“I got the silver spoon, and Wichita got an art museum.”
— Wichita Art Museum guest speaker Sally Pemberton quoting her grandfather, former Kansan and the New Yorker’s first art critic Murdock Pemberton. He thought his uncle Roland Murdock’s fortune might go to him, but the family used it to start the museum.
WICHITA — Finally, Bradley Fair can reveal the reason behind its game of musical chairs, business style.
Loft is coming to the center at 21st and Rock Road this fall.
“We have been working with them for quite some time,” says Cathy Erickson, vice president at Laham Development.
“It’s been one of our most-requested stores,” she says. “We do listen, and we do appreciate when our customers give us their … input on what stores and restaurants they would like for us to have at Bradley Fair.”
Formerly known as Ann Taylor Loft, the women’s clothing store is something of a hipper younger sister to Ann Taylor. There are 500 of the stores nationwide.
The store will locate between Talbots and Bella Luna Cafe where Randy Cooper’s Fine Jewelry and College Hill Cleaners are vacating.
Randy Cooper’s is moving to where Howard’s Optique used to be. Howard’s moved from its freestanding space to new space between Sephora and Jason’s Deli in the first round of moves to prepare for Loft.
College Hill Cleaners is moving to where Origins used to be.
WICHITA — Elite Sports Chiropractic is moving to where there are plenty of sports.
Jon Messenger is leaving the Westlake center at 119th and Maple to move to within the Wichita Sluggers Academy near 13th and Ridge.
“There’s a lot of sports stuff right there at that corner, and plus it centralizes me a little bit,” Messenger says.
“I primarily treat sports injuries,” he says.
Messenger says he specializes in a couple of techniques — active-release technique and graston — and focuses mostly on muscle and tendon injuries.
In addition to Sluggers, Messenger says there are baseball and soccer fields in the area along with Sedgwick County Park, among other things.
Elite Sports has been open for three years and been in Westlake the entire time.
Messenger expects to move in the next month.
He says he thinks the new location will be convenient for the numerous patients he has who come from the east side, Andover and Derby.
“It just makes it a little bit easier for everybody.”
“We have $19 million to lend, and we’d love to lend it to you. Press 3 for loans now.”
— A message on the voicemail of the west branch of the Wichita Federal Credit Union
WICHITA — When Lou Robelli purchased the former Riverview Elementary School near 53rd Street North and Seneca several years ago, his intent wasn’t to eventually tear it down. That’s what’s happening now, though.
“It hasn’t been a good investment,” Robelli says.
He’d hoped to convert the school into senior housing, but the building deteriorated due to vandalism.
Vandals stripped the building of its wiring and regularly broke windows, Robelli says.
“Refurbishing was impossible.”
Robelli says the “biggest mistake I made” was not taking the school district up on its offer of alarm services for a small monthly fee.
He says he may still build housing there or elsewhere, but he’s not sure yet.
“I’ve got other things on my plate right now,” says Robelli, who owns Air Capitol Delivery & Warehouse. “It’s really not a priority.”
So why raze the building now?
“Because the city’s on my butt.”
UPDATED — As expected, the owners of the Loony Bin closed a deal this week to buy the 13,000-square-foot building between First and Second streets on St. Francis across from the urban park on the southeast corner of Second and St. Francis.
“We hope to get open probably early fall, September or October at the latest, I would say,” says partner Jeff Jones.
The Loony Bin had been at 21st and Woodlawn in Oxford Square from 1999 until it closed in late March.
The new space is two buildings — one a single story and one that’s two stories — that are attached.
The 3,400-square-foot single-story space is where the comedy club will be. It will hold about 150, which is down from the 299 that the previous space held.
“Although that was pretty optimistic,” Jones says.
WICHITA — There’s an auction sign at the former Integrity Auto Group space on East Douglas, but the building isn’t being auctioned.
Current tenant Valero, which subleased to the auto company, is auctioning some miscellaneous items at the space.
Valero’s lease is up next month at Sunburst Plaza at 1725, which is Phil Ruffin’s property at 1725 E. Douglas.
That part of the building is available for lease.
“A lot of people get a kick out of my sign.”
— Huong “Sandy” Butler, the popular longtime owner of the Burger Stand at 17th and Mosley, who announced her return with a sign that says “Reopened under old management”
WICHITA — One year after announcing NuWay’s return to the 21st and Amidon area, Chris Stong says he’s working on some more potential deals.
The chain’s director of operations can’t share too many specifics yet, though he says the next new restaurant will be in a bedroom community to the southeast of Wichita.
Yes, Derby, that means you.
“We would love to have a store in Derby, and we are strongly considering a location on K-15,” Stong says.
He says the location has to have a drive-through.
“Otherwise we won’t take it,” he says. “We’ve got to have it.”
Stong says there’s a chance one of the existing six NuWays in Wichita may move. Its lease is coming up, and Stong says he’s considering other potential sites for the restaurant, though he won’t discuss which one it is.
Also, Stong is eyeing areas of Wichita for new NuWay sites.
“We’d love a northeast place like North Rock Road or North Greenwich Road somewhere,” he says. “That would be fantastic.”
Stong says he’d also like one in “what I call the super northwest,” meaning the 21st and Maize Road or 37th and Maize Road area.
First, though, comes the potential Derby opening and possible Wichita move.
When would Stong like to have that done by?
“Ah, four months ago.”