Saw Cabaret Old Town’s “Gone Country!” show last night. Very fun. If you want to go, there are only two shows left, and it looks like tomorrow night’s may be sold out.
In between songs and silly sketches, there was a line that slammed Wild West World founder Thomas Etheredge for being — and this is the polite version — not a nice man. Now, I’m not commenting one way or the other, but you should have heard the audience. They hooted and hollered their approval. One man near the front row was practically on his feet clapping in agreement.
As one witty person commented, “Must have been a subcontractor.”
In Saturday’s Eagle, Plaza Real Estate President John McKenzie – who is one of the straightest shooters in Wichita’s residential market – is going to tie Wichita’s increasingly soft home sales numbers to the price of oil.
Existing and new home sales in April were at four-year monthly lows – despite a relatively steady inventory of homes for sale and some strength in certain market sectors.
It’s an interesting correlation, to be certain: Potential homebuyers and sellers confronted with rising energy costs, food costs and the trickle-down bad news that oil prices bring are becoming so nervous about their economic situations that they’re leaving the housing market.
The statistics seem to back him up. Perception does indeed appear to be reality. And if you’re looking for a rebound, McKenzie doesn’t think one is coming until Congress cracks down on oil speculators.
Large companies are able to negotiate lower electricity and gas rates based on volume, but small businesses usually have to take what they’re offered. Yesterday, the city of Boston unveiled an interesting idea for lowering energy costs for small business. The city of Boston is looking at creating a pool of small businesses to negotiate bulk electricity and gas rates.
The city would create the pool of at least 200 businesses, but wouldn’t be involved in the operations. The businesses would pay the power companies directly and the energy broker would be paid as a percentage of the savings. The city wouldn’t pay anything on an ongoing basis.
Now, if only I could form one of those buying pools and get discounted power to run my air conditioner this summer.
After a week of pessimism over some procedural infighting, there is now a fair amount of optimism that a Florida development company, AHG Group, will close a $2.15 million deal Monday to buy Wild West World.
Doug Spangler, the group’s Wichita representative, called the purchase a “done deal” Thursday afternoon and said plans to develop the property should be forthcoming soon.