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Moon Marble in Bonner Springs is the kind of place that's hard to describe — but customers seem to agree on one thing.
"It was really cool seeing all the colors that he used to make marbles…I agree," said Grant Maley, a third-grade student visiting from Stilwell, Kansas, with his younger brother Theo.
Karol Hattok, a customer from Platte City, put it simply.
"It was just really cool," Hattok said.
Bruce Breslow founded Moon Marble in 1997 alongside co-founder Lynda Sproules.
Before it became a marble store, Breslow used the building — which he bought in the 1970s — for custom woodworking.
The two had previously worked together at a greenhouse before Sproules joined Breslow's woodworking business.
When they started making game boards, they needed marbles, so they contacted Marble King in West Virginia and ordered a supply.
They set them up in the front room of the building, and the rest took on a life of its own.
"I was like, 'What are you doing? We're going to be stuck with these marbles forever, I'm going to be burying you with them.' Well, that didn't happen," Sproules said, laughing. "People started coming around 'cause they needed marbles. Eventually, we just took this front room of the building and set it up with marbles so people could come, and then it just took on a life of its own.”
The store's name comes from a type of marble that looks like the moon.
Most of the marbles sold there come from Guadalajara, Mexico, though the shop also works with companies that purchase marbles for industrial uses.
Breslow's path to marble-making started on vacation, when he and his wife spotted a jar of marbles in an antique store.
He couldn't stop talking about them — and told his wife he was going to figure out how to make them.
He eventually met a couple of craftspeople at a craft show who showed him how, and he started selling handmade marbles at the Renaissance festival.
When kids began coming into the shop, he started teaching them how to play — and then thought they'd like to see how marbles are made.
"I came in here and just started making marbles, and that was a long time ago," Breslow said.
Those demonstrations have become a signature of the Moon Marble experience.
Breslow heats glass and shapes it by hand in front of visitors, drawing reactions from customers of all ages.
"I enjoy the kids and watching the folks go, 'Whoa, did you see that?'" Breslow said.
For young visitors, the demonstrations leave a lasting impression.
Theo Maley, a first-grader celebrating his birthday that weekend, said it was his first time at the shop.
"It's our first time," Theo said.
His older brother Grant was captivated by the craft.
"I liked when he was twisting it and how the glass fibers were holding up really well," Grant said.
They’re not the only youth captivated by the experience.
"It's satisfying. Like, you just start out as this blob, and it just forms to make this," said Zach Dalton, a fourth-grade customer who said his dad had bought him a marble from Breslow on a previous visit.
Theo had come in with their own expectations before seeing the demonstrations.
"I thought it would be a factory factory," Theo said.
He added, "I thought it would be kind of like making pottery."
For Breslow, the demonstrations are about more than just the craft.
"I think it's great for the boys and girls to see somebody making a living doing what they love," Breslow said. "I think it makes an influence like, 'Hey, maybe I'd like to make something with my hands.' To put that thought out there."
The shop draws visitors from well beyond the Kansas City area.
Sproules said out-of-state license plates fill the parking lot in the summer, and the store's website helped it survive the pandemic.
"I had a young couple from Chicago, and she said the only reason she came to Bonner Springs was to visit us. And they drove seven hours, and they were turning around and going seven hours back," Sproules said.
Hattok, whose daughter came in for a job interview and loves marbles, said the shop's appeal is easy to understand.
"I've seen this place packed like elbow to elbow," Hattok said. “[It’s] just family-oriented like the old school games and being able to see the marbles being made. Even from my daughter's collection, I know no two are alike. They're all different. It's just amazing how quick they can make 'em.”
The store carries games and toys spanning multiple eras, drawing customers of all ages and backgrounds.
"We have games and toys from every era, so no matter whether somebody's 15 or 500, they come in, and they remember things from their childhood," Sproules said. "I think it just brings people good memories.”
Both Breslow and Sproules say they won't run the shop forever, and affordability is a factor in finding the right successor.
"We'd like to sell it to somebody who loves it," Breslow said.
Given the loyalty Moon Marble inspires, finding that person may not be difficult.
"It really unifies people,” Sproules said. “It's crazy that some little round pieces of glass can do that.”
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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