September 2025
Feature Article
A Honey of a Store: Queen Bee Boutiques, Vintage Bee offers lots of local shopping under one roof
By Corbin Crable
When it comes to the magical combination of offering boutique and vintage items under one roof, you could call Casie Bateman the Queen Bee.
The Blue Springs, MO, store she co-owns with husband David, Queen Bee Boutiques and The Vintage Bee, boasts a staggering combined 34,000 feet of retail space.
“We’re one store, with two different retail places within the store – boutique and vintage,” Bateman explains. “We are really the only place that does that.”
On any given day, you’re likely to see Bateman working the floor, greeting customers and chatting with vendors while David works behind the scenes, balancing the books. Joining Bateman in what she calls her ‘hive’ are two managers among a little fewer than a dozen employees. Tasked with overseeing the store’s operations and social media and marketing, those trusted managers keep the store buzzing with activity.
David and Casie say they still get plenty of time with their daughters — Maisy, 12; Story, 8; and twins Delilah and Haven, 3.
“The twins were actually the determining factor for me to start my career up,” Bateman recalls. “I was traveling, doing sales for software companies, and David is a real estate investor. We decided that we can make this amazing thing, and now we’re helping a lot of families by doing this because we have nearly 300 vendors in the store and we have a positive impact on the community.”
That impact is growing quickly. The Batemans just bought the store next door and want to open a bistro in that space within a year. The store has already experimented with offering food, with one of its vendors offering coffee and pre-made meals for purchase. Eventually, Bateman says she and David would like to add live music nights and board game nights to enhance customers’ shopping experience.
Bateman says her store’s impact also extends to helping others in Blue Springs learn new skills, as well as the ins and outs of entrepreneurship.
“We partner with Hillcrest Transitional Housing. We even give one of its residents a free space; she is housed in the The Vintage Bee, and she makes candles,” Bateman explains. “All of her sales go back into her own pocket.”
Later this year, too, Bateman says, the store will partner with a local high school to create a program similar to the TV show “Shark Tank.”
“The kids will make things and become entrepreneurs,” Bateman says of the upcoming Hive and Thrive Mentor-ship Program. “So we have been doing things with Hillcrest for months now, and the high school program will be this fall.”
Follow the signs to the lower level to find The Vintage Bee vendors with an amazing variety of vintage and handmade items for sale.
Second Saturdays at The Bee is Kansas City’s newest must-visit shopping event, happening every month at Queen Bee Boutiques & The Vintage Bee in Blue Springs. Each Second Saturday transforms our 34,000 sq. ft. shopping destination into a vibrant, community-focused experience featuring live music, food trucks, and an ever-changing lineup of pop-up vendors. With over 250 local makers, boutiques, and vintage curators all under one roof, shoppers can browse everything from fashion and home décor to rare antiques and one-of-a-kind gifts.
Every month brings a fresh theme with special activities, photo-worthy moments, and surprises, plus a huge plant sale hosted by Pop-Up Plants KC. It is the perfect outing for families, friends, and anyone who loves to shop local.
Queen Bee Boutiques and The Vintage Bee are open seven days a week; for more information, call 816-988-8023 or visit www.facebook.com/queenbeeboutiqueskc.
David, wearing the giant bee suit, buzzes around to entertain visitors.
It’s a familty affair at Queen Bee. Above, Casie and David Bateman pose with their children, Delilah, Haven and Maisy. (not pictured, daughter Story, 8).
So far, Bateman says, she has been humbled by how well the store has been received by Blue Springs shoppers and the city’s Chamber of Commerce alike.
“The Blue Springs community has been so supportive. The vendors have done an amazing job of coming out for us every single day. The shoppers have been great, and so have the local businesses and charities.”
Bateman is passionate about shopping locally, and Queen Bee Boutiques and The Vintage Bee offer the ultimate opportunity to invest dollars and other support into the community.
“Our overall theme is that we want people to become successful and more confident. And the world needs more small businesses,” she says. “When you shop locally, you’re supporting your teachers, neighbors, police officers, people trying to further themselves.
That success, Bateman adds, will have a noticeable effect.
“If you’re trying to do good in your community, that good will come right back to you. It makes a positive impact around you. And you’re keeping your community interesting, you’re pouring into the families around you. It’s pretty impactful,” Bateman says. “You can focus on supporting your community by supporting small businesses. When you are shopping in a small business, you are investing in someone’s dream. People need to remember that. It’s easy to shop big brands, but by shopping locally, you’re investing in your community.”
Grab a glass of wine to sip as you shop or a piece of chocolate to nibble. Friend Marcela Nitschke helps out with the wine.
Matt “Coach” Abele prepares for the painting class.
Local food truck vendors provide delicious lunch options for shoppers.
Contact Corbin Crable at editor@discovervintage.com.