Pryde's Old Westport

Pryde’s Old Westport (operating as Pryde’s Kitchen & Necessities) is a family-owned gourmet kitchen-and-housewares store at 115 Westport Road in the historic Westport neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri — a 10,000-square-foot “hardware store for home cooks” founded by John and Connie Perucca in 1968 and run today by their daughter Louise Meyers.¹²³

Description

Pryde’s Old Westport — which trades as Pryde’s Kitchen & Necessities — is an independent gourmet kitchen and housewares retailer occupying a three-story, 10,000-square-foot brick building at 115 Westport Road in Kansas City’s Westport neighborhood.¹⁴ The store stocks “cutting-edge culinary tools and tried-and-true classics,” and is known for carrying what it describes as the largest selection of colorful American-made Fiesta dinnerware in the Midwest.¹ It has long been characterized in local press as the “hardware store for home cooks.”²

The shop has been family-owned and operated for more than 50 years and has become a Kansas City institution and shopping destination across generations of customers.²¹ Amenities include complimentary coffee and tea, free gift wrapping, in-shop pie baking, and a wedding gift registry.¹ The building’s lower level has housed Ashleigh’s Bake Shop, selling pies whole or by the slice.²

The store was founded on November 6, 1968 by John and Connie Perucca, who opened it in historic Westport; the name “Pryde” comes from Connie’s Swedish family middle name.³ The Peruccas envisioned a smaller version of Kansas City’s storied Emery, Bird, Thayer Dry Goods Company.³

Ownership and history

Pryde’s was founded by John and Connie Perucca in 1968, opening on November 6 of that year on a cold November day amid Vietnam War-era Westport; the founders reportedly started with four children in school and roughly $200 in the bank.³ In 1972 the business moved into its current home, a three-story brick building originally built in 1922 as the Helen Thomes School of Dance.⁵¹

Louise Meyers — the founders’ daughter, after whom the store is named — grew up working in the store and made it her career. As she has stated, “In 2001, I purchased the business from my father after working with him for 27 years.”⁵ She is described in coverage as having committed fully to the family business and considers it the only job she has ever held.⁶ Co-founder Constance “Connie” Pryde Perucca died on October 3, 2022, at age 87.³

Links

• Official site: https://prydeskitchen.com/
• About Us: https://prydeskitchen.com/pages/about-us
• Store hours: https://prydeskitchen.com/pages/store-hours

Sources

Disputes

None recorded.

See also

• _Tier1-Non-Service-Local-Businesses

Footnotes

1. Pryde’s Kitchen & Necessities — About Us. https://prydeskitchen.com/pages/about-us — asserts: 1968 founding by owner Louise Meyers’ parents; 10,000-square-foot store; building built 1922 for the Helen Thomes School of Dance; specializes in culinary tools and largest Midwest selection of American-made Fiesta dinnerware; complimentary coffee/tea, free gift wrapping, in-shop pie baking, wedding registry; address 115 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO 64111. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. Feast Magazine — “Kitchen/Bar Store: Pryde’s Kitchen & Necessities.” https://www.feastmagazine.com/kitchen-bar-store-prydes-kitchen-necessities/article_e2681b1c-a7f4-11e9-8d7b-f3fccc3fdb6e.html — asserts: Kansas City icon in historic Westport, family owned and operated for more than 50 years; “hardware store for home cooks”; owner Louise Meyers; lower-level Ashleigh’s Bake Shop selling pies. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

3. Pryde’s Kitchen & Necessities — “Pryde Passing” (news blog). https://prydeskitchen.com/blogs/news/pryde-passing — asserts: founded November 6, 1968 by John and Connie Perucca; name from Connie’s Swedish family middle name “Pryde”; co-founder Constance Pryde Perucca died October 3, 2022, at age 87; Louise Meyers is their daughter and current owner. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

4. Pryde’s Kitchen & Necessities — Store Hours. https://prydeskitchen.com/pages/store-hours — asserts: hours Tuesday–Saturday 10:00–5:00, closed Sunday & Monday; address 115 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO 64111; phone 816-531-5588. ↩

5. HerLife Magazine (Kansas City) — “Spotlight on Pryde’s of Westport.” https://www.herlifemagazine.com/kansascity/spotlight/spotlight-on-prydes-of-westport/ — asserts: “In 2001, I purchased the business from my father after working with him for 27 years”; building built as the Helen Thomes School of Dance in 1922; “In 1972, this unique building became our new home.” ↩ ↩²

6. HerLife Magazine (Kansas City) — “Louise Meyers and Pryde’s: Giving the Delight of Discovery.” https://www.herlifemagazine.com/kansascity/inspirations/louise-meyers-and-prydes-giving-the-delight-of-discovery/ — asserts: Louise Meyers grew up working in the store; describes it as “the only job I’ve ever had”; store celebrating its 50th year as of November 2018. ↩