Owner of iconic Missouri store asks for help after fire burned down building
The owners of iconic Missouri general store, Scott’s Iconium General Store, are asking for volunteers to help with finishing touches as their reopening date approaches after a blaze severely damaged the store months ago.
Shannon Tucker , who owns the store with his wife Nikki Tucker, said volunteers can come anytime between this Friday and Monday if they want to help with mowing, spreading mulch, moving furniture, setting up product and other things needed ahead of their targeted reopening date, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.
Scott’s Iconium General Store— a popular pit stop for Scouting groups that’s located just under two hours southeast of Kansas City at 12770 NE Highway C near Osceola — was gutted in a fire back on Dec. 22.
The popular general store is known for serving Peach Nehi ice cream floats, saying they serve sometimes up to 1,000 floats in a single day.
Shannon Tucker’s goal was to be up and running by the time Scouts start camping at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation on June 1. While that still remains the plan, the mission got harder after his wife was in a UTV accident May 7.
Bad luck continues with ATV crash
At the time of the crash, Nikki Tucker was taking their working dog for a run, where the dog chases the UTV for exercise. It was raining the day she went out, but she was adamant on going since their dog hadn’t run in a couple days, her husband said.
As a firefighter, Shannon Tucker was called to respond to the scene. It wasn’t until he was halfway there that the property owner told him the victim was his wife.
“Firefighters, we kind of go into this certain mode during emergencies. Like there’s some switch that flips in our brain,” he said. “ Half of me was in firefighter mode, which is focused on the problem, not on the emotion. But it’s her and she’s screaming for help and there’s nothing you can do.”
Nikki Tucker broke over 20 bones and has a collapsed lung. She is on a ventilator in a hospital in Springfield and doctors hope to be able to get her off the ventilator soon, her husband said.
“She’s had three surgeries. They put five of the ribs back together, they’ve put her pelvis back together (but) she’s got some vertebrae that are broken still,” he said. “We’re trying to work on breathing right now.”
The hospital she is staying at is 90 minutes away. Shannon Tucker is traveling between her and caring for his kids, all while still trying to get the shop together. His voice cracked when he talked about wanting to be there for the Scouts and everyone who donated after the fire.
“I’m hoping to have something available for these guys, because I’ve gotten so much support from so many people, I feel like I’m letting them down,” he said.
Volunteers who come this weekend will get their first round of pizza free, he said.
One of the buildings on the property is almost done, he said, and there are some temporary buildings also located there. They also bought a food trailer, and a double wide to work as a showroom for all the non-food merchandise like pocket knives and duct tape. They’re also building a hut for food. Progress can be seen through their Twitch livestream.
This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 3:58 PM.
