As a teenager, Griffin Hall walked into J. Higgins looking for his first practice chanter and a music book. He is now the store's media manager. This summer he stood outside a building that has the company's name above the door, on a stretch of Pflumm Road that had been an empty grass lot since 2018. "It's really cool to come to a brand new building that has the company's name above it, and it's built from the ground up for this purpose," he told the Johnson County Post.
A few weeks later, a general store that had spent about two decades on Merriam Lane in Kansas City, Kansas, opened around the corner on Santa Fe Trail Drive.
Both of Old Town Lenexa's 2026 arrivals are long-established specialty shops with followings of their own, and both picked a block the city has spent years reinvesting in. Together, those two facts explain why a corner known for coffee, ice cream and a bar now has a Scottish outfitter and a country store too.
Two shops with decades behind them
J. Higgins dates to 1983. It started when owner John Higgins, a competitive bagpiper, made reeds in his living room, and it later grew into apparel and gear. Before this move, the store spent about 26 years in a rented suite in a Lenexa industrial park. It now carries more than 5,000 products, from kilts and bagpipes to a growing line of uniforms and accessories for police, fire and sheriff's honor guards. "People come from all across the country to see us, especially for kilt fittings and stuff," Hall told the Post.
The Peddler's Daughter sells groceries, treats, and local, Amish and Mennonite goods, including bread and cookie mixes. Owner Tami Gochenour told the Johnson County Post that in the first couple of weeks, most of the people coming in were longtime regulars from the KCK store, along with some new faces. "Everyone's been really welcoming," she said. The Lenexa space is smaller than the old one, so the garden and prepared foods sections stayed behind. Otherwise, Gochenour said, customers will find the same items they usually come for.
Neither shop was testing a new idea. J. Higgins draws shoppers from across the country, and The Peddler's Daughter's regulars followed it from KCK.
The buildings tell the same story
The two shops ended up in two very different buildings.
The Peddler's Daughter is at 13416 Santa Fe Trail Drive, in what a plaque by the door calls the historic Ann Huseman building. The plaque dates it to the 1870s. County property records say 1890. Either way, it is considered one of the oldest commercial buildings still standing in Lenexa.
J. Higgins went the other way and built new. In May 2025, the Lenexa Planning Commission voted 8-0 for a preliminary plan for a 5,200-square-foot, one-story building with three tenant spaces at 9213 Pflumm Road. The applicant was former city councilmember Tom Nolte of Overland Park-based Nolte Architecture, and John Higgins owns the property. The city's staff report describes the site as a quarter-acre grass lot in the Planned Historic Business District. A house, garage and shed had stood there until they were torn down in 2018. The lot sits midblock between West 92nd Street and Santa Fe Trail Drive, with historic brick pavers along the Pflumm Road sidewalk and a city-owned parking lot reached by the alley behind it. The store's address is 9211 Pflumm Road.
Higgins asked for a brick-and-wood facade with painted wood doorways and bronze-colored metal awnings. "Mr. Higgins really wanted to see some Irish influence," Nolte told the Johnson County Post at the time. According to Hall, the move took two years from start to finish.
The public money that came first
When the project went before the city, Nolte tied its timing to the renovated Old Town Activity Center, which was set to reopen in June 2025 after more than a year of work, with a rebuilt west side and new outdoor space that includes pickleball and shuffleboard courts and an outdoor seating area. "It's been the tradition in Lenexa that when they make an investment, we often see the surrounding properties activate and investment made on the private side. I think this is a perfect example," he said.
That renovation was a public project of roughly $12.15 million, paid for through the city's Capital Improvement Fund, federal grants and the 3/8-cent sales tax. Santa Fe Trail Drive got work too. In her 2026 State of the City address, Mayor Julie Sayers listed new curbs, lighting, stormwater infrastructure, trails and bike lanes along the street. The city's A New Look at Old Town plan from 2016 had set the goals: historic identity, economic activity, walkability and destination events.
Hall gave the Post his own reasons for the move. He said the mix of redevelopment and historic character drew the store. So did being close to the post office, which matters for a business that ships specialty items across the country. "The place is being glamorized continually, so it was an attractive selling point for us," he said.
The neighbors they joined
Both shops landed among businesses that already had followings of their own.
Jerry's Bait Shop, at 13412 Santa Fe Trail Drive, is a restaurant and bar that has operated in Lenexa for more than 30 years. It hosts live music and jam nights. The building goes back further than the bar does. According to the Lenexa Historical Society, it housed Ryckert's Market starting in 1929.
Maps Coffee & Chocolate is at 13440 Santa Fe Trail Drive, a few doors from The Peddler's Daughter.
Pop's Sweet Shop, the ice cream parlor at the corner of Pflumm and Santa Fe Trail, sits directly in front of the new J. Higgins building.
Planning a visit takes a little care, because these businesses keep different hours. J. Higgins is open weekdays only. The Peddler's Daughter is closed Mondays. Maps opens early and closes by mid-afternoon. Jerry's opens at 1 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. on weekends and stays open late. Here are the posted hours:
| Stop | Address | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|
| J. Higgins | 9211 Pflumm Rd | Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| The Peddler's Daughter | 13416 Santa Fe Trail Dr | Tue–Thu 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Maps Coffee & Chocolate | 13440 Santa Fe Trail Dr | Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sat 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Jerry's Bait Shop | 13412 Santa Fe Trail Dr | Mon–Tue 1–11 p.m.; Wed–Thu 1 p.m.–2 a.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–2 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m.–midnight |
| Legler Barn Museum & Depot | 14907 W. 87th St. Pkwy. | Wed and Sat, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. |
If you want to hit both new shops on one trip, go Tuesday through Thursday, or Friday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. On a Saturday you can get coffee at Maps, shop The Peddler's Daughter until 4 and have lunch at Jerry's, but J. Higgins will be closed. Legler Barn is closed on official city holidays.
Old Town's December calendar
The renovated Old Town Activity Center is also where most of the neighborhood's December events happen. Here are the dates from the city's holiday roundup:
- Crafty Kids Workshop, Mondays from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14, 5:30–6:30 p.m. Kids make a handmade holiday gift. Registration required, $35.
- Holiday Lights Tour, Dec. 1, 4:30–9:45 p.m. The group meets at the Activity Center and tours holiday displays across Kansas City. It's for ages 50 and older with family members ages 8 and up. Registration required, $44.
- Candy Cane Hunt, Dec. 18, 9–11 a.m. For kids 6 and younger, with milk and cookies, crafts, stories and music with Mr. Stinky Feet afterward. Free, no registration.
- Kids Night Out, Dec. 18, 5–9 p.m. Gym games, ornament making and a holiday movie for kindergartners and older. Registration required, $25.
- Jigsaw Puzzle Tournament, Dec. 28, 5–7 p.m. Teams of four or fewer race through the same 500-piece puzzle. Registration required, $40 per team.
Two other city events fit well with an Old Town afternoon. On Dec. 4 at 6 p.m., Mayor Sayers will switch on the Sar-Ko Aglow lights at Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, 8801 Greenway Lane, with hot cocoa, carolers and Santa and Mrs. Claus. The lights stay on from dusk to dawn through Jan. 18. On Dec. 10, the free History Happy Hour runs from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. It is supported by Legler Barn Museum & Depot and the Lenexa Historical Society, the same group that has recorded the history of buildings like the one Jerry's occupies.
A December weekday in Old Town could look like this: a kilt fitting or gift shopping at J. Higgins, bread mixes and treats from The Peddler's Daughter, coffee at Maps, and a kid back from the Candy Cane Hunt with a pocket full of candy canes. Every stop on that list is within a few minutes' walk on two streets.
If you own a home near Old Town and are curious how the neighborhood's recent changes might show up in its value, The Johns Family Team knows these blocks well and would be glad to talk it through. Get Your Free Home Valuation and we'll go over it with you.
