Kansas City’s first African American grocer, Leon Stapleton, dies at 100-years-old, tell me about this news in (https://fox4kc.com/news/kansas-citys-first-african-american-grocer-leon-stapleton-dies-at-100-years-old/)

Leon Stapleton, recognized as Kansas City’s first African American grocer and a pioneering local business leader, passed away at the age of 100 on September 14, 2026.

Born on December 20, 1925, in New Franklin, Missouri, Stapleton served in the U.S. Army during World War II before starting a landmark career in retail. In 1947, encouraged by local civil rights leaders and pastors, he became the first African American hired in the area’s retail grocery industry at Safeway. Over a 21-year career with the company, he worked his way up from clerk to produce manager, assistant manager, and eventually the first African American store manager in the region.

In May 1968, Stapleton took a major entrepreneurial step by purchasing a supermarket located at 39th Street and Kensington Avenue in Kansas City. Over the decades, the business operated under various bannersincluding Leon’s United Super, Leon’s Piggly Wiggly, Leon’s IGA, and Leon’s Thriftwayand became one of the country’s longest-running Black-owned grocery stores.

Throughout his life and career, Stapleton was widely respected as a cornerstone of Kansas City’s East Side and 3rd District community, known for mentoring local youth, providing neighborhood jobs, and promoting his lifelong motto: “Let’s patronize one another.”