Brookside Barkery & Bath

Kansas City’s original all-natural pet food and grooming shop, founded in Brookside in 2003 and now operating eight metro-area locations under independent local ownership.

Description

Brookside Barkery & Bath launched in 2003 when Delena Stout, transitioning out of a corporate career, spotted a vacant building across from Pickleman’s in Brookside and decided to open a pet store.¹ The shop positioned itself as Kansas City’s first all-natural pet food retailer and grooming facility, offering a curated selection of holistic kibble, wet food, frozen and freeze-dried options, and a full-service spa — a combination then unavailable in the KC market. Stout ran the business for nearly two decades, building a loyal clientele and hosting free community nutrition seminars called “Barkery University” in partnership with Research Medical Center.¹

At the end of 2022, Stout and her husband Larry retired and sold the business to Brian and Jennifer Murphy, who had relocated to Kansas City from Minneapolis with intentions of starting their own independent pet retail operation.² Rather than build from scratch, the Murphys acquired Brookside Barkery and immediately committed to preserving its all-natural, neighborhood-service identity. Under their ownership the company has grown from two locations (Brookside KC and Lee’s Summit) to eight metro-area stores spanning both sides of the state line, with continued expansion into Johnson County underway as of 2026.³

The flagship Brookside location at 6201 Oak Street anchors the original neighborhood identity. All locations carry natural and premium pet food lines unavailable at big-box retailers, offer manufacturer loyalty programs, and provide grooming and bathing services. The company bathed and groomed over 60,000 dogs annually as of 2026.³ Murphy has emphasized a “serve the neighborhood, not the nation” philosophy and described plans to remain permanent KC residents.²

Ownership and history

Year	Event
2003	Delena Stout founds Brookside Barkery & Bath at 6201 Oak St, Brookside KC
2003–2022	Stout era: single flagship + Lee’s Summit expansion; Barkery University seminars established
Dec 2022	Delena and Larry Stout retire; business sold to Brian and Jennifer Murphy
2023	Murphys open first Johnson County location (Shawnee, Oct 2023); Blue Springs MO follows
2024	Leawood and Overland Park North locations open; Gardner KS added
2026	Prairie Village location opens at Corinth Quarter; 8 stores active metro-wide

Independence note: Brookside Barkery & Bath is wholly independent — no franchise, no corporate parent, no affiliation with any other “Barkery”-branded chain. All locations are owned and operated by the Murphy family entity.⁴³

Links

• Website: https://www.brooksidebarkery.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrooksideBarkery/
• Locations page: https://www.brooksidebarkery.com/pages/locations

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. https://www.brooksidekc.org/article/faces-bks-brookside-barkery-bath — Asserts: Delena Stout founding story (spotted building at Pickleman’s lunch); personal service ethos; Barkery University seminars at Research Medical Center; 15+ year customer relationships. ↩ ↩²

2. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2023/08/04/brookside-barkery-bath-johnson-county-208886/ — Asserts: Brian and Jennifer Murphy relocated from Minneapolis in late 2022; purchased from Delena and Larry Stout who retired December 2022; Murphy quote “We want to serve the neighborhood, not the nation.” ↩ ↩²

3. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2026/03/03/brookside-barkery-expand-joco-280892/ — Asserts: Murphy quote “My wife and I plan to spend the rest of our lives here”; 60,000+ dogs groomed/bathed annually; 4 JoCo stores + flagship + Lee’s Summit + Blue Springs; Prairie Village and Olathe expansion planned. ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. https://www.brooksidebarkery.com/pages/about-us — Asserts: Founded 2003; family-owned; “pioneering all-natural pet food retailer and bathing facility in the Kansas City area”; mission “Better Health Through Better Nutrition”; 9 stores (as of site update). ↩