Sandy Feeney was just doing a friend a favor. It was as simple as that. That favor turned into a new career and that career was unforgettable.
Now, 50 years later, it’s time to walk away, but it’s hard. Really hard. She’s walking away from more than just a job, she’s walking away from something that grew to be a great connector of family and friends.
Monday, June 30, was Sandy’s last day at Feeney’s Hallmark, 16150 W. 135th St. in Olathe, and as she packed everything up, it was more than just boxes of personal belongings, it was a lifetime of memories.
The memories she made over the past five decades could fill a moving truck three times over, but there was no need for trucks, no need for boxes. She carried them out of her store at in her heart.
“Years ago, my brother-in-law worked for Hallmark, to find spaces for people that are interested in getting a store,” Feeney said. “So his mom was retiring from her job at a bank and wanted to get a store to have something to do.
“She asked me to help her out. So, I did. Then, a few years later, Hallmark called me and asked if I wanted to open a store.”
The next thing you know, she’s selling off her share of that store and opening her own store at 63rd and Brookside in Kansas City, Mo.
Three years later, she made the move to Olathe, and that’s when a simple job became a journey of love and friendships.
Her first stop in Olathe was just a couple of miles west of her current location. She opened her shop there in April of 1980 and moved near the intersection of Santa Fe and Brougham in the early 1990s.
It was back on May 1, 1980 when Feeney decided to join the Olathe Chamber of Commerce. Admittedly, it was one of the best decisions she ever made – both personally and professionally.
And when she starts talking about her time with the Olathe Chamber and her time as an Ambassador, her face lights up. As much as her time with the Olathe Chamber has meant to her, it’s her time as an Ambassador that’s really special to her.
Her Ambassador of the Year plaque hangs prominently, right in the middle of her wall of awards – along with a framed first dollar she made at her store. Of course, those were the last pieces of her office décor to end up in a box.
“It was just so amazing being a part of the Ambassador’s for all those years,” Fenney said, grinning ear-to-ear. “Wearing those green jackets means so much.”
Those green jackets were always on full display at the annual Feeney’s Hallmark Chamber Coffee in early December every year. Feeney made it a point to get a group photo of all the Ambassadors each of those mornings.
The memories are abundant for Fenney. The Mayor’s Christmas Tree lighting, trips with Chamber members through the years, and who can forget her ride on Andy Darling’s motorcycle on her 80th birthday?
The memories are lasting, but it’s the relationships that she’ll miss the most.
One, in particular, brings a smile to her face – the late Diane Costello, former co-worker and Olathe Chamber staffer.
“When I first moved down here (to Olathe), she was working next door, in a shoe store,” Feeney said. “So, I got to be good friends with her. Then she came to work for me for a while before she went to work for the (Olathe) Chamber. She was a great friend.”
As her time at Feeney’s Hallmark came to a close late last month, she was reminded why she loved her time in our wonderful community.
“Everyone I’ve met has been so nice. My customers came in because they knew I was retiring and wanted to congratulate me,” Feeney added. “I have a guestbook out there for people to sign, but really they came in to reminisce with me.”
And that’s what she loved.
So many years, so many memories and so many friends.
“Well, I just want to say that I’ve met so many wonderful people here,” she said. “And, in the end, it was really because of the Chamber,” Feeney said. “(The Chamber) has been kind of like a family.”
We couldn’t agree more.