 at 4505 State Line Road. The somewhat small storefront is currently curated and styled with a Southwest theme, featuring textiles, artwork, Native American pieces and pottery. Before WE moved in, the storefront was the location for Fine Folk, a women’s clothing store, and then Afternoons, a home goods shop, which now neighbors WE.
“I just wanted to kind of have a little different feel, just because Kansas City doesn’t have anyone kind of solely doing this kind of esthetic, I would say,” Thomas said.
The opening comes after West Plaza’s “antiques row,” a three-block strip of antique, curio and architectural salvage shops that line West 45th Street from State Line Road to Wyoming Street, closed after owner Melvin Dwain Smith died in December.
The theme will routinely change. Thomas and Immenschuh believe in continuously switching up the merchandise so returning customers always have something new to find and to attract new shoppers.
“It’s gonna be such a broad spectrum of things; it can be anywhere from primitive to mid-century modern,” he said. “I don’t collect one thing, if I appreciate it, it could be anything from old antique tools to even cars, campers, motorcycles, I have all that.”
Immenschuh said that part of Thomas’ talent is preserving old items, giving them new life and making sure everything he sells functions. He loves going to estate sales, thrift shops and flea markets. Every item and stylistic choice was carefully curated down to the paint, an off-white he believes helps show the artwork and objects best.
“He cleans them up, or he makes sure that it’s refinished in a way that it brings life back into something that has historical value and can be beloved in another way,” she said. “He does the same thing with his picture frames, where some of them he’s cutting and milling and joining and finishing from raw wood, but he’s also going through the process of finding old frames and placing old historical frames on artwork as well.”
Thomas and Immenschuh plan to expand the selection of photography and artwork, and all will be hand framed and matted at their shop.
“It’ll be canvases, it’ll be photography, a lot of it will be stuff that is kind of one-off stuff that once it’s sold, you can’t replace it,” Thomas said.
The two didn’t originally plan to sell their collection, but according to Thomas, after styling the frame shop and home, they had so much left over that a storefront was perfect. The location was the size they were looking for, and close to both home and work, allowing them to make the space unique.
“I mean it’s all a reflection of my wife and I, and our appreciation of unique things, and just working together, and being married for 20 plus years,” he said. “Everything we do, we put a ton of effort into, and I think it reflects both of our styles.”
“I’m so happy to be along for the ride and to support him,” Immenschuh said. “I love going in and helping him figure out where do you want to place these things, how do you want to show them, you know, let’s change it every week. … It’s a really fun, passionate adventure for us.”
WE is open Wednesday through Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.
