A new specialty sandwich shop is set to open in early October inside a storefront that has sat at the heart of downtown Lee's Summit for more than two decades. Hometown Subs will occupy 11 S.E. Third St., the space long known as Blue Heron, bringing a made-to-order, to-go sandwich concept to a stretch of Third Street already dense with local food and drink spots.
The shop is the creation of childhood friends TJ Kennedy and Will Eames, who according to The Kansas City Star have been friends since middle school and only began seriously discussing their restaurant dream a few months before the article's publication. Kennedy, who has worked in restaurants since his teenage years, previously worked at Third Street Social, while Eames brings a business degree to the partnership. Kennedy told the Star that the pair saw a need and opportunity in downtown Lee's Summit for the kind of quick-service sandwich shop they envisioned.
Eames said the current location practically fell into their laps, and he described downtown Lee's Summit as having a vibrant small-town feel. That storefront carries its own history. The building's previous tenant, Blue Heron, was owned by Peggy Doughty, who launched her business in November 1997 as Blue Heron Design, selling fair-trade and women-owned goods at trunk shows before opening the downtown storefront in 2000, according to a Facebook post from the shop.
A Storefront Reborn After Loss
Blue Heron closed earlier in 2026 after Doughty died in a car accident in May, a loss that rippled through the downtown business community she had been part of for over two decades. The Star reports the closure and sale of the property set the stage for its conversion into Hometown Subs. The new tenants are stepping into a space with deep roots in the district's identity as a haven for independent, community-minded retail.
According to the City of Lee's Summit, a business license is required to operate any business in the city. City records show that commercial building permits are required for the construction, expansion, alteration or repair of structures used for commercial purposes.
Hometown Subs will keep things simple: a smaller menu built around quality, fair prices and quick service, with meats and cheeses sliced to order and homemade sauces on every sub. Signature sandwiches will run $8 to $14, per the Star's reporting. Fresh rolls will come from Farm to Market Bread Co., a Kansas City, Kansas bakery founded in Westport in 1993 that now bakes around the clock, delivering artisan sourdough and specialty loaves to over 200 food-service customers and over 40 grocery stores across the metro daily, according to Flatland KC.
What's on the Menu
Two sandwiches are already drawing attention. The Bake Show, named after Kennedy's nephew, a baker, is loaded with ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, thin-sliced onions, peppers, cucumbers, homemade roasted red pepper mayo and balsamic. The Maestro, an Italian sub built with ham, salami, pepperoni, Chicago-style giardiniera and homemade balsamic, is one Kennedy has called really good.
Kennedy's résumé includes time at Third Street Social, a downtown restaurant housed in a historic 1946 building where former President Harry S. Truman announced his first run for public office as county judge in 1922, according to Visit KC. That restaurant experience speaks to the kind of hospitality pedigree Kennedy brings to his own venture.
Joining a Crowded, Growing Block
Hometown Subs won't be short on neighbors. The shop will sit near Poppy's Ice Cream & Coffee House, Brick's Pub & Grill, Llywelyn's Pub, Neighborhood Cafe and Main Slice, placing it in the middle of one of downtown Lee's Summit's busiest food-and-drink blocks. Poppy's itself dates to 1997 and still crafts micro-batch ice cream daily using a 14 percent butterfat base, per Kansas City Homes & Style.
The broader district has momentum behind it. Downtown Lee's Summit Main Street Inc., the nonprofit that has managed the historic retail district since 1989, won the Great American Main Street Award in 2010 and was later named an America's Great Neighborhood by the American Planning Association in 2019. The district now hosts more than 100 days of community events annually, according to Downtown Lee's Summit Main Street.
According to Lee's Summit's comprehensive plan, the city seeks to enforce zoning, building and design codes while encouraging walkability and less dependence on automobiles in long-developed neighborhoods and commercial areas.
The Missouri Main Street Connection awarded downtown Lee's Summit's Green Street Farmers Market and plaza project its Main Street Best in Show Legacy Award, citing opening-weekend crowds of up to 12,500 visitors over four days that boosted retail traffic across downtown, the City of Lee's Summit announced. The Green Street project had been a downtown dream since 1993 and had its opening weekend in 2025, making its award-winning debut a long time coming.
A Suburb With Room to Grow
Lee's Summit's food and drink sector keeps expanding even as some businesses struggle.
Not every recent opening has stuck around. Local craft brewery Grains & Taps permanently closed its Lee's Summit taproom on August 1 after previously shuttering its downtown location, though it kept its homebrew supply shop open while searching for a buyer, Hoodline previously reported. Meanwhile, competition barbecue concept Q39 went the opposite direction, opening a nearly 10,000-square-foot, 223-seat location in Lee's Summit on August 3 as its fourth metro outpost, a scale that stands in sharp contrast to Hometown Subs' quick, to-go model.
Hometown Subs plans to open for business in early October, with hours set for 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, though the owners note those hours are subject to change. For now, downtown Lee's Summit gains one more reason for visitors to make a stop on Third Street.
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