Ed Townly has purchased the County Cupboard Store, 12 N. Main from the Renard family on Dec. 28, 2021.
Last month, Townly, from Olathe, had purchased the Books and Grannie’s Book Store, just across the street at 11 N. Main.
Barb Albright, a realtor with H & H Agency, handled both the acquisitions.
Townly said that he doesn’t have definite plans for that store, nor the newly purchased one as yet.
The Townly’s have two businesses in the K.C. area and a daughter still in school, but they are looking forward to moving to Fort Scott, when their youngest daughter graduates, and she is currently in the eighth grade, he said in a prior interview.
The County Cupboard store was owned by Judy and John Renard for decades and was an anchor business in the historic downtown area, selling home decor, jewelry, clothing, cards, old fashion candy, and other accessories.
John died in 2019 and Judy in 2021.
History of the Building
The building at 12-14 North Main was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Dept. of Interior, National Park Service, in 2009. The building is approximately 5,000 square feet on the first floor and 2,000 square feet on the second, according to Barb Albright, the realtor.
It is part of the Fort Scott Downtown Historic District comprised of 9.5 blocks with irregular boundaries, according to the application for registration.
To view the property’s National Register Application:
Bourbon_FortScottDowntownHistoricDistrictNR.pdf (kshs.org)
12-14 N. Main Street building was Liepman’s Clothing House, from 1895 until 1930, according to the application.
“Reportedly, this was not the Liepman family’s first business location in Fort Scott and this was not their first building on this property,” according to the national registration application. “In 1895, the family decided to build a more substantial building. In 1909 the property was recorded as the Liepman Block with M. Leipman & Brother (brothers Morres and Joseph Leipman), clothing occupying the storefront. Liepman’s Clothing Store operated until circa 1930.
By 1938, the A & P Grocery was located at this address.”
Following the A & P Grocery store, it was a western clothing shop then the Renards purchased it in the 1980s.
“This is a rectangular two-story brick commercial building with a flat roof and parapet,” according to the national registration application. “It has a recessed central entrance flanked by display windows. The three-bay second-floor facade is well preserved with a smooth-cut stone belt course under the windows, ornamented pilasters between the window bays, and an ornamented belt course above the window bays. Central paired windows are flanked by a bank of three windows. The windows have 111 double-hung sashes with transoms. There is a brick panel at the eave with the name, “Liepman’s Clothing House,” spelled out in raised letters. A corbelled and molded brick cornice ornaments the parapet. Reportedly, the original display windows and entrance were altered about 1938. There is a shed-roofed shingled awning supported on posts. Aluminum storm windows have been installed on the second-floor windows.”
To view prior features on the buildings:
New Owners of Historic Downtown Fort Scott Building
Country Cupboard To Close For Good, Until Then Saturdays Only
