“My holiday traffic has been awesome, and believe me, no one is more amazed than me.”
— Kelsey Metzinger, owner of Bungalow 26 in Delano, who went into the Christmas season concerned about sales but says she really feels consumer confidence coming back
WICHITA — The new year could shape up to be a better one for Bryan Shapiro than the last several years.
“We’ve got all kinds of stuff going on,” he says.
First, he and his brother, Keith, are opening a new bistro in the former Amici space in Siena Plaza at 37th and Rock.
“We haven’t even named it yet,” Shapiro says.
He says they’re planning something along the lines of a neighborhood bar with good food.”
Shapiro wants people to be able to pop in, have a martini, watch a game or relax on the patio.
Look for the restaurant to open in late March.
WICHITA — After working as a consultant for a year, Kirk Longhofer is now employed full time as general production manager for the new Douglas Production Group.
That’s Liberal resident Doug Brewer’s former Sounds Unlimited production company.
“We basically have just relocated his production business and given it a new name,” Longhofer says.
The company does audio, video and lighting for everything from small events like conferences to larger ones like major concerts.
“Over the years he had begun doing quite a bit of production work in this part of the state,” Longhofer says. “At some point it just kind of made sense to begin to shift it into Wichita.”
For now, the business is in a warehouse on North Wichita near 9th and Waco. The space isn’t everything the company needs, but Longhofer says it was difficult to find even that.
“Every stinkin’ warehouse space in the core area is full with either a paintless dent repair business from out of town or a roofer from out of town.”
He expects the company will need new, larger space in several months.
Does that mean the company is looking to expand?
“Well, of course,” Longhofer says. “Is there anybody who’s not?”