This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Nigro’s Western Store No. 1 is a western-wear house on Merriam Lane in Kansas City, Kansas, founded in 1956 by Tony Nigro Sr. and run by the Nigro family ever since — David Sr. and Anita Nigro for more than forty of those years, with their children Serena and David Jr. in the business as the third generation. The store sells boots, hats, denim and tack, and its distinguishing craft is bench work: custom hat shaping and custom boot design done in-house rather than ordered from a catalogue. It calls itself the longest family-run western store in Kansas City.

Description

Nigro’s Western Store No. 1 is a western-wear retailer at 3320 Merriam Lane in Kansas City, Kansas, in the Merriam Lane industrial-and-trade corridor on the Turner–Rosedale edge of Wyandotte County.12 Tony Nigro Sr. opened the store in 1956, and it has been run by his family for the seventy years since.132

The store’s positioning is deliberately narrow: authentic western goods, sold with bench service. Beyond stocked inventory it does custom cowboy-hat shaping and personalized boot design, work carried out by David Nigro Jr., who is described in local coverage as one of the more accomplished hat shapers in the area.13 The family’s stated brand roster runs to Wrangler, Ariat, Stetson, Justin and Rios of Mercedes, with custom Rios of Mercedes and Anderson Bean boot designs available through the store.13

David Nigro Sr. and his wife Anita have owned the store for more than forty years; their children Serena and David Jr. represent the third generation in the business.3 The store trades on the “No. 1 — The Original” designation, distinguishing itself from a separately branded Nigro’s Western Store in Shawnee, Kansas, and the two keep separate social channels.24 The precise relationship between the two — common ownership, family split, or licensing — is not established by any source found in this pass and is marked below.

The founder’s motto, still carried on the store’s own site, is “Small enough to appreciate you; big enough to accommodate you.”1

Goods and services

  • Western boots — including custom Rios of Mercedes and Anderson Bean designs1
  • Cowboy hats, with custom shaping done in-store13
  • Denim and pearl-snap shirts; men’s dress shirts1
  • Women’s boutique clothing1
  • Western accessories and tack1
  • Brands including Wrangler, Ariat, Stetson and Justin Boots3
  • Custom styling and fitting assistance1

History

Tony Nigro Sr. founded the store in 1956.132 Family accounts describe authentic western wear and tack as the original draw, bringing customers to Kansas City, Kansas from across the Midwest.3 The Better Business Bureau records the business start date as 1 January 1956 and the business as seventy years old as of 2026.2

David Nigro Sr. and Anita Nigro have run the store for more than four decades, and by their own account the business has had “ups and downs like any business over the past 60 years,” carried by multi-generational customer families.3 The stated ambition of the third generation is to keep the store operating as a Kansas City landmark.3

The founding-era address is not established in this pass; the current Merriam Lane location is the only address any source found here attaches to the store. “

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Nigro’s Western Store #1 — official site, “Our Story” (store home: nigroswesternstore.com) — asserts: founded 1956 by Tony Nigro Sr.; address 3320 Merriam Lane, Kansas City, KS 66106; third-generation family business of over 60 years; current owners David Sr., Anita and David Jr.; product range (western boots, cowboy hats, denim and pearl-snap shirts, women’s boutique clothing, men’s dress shirts, accessories and tack); custom hat shaping and personalized boot design including Rios of Mercedes and Anderson Bean; founder’s motto “Small enough to appreciate you; big enough to accommodate you.” (Accessed 2026-08-14.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12

  2. Better Business Bureau — business profile, Nigro’s Western Store, Kansas City, KS — asserts: address 3320 Merriam Ln, Kansas City, KS 66106-4620; phone (913) 262-7500; alternate phone (913) 631-2226; business started 1 January 1956; 70 years in business; owner contact listed as Katie Nigro; a second location recorded at 10509 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Shawnee, KS 66203. This is the freshest independent confirmation that the business is active. (Accessed 2026-08-14.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  3. VoyageKC — “Meet David Nigro of Nigro’s Western Store #1 – The Original” — asserts: store opened 1956, founded by Tony Nigro Sr.; “the longest family-run western store in Kansas City”; David Nigro has owned the store with his wife Anita for more than 40 years; children Serena and David Jr. are the third generation in the business; brands carried include Wrangler, Ariat, Stetson, Justin Boots and Rios of Mercedes; David Jr. described as one of the most talented hat shapers in the area; the family’s own statement about ups and downs over 60 years and multi-generational customers. (Accessed 2026-08-14.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10

  4. Nigro’s Western Store No.1, Inc. — official Facebook page — asserts: the store maintains an active Kansas City, KS social presence under the “No.1 — The Original” name, distinct from the separately branded Shawnee page at facebook.com. Not read directly in this pass; listed as the store’s social channel of record. ↩

Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/nigros-western-store-no-1 · record updated 2026-08-14