Sarah Deters’ rescue pup, Callie Mae, was much more than a pet.
Her boxer, Deters’ “one and only foster fail” as a longtime foster for Kansas City-based Chain of Hope, ultimately became the inspiration for her business. Callie Mae’s Barkery & Bath debuted in Kansas City, Missouri’s Waldo neighborhood shop in September 2024.
Two years later, the shop is bringing its pet goods and treats across the state line. Toward the end of this fall (likely October or November), Callie Mae’s will open its second store at a growing development in Lenexa.
Callie Mae’s is coming to 9731 Ridgeview Road
- The shop will open in a newly built space at the incoming Vista Village development, at the southeast corner of Prairie Star Parkway and Ridgeview Road.
- There, it will operate near fellow Waldo mainstay KC Bier Co. and ice cream shop Pecan Jacks.
- Once it opens, Callie Mae’s will have the same regular hours in Lenexa as the Waldo shop: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Callie Mae’s offers fresh dog treats and other pet goods
The shop is known, in large part, for its colorful dog treats, all of which are made in-house.
Some of the quickest ones to fly out of the pastry case, Deters said, are the cheddar fish (made to look like little goldfish crackers) and the Maggie’s maple bacon bars — named after her 1-year-old boxer, Maggie, who’s featured often on the shop’s social media and at the shop itself.
In addition to its treats, Callie Mae’s also offers a wide variety of pet accessories (for both dogs and cats), as well as self-wash dog “spaw” stations for grooming.
With an even larger footprint than the Waldo store, Deters said the Lenexa store will have a slightly expanded inventory — including a bigger selection of dog food and a third self-wash station (the Waldo shop has two).
This marks the first Callie Mae’s shop in Johnson County
For Deters, Callie Mae’s was a combination of two longtime passions: culinary arts and dogs.
After working for a different pet retailer for roughly 15 years, she decided to embark on something of her own.
“It was the right time in my career path to move on and do things the way that I wanted to do it,” she said.
She found a like-minded business partner in Wiltz, owner of Woof’s Play & Stay and co-owner of Callie Mae’s (and naturally, a fellow dog lover). Together, they built their own brand.
“He’s always looking for the next dog-related to do,” Deters joked.
The hope for the Lenexa expansion, Deters said, is that Callie Mae’s finds other dog-minded people on the other side of the state line.
“Wherever we’re at, we tend to build a lot of community with pet parents,” Deters said. “Getting to see some new faces — or some that maybe we don’t see as often because they’re not in those areas — is always a lot of fun.”
So far, signs point to a demand in the area; the nearby apartments at Vista Village are dog-friendly, and the incoming KC Bier Co. will have an off-leash dog zone.
“There isn’t really anything of this kind out in that area,” she said. “Bringing some of the fresh-baked treats and things like that to the dogs and people over there is exciting.”
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