WICHITA — West Wichita, you’re gonna like the way you look. Men’s Warehouse is opening a store in NewMarket Square to guarantee it.
“We’ve been courting them for 11 years,” says April Reed of Slawson Cos., which owns the center at 21st and Maize Road.
“Over the years, they were afraid it was going to cannibalize their east store.”
Men’s Wearhouse has been at Towne East Square since 1993.
“We kept telling them this is a totally different market out here,” Reed says.
She handled the deal for the 4,500-square-foot space, which is where the Firkin and Bull restaurant used to be.
“The reason we’re doing this is because our business is so good on the east side of town, it gave us the incentive to do a second store,” says Tim Henry, the director of real estate for the Rocky Mountain region of Men’s Wearhouse.
The company added tuxedos to its store here five years ago.
“Tuxedo business in Wichita is outstanding,” Henry says.
Still, he says, “We feel that we’re probably missing some of it.”
Reed says there’s not much competition for that on the west side.
Henry says the NewMarket store will open this fall.
“We’re trying real hard to get open pre-Thanksgiving.”