The all-brick building that stands proudly over the northeast corner of Santa Fe Trail Dr and Pflumm Rd has been a landmark of Old Town Lenexa for more than 100 years. This building, originally built in May of 1923, has served as a community hub for generations of Lenexans, thanks in large part to two prominent families, the Haskins and Ryckerts.

Railroad workers posing for a photo in front of the brick building in 1935.
Photo courtesy of Legler Barn Museum & Depot

Origins of the Current Brick Building

E.H. Haskin founded the Farmer’s State Bank of Lenexa in 1904. Their original location was just down the strip of businesses, in what we now call Old Town Lenexa, at 13418 Santa Fe Trail Dr, currently the home of Buffalo Mane, a barbershop. Haskin was a savvy businessman who bought property for investment. In 1913, he purchased the land where the brick building now stands. It was home to the Bradshaw Bros. grocery store which closed shortly afterwards so they could start their retirement. Haskin and Farmer’s State Bank became landlords of the building which was occupied by Mrs. Mabel Hartley’s grocery store and the Masons Lodge.

After 10 months of construction, and at a cost of $40,000, the new Farmer’s State Bank building opened May 14, 1923. The building’s construction was overseen by F.L. Legler, and done almost entirely with materials, “secured in Lenexa.”⁴ The building opened with a big celebration with souvenirs and flowers given to all attendees.⁵ The day concluded “with a free picture show in the evening when virtually the entire population of the town and community turned out to see the show and the handsome new theatre.”⁶ The theater would continue to show movies for years after, with E.H. Haskin’s wife, Maude, playing the piano accompaniment for the silent movies. Additionally, Mrs. Mabel Hartley’s grocery store was situated on the first floor next to the bank.

The Farmer’s State Bank remained at that location until 1963, when it moved into its newly constructed building to the north on Pflumm Rd.

Florian Ryckert’s Store, Pictured L-R Athalia Logan Wise, Florian Ryckert, Bernice Dillon Harvey.
Photo courtesy of Legler Barn Museum & Depot

Ryckert’s Market – Opens in Building in 1941

For a lot of Lenexans, the brick building will forever be remembered as the location of Ryckert’s Market. This family run grocery store started operation in the building in 1941. Over the decades the market expanded the building’s footprint. It originally operated in Mabel Hartley’s grocery location and today it houses Sincerely Susan’s south entrance.

However, the brick building was not the first location of Ryckert’s Market. In 1929, the family originally opened its business just to the east in the building that is currently the home of Jerry’s Bait Shop. F.V. Ryckert owned a grocery store in the Argentine district of Kansas City, Kansas before moving his family to Lenexa to become a farmer. His family farm was located on what is now 87th St, on the westside of I-435. F.V. did not take to farming. As his son Joe Ryckert said in an article in the KC Star in 1993, “He started another grocery when he thought he was going to starve to death at farming.”⁷

Ryckert’s Store at 13412 Santa Fe Trail 1929. Photo courtesy of Legler Barn Museum & Depot.

From the beginning, Ryckert’s was a family owned and operated business. Joe Ryckert started working for his dad, F.V., in 1942 at just 11 years old. As Joe’s children grew, they also worked in the family business. Joe remembered his father fondly in a 2007 Lenexa Historical Society video interview, saying he was “very good to people,”⁸ and recalled how on hot summer days he would allow congregants leaving Sunday mass to come into his store’s refrigerator to cool off. Joe’s adult children and F.V.’s grandchildren, Diane Paden, Mary Penny and Paul Ryckert recalled that through the depression F.V. allowed local families to open tabs when times were tough that they were “pretty loose”⁹ about enforcing. Even years later, Diane recalled a lot of people thanking them for those tabs of F.V.’s.

Though Ryckert’s became a larger grocery store, increasing its footprint over time, its specialty was its butcher counter. When Ryckert’s first opened in the Farmer’s State Bank building, their square footage was around 900 feet. At the time, Joe recalls they did more business in the meat department than the entire rest of the store. The butcher area would become a family legacy of the store, starting with F.V., passing along to Joe and then eventually Paul. Diane Ryckert recalled F.V. standing behind the old butcher block counter smoking cigars ready with a quip for passing customers. From a young age, Joe helped his father in the meat department. Originally the meat was cut by hand, with old-school butcher equipment. Eventually F.V. decided to modernize, but not before asking Joe if he thought it was a good idea. Joe’s reply was ““Yeah, and I think we needed one a long time ago.”¹⁰ Paul subsequently worked back there as well. Paul remembers going into the cold storage and pretending to be Rocky by duking it out with the slabs of beef hanging from hooks.¹¹

Photos courtesy of Ryckert Family and Legler Barn Museum & Depot

The Ryckerts working the butcher counter would stick with them throughout the years. Joe’s kids remembered a story of a particular Christmas late in Joe’s life. Diane and Mary were visiting with their father and helping him wrap Christmas gifts for his grandchildren. They watched as he struggled with the dexterity needed to get the presents wrapped. After a while Mary decided to call out, “Wrap it like a pound of hamburger, Dad!”¹² Joe snapped to attention and in seconds his muscle memory kicked in and the present was wrapped.

A piece of the Ryckert butcher shop legacy lives on at the Legler Barn Museum & Depot, where you can see the original butcher block on display.

Ryckert’s Expands Footprint – Bank Moves

F.V. and Joe Ryckert at opening of expanded store (1964). Photo courtesy of Legler Barn Museum & Depot

In a 1963 Lenexa Planning Commission meeting, the Farmer’s State Bank asked that a piece of land at 93rd and Pflumm be rezoned to commercial, and simultaneously Joe Ryckert was granted “a variance for 1,500 square feet of space”¹³ adjoining to the building.

With these changes, Farmer’s State Bank moved out and built a new structure directly to the north of the brick building. It opened in 1964 and the business name was changed to Lenexa State Bank.¹⁴ E.H. Haskin passed away just one year before the opening. You can still see the building today as it’s the home of Small Business Bank.

Joe Ryckert not only expanded the building at the corner of Santa Fe Trail Dr and Pflumm, but also became its owner. The addition was to the east, filling a gap that existed between the bank building and the rest of the businesses. This new footprint is what the more recent residents of Lenexa likely remember of Ryckert’s.

With a new expanded store, Joe welcomed the next generation of Ryckerts to assist in running the store. Mary, Diane and Paul would become regulars at the store as children and young adults. Before they were officially enlisted to work in the store, they spent a lot of time playing there and exploring the old brick building. Paul remembers playing in the old film projector room in the auditorium on the second floor. “There were even old film reels still lying around,” Paul remembered.¹⁵

Ryckert’s Market in the 1980s. Photo courtesy of Legler Barn Museum & Depot.

When it did come time to start working there as teenagers, Diane remembered the donning of the blue smock at the start of each shift. The store was usually run with about 7 to 8 people, with several local Lenexans working at the store as teens. As Diane said, “This is where you worked when you were young. It was a rite of passage.”¹⁶

Joe assumed his father’s role and took his place behind the butcher counter, sporting a white apron just like F.V. His children fondly remember how he taught the other young Lenexa store employees a good work ethic while always being kind and having a sense of humor. Joe taught the workers to mop the floor by telling them to “act like you’re dancing with it.”¹⁷

Through the years the store had several interesting events. A car drove through the front of the store not once but twice. In 1972, the business was threatened when a nearby building caught fire. Joe’s children remembered the whole family quickly piling into the family station wagon and hurrying up to the store when they caught word of the fire. Diane even recalled Joe rushing into their store and holding his hand against the cinder block wall to try and see how close the fire had come. Luckily, their business was spared any significant damage.

Of course, there were a lot of fun memories of local characters that came through the store. Paul remembered the time that the Kansas City Kings did an appearance for a local radio station, where they got to meet the Kings’ head coach, the late Cotton Fitzsimmons.

Ryckert’s Closes But Building Carries On

Unfortunately, as larger chain grocery stores began to appear in Lenexa, Ryckert’s could no longer keep up. In June of 1993, Ryckert’s grocery officially closed. Paul Ryckert, who had become a partner with his dad, Joe, by that point, said at the time, “I love it. But the market isn’t here to make a living. Physically, we can’t offer what some of the supermarkets can offer. We kept on here as long as we did because we took care of our people.”¹⁹

Though Ryckert’s Grocery closed in 1993, Joe Ryckert still owned the brick building and leased out space to tenants. During the ‘80’s Joe had converted the old second floor movie theater into an event space that hosted weddings and even a church congregation for a time. He took out the theater seating and installed a flat floor. That space is currently occupied by Arthur Murray Dance Studio.

Not only did Joe Ryckert stay involved with the building, his daughters did as well. Mary opened a salon with her husband Howard Penny in 1990 in the columned, corner section of the building, where Farmer’s State Bank originally was. Old Town Hair & Nail Co. stayed in business 30 years, closing just a few years ago in 2020. Diane took over landowner duties from her dad, and managed the tenants of the building through the late 2010’s.

Current Occupants

After Ryckert’s closed, the grocery store’s footprint was divided into two. Since its closing, the building has seen several different occupants. At different times there was a train store, Locklear Photography, Heartland Bead Market, Bulk It, Old Town Cyclery and, for a brief time, home to Ron Paul’s Kansas Presidential campaign headquarters. 

In May of 2023, the brick building passed 100 years in age. It currently houses four separate businesses: Sincerely Susan, Maps Coffee & Chocolate, Pop’s Ice Cream Parlor and Arthur Murray. 

Sincerely Susan moved into the building in 2012, occupying the first-floor area on the north of the building. Then, in 2022, it expanded its footprint and took over the area that formerly housed Bulk-It on the south-side of the building. Sincerely Susan is run by Susan Cooley and began in 2004 as an eBay retailer selling comforters. In 2015 the business shifted its focus to mother of the bride/groom dresses. 

Maps Coffee & Chocolate is the creation of Vincent Rodriguez. Originally started as a bicycle shop/coffeehouse, it has evolved over the years into a coffee roastery and chocolate making venture. Coffee is roasted and chocolate is made inside the store, where customers can also enjoy their drinks and chocolate. In 2019, Maps added βloc, edible coffee, to their offerings. 

Pop’s Ice Cream parlor occupies the corner section of the building that was the original entrance to Farmer’s State Bank and Old Town Hair Salon. Pop’s has a large selection of ice cream flavors, shakes, and malts. They also make Mom’s homemade fudge and Italian Cannoli. 

The second floor of the building, where silent movies were once shown, is now home to Arthur Murray Dance Center. Arthur Murray offers beginner dance lessons for several types of dance, including salsa, tango and waltz. 

History Still Present

Though the building has expanded and changed over its 100 years, it still resembles the original structure. The all-brick facade is still present, as are the dual columns that guard the corner entrance to the building.

And, there are smaller pieces of history you can see if you look even closer. Next to the right-side column you can see the bank’s “burglar alarm”. If you drive through the parking lot on the north-side of the building, there is a back exterior door that still shows the Ryckert’s Market logo. Also, as you go into Maps Coffee & Chocolate, look at the door frames where you can see marks left over from years of shopping carts scraping the frames as shoppers exited.

For more than 100 years this two-story brick building has served as an anchor to the original core of businesses in Lenexa. Local families with familiar names like Haskins and Ryckert worked to make this building a landmark of Lenexa. Now, thanks to several local businesses, it continues to maintain its place as community hub for Lenexa.

References

1. The Olathe Mirror [Olathe, KS], 01 June 1922, p. 4.
2. The Olathe Mirror [Olathe, KS] 16 March 1922, p. 8
3. The Olathe Register [Olathe, KS] 08 June 1922, p. 10
4. The Olathe Mirror [Olathe, KS] 17 May 1923, p. 1
5. The Olathe Register [Olathe, KS] 17 May 1923, p. 1
6. The Olathe Mirror [Olathe, KS] 17 May 1923, p. 1
7. The Kansas City Star [Kansas City, MO] 22 June 1993, p. 88
8. Joe Ryckert, interview by Beryl Hennigh, May 12, 2007, recording, Legler Barn Museum & Depot, Lenexa.
9. Diane Paden, Mary Penny, Paul Ryckert, interview by author, Lenexa, KS, June 22, 2023.
10. Joe Ryckert, interview
11. Diane Paden, Mary Penny, Paul Ryckert, interview
12. Diane Paden, Mary Penny, Paul Ryckert, interview
13. The Kansas City Times [Kansas City, MO] 22 March 1963, p. 40
14. The Kansas City Star [Kansas City, MO] 19 April 1964, p. 94
15. – 18. Diane Paden, Mary Penny, Paul Ryckert, interview
16. The Kansas City Star [Kansas City, MO] 22 June 1993, p. 88