Tabu Knits Boutique, a locally owned women’s boutique that got its start at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, will soon open its second location.

The store’s owner Maryann Nzioki-Hult is preparing to open the doors of her new storefront in Leawood later this month.

Tabu Knits will be at Leawood’s Town Center Plaza

• The store will occupy a space on the south side of the Town Center Plaza shopping center, neighboring fellow clothing stores Athleta and Janie and Jack.
• The space previously housed women’s boutique The Babe Standard, which operated in Leawood for less than a year before relocating to North Kansas City.

Tabu Knits opened at the mall in 2018

• Nzioki-Hult started knitting when she was young, but it became a steady hobby as she grew older.
• She said she started knitting scarves and hats as a “labor of love” for her friends, using it as a creative outlet.
• After selling her knit items at pop-up sales events across Johnson County, she opened her first storefront at Oak Park Mall.
• That original location will remain in business after Tabu Knits opens at Town Center Plaza, but Nzioki-Hult said she is looking forward to connecting with a new clientele and collaborating with the Leawood business community.
• “I’m always looking for opportunities (to expand),” she said. “I’m excited to showcase my product, and I’m excited to connect with new people.”

Tabu Knits will join a growing list of new additions to Town Center

• The shopping center at 119th Street and Roe Avenue has seen a range of new additions this year, with others still on the way.
• Virtual reality arcade Sandbox VR opened on the north side of Town Center Plaza earlier this spring.
• Nearby, the incoming Whole Harvest restaurant will open later this year — the first brick-and-mortar restaurant for the health-conscious meal delivery company.

Go deeper: Here’s what’s up and coming at Leawood’s Town Center Plaza