Category Archives: Delano

Accent Bridal & Tux is moving to Delano

Nov. 11, 20093:03 p.m.

WICHITA — Accent Bridal & Tux is moving, but it will remain on Douglas.

In fact, each of the store’s three moves have always been to space on Douglas.

“Douglas is our address, I guess,” says Tricia Bell, who owns the business with her brother-in-law, Scott, and mother-in-law, Vivian.

Bell’s daughter-in-law, Audra, also works there.

When Accent Bridal opened more than 23 years ago, it was at 3540 W. Douglas. It’s been just down the street from there at 3940 W. Douglas, which is at Douglas and West, for the last 16 years.

Now, it’s moving to 817 W. Douglas in Delano where Rewound Sounds used to be. That store is now across the street at 810 W. Douglas.

“We just think the Delano district is an up-and-coming place, and we think it’s going to be a great place to have a bridal shop,” Tricia Bell says.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Bridal, Delano, Leases, Retail | Comments (0)

Delano is forming a community development corporation and a business association

Nov. 5, 20096:43 a.m.

WICHITA — Two new groups are forming in Delano to further progress and cohesiveness in the area.

For a number of years, there have been a number of groups working toward those goals. There’s a historical group, a neighborhood association, a group of clergy members and, until a couple of years ago, a business association.

There’s long been talk about the need for a larger group — a community development corporation.

“Everybody was kind of waiting for . . . the other group to do it,” says Karen Cravens, president of the Delano Neighborhood Association. “There’s been a lot of individual interest (and) energy.”

She’s now spearheading the formation of the corporation “to get everybody on the same page and give them a flag to rally under basically.”

That’s spurring the reorganization of a business association.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Associations, Delano | Comments (4)

Mary’s Mexico Cafe to open in former Crossroads Bistro space

Oct. 9, 20094:44 p.m.

WICHITA — Last month, Tomey Shabshab said construction forced him to close his Crossroads Bistro and Steakhouse for lunch.

Then, late last week, he closed the restaurant entirely to make room for Mary Villar and her new Mary’s Mexico Cafe.

“We were hanging in there until (she came) through,” Shabshab says.

The new restaurant should open early next week.

Shabshab says construction is finally easing — in time for Villar, but not for him.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Delano, Restaurants | Comments (2)

Michelle Borin and son will own the Garage by Nov. 1

Oct. 8, 20096:48 p.m.

WICHITA — As expected, Michelle Borin has made a deal to be the new owner — along with her son, Brandon — of the Garage in Delano by Nov. 1.

“I am going to keep the same name,” Borin says. “I’m not going to make, you know, drastic changes, but I am going to twist it up a little.”

She’s already applied for a license to allow smoking. Currently the bar doesn’t allow it.

She’s also going to add race car uniforms, some of which will feature fishnet stockings and go-go boots.

But Borin doesn’t want anyone to confuse her new business with her existing one — the well-known Michelle’s Beach House gentleman’s club in Derby.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Bars, Delano, Derby, Restaurants | Comments (13)

Michelle’s Beach House owner to buy Delano bar

Oct. 7, 20096:56 p.m.

WICHITA — Michelle Borin of Michelle’s Beach House is in final negotiations to buy the Garage bar and grill in Delano.

In March, Have You Heard? reported that Borin and her son, Brandon, are looking to open a new nightclub separate — and different — from her Derby gentleman’s club.

The Garage opened earlier this year in the former John Barleycorn’s space at 579 W. Douglas after an extensive renovation.

Borin has met numerous times this week and last week with Garage representatives.

The deal is expected to close Thursday.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , Filed under Bars, Delano | Comments (26)

Pauly’s Productions opens in Delano

Sept. 29, 20092:27 p.m.

delano2WICHITA — Today is the first day of business for Pauly’s Productions, a new studio at 827 W. Maple in Delano.

Paul Jacobs started the business to offer studio time and lessons.

Joshua Wiley is the full-time instructor for guitar and bass.

Jacobs is looking to bring on a piano teacher next.

The business will be open seven days a week. Jacobs thinks he’d like to offer studio time on the weekends and lessons during the week.

The studio has a vocal booth and a drum room.

“It is all state-of-the-art,” Jacobs says. “I record everything in high definition. We have both digital and analog equipment.”

Wiley says lessons will be in “everything from classical to metal to music theory — everything.”

Instruments can be provided for the studio time and lessons.

“We understand the economy is kind of in the dumps right now,” Wiley says.

He has a degree in special education and would like to offer some kind of musical opportunity to special-needs children.

“I’ve got the patience for it, but I’m not sure how to go about it,” Wiley says.

He’d like to hear from parents about what they might like.

“The main thing we try to do is to have a good time while being productive,” Jacobs says.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Delano, Music | Comments (1)

Bud Gates to bring Easyhomes to Wichita

Aug. 12, 20093:00 p.m.

easy

WICHITA — For the first time, Bud Gates of Easygates is bringing two of his Easyhome stores to Wichita.

He has eight others elsewhere, including stores in the Kansas City area and Salina.

The stores sell, lease or lease to own home furnishings, electronics and appliances.

The two here will be in the former KenMar shopping center at 13th and Oliver, which is now called Providence Square, and on Pawnee near Broadway in front of Wal-Mart.

The stores will be about 5,000 square feet each.

The one down south will be in a new building, which Larry Cook of Cook Construction is building. Construction has just begun.

The other store, which Coast to Coast Builders is preparing space for, should be ready within a few weeks.

“We’re very excited to be going in there because of the work they are doing and the development they are doing around that center,” says Chris Prater, president of sales and finance for Easygates.

He says the redevelopment of that center is part of what attracted Easyhome.

Prater says there are no other plans for more Easyhomes here yet, but he says, “We will most likely do some more here.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , Filed under Bars, Delano, Leases, Real estate, Retail, Television | Comments (7)

Belmont’s Bar & Arcade is struggling to open

July 13, 20094:25 p.m.

WICHITA — There’s been a lot of positive news in Delano over the previous week or two, with several new businesses coming, but there’s one business that may not open as planned.

Sierra McRae and her fiance, Zackary Roach, still hope to open Belmont’s Bar & Arcade at 728 W. Douglas in the former Strings Attached space, but they’re having trouble with financing.

McRae says they’re “basically trying to get creative.”

“All of the banks are on lock down right now,” she says. “We’ve obviously been moving from Plan A, which was the banks.”

She has investors who are willing to help her buy the property, but they won’t do it until they have a guarantee that she has other investors for the business.

“They don’t want to get stuck with a building without a business to put into it,” McRae says.

She expects to have a decision within a few weeks. McRae says if everything doesn’t come together soon, she may have to put plans for Belmont’s on hold for a year until the economy gets better.

“It really is too bad.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , Filed under Bars, Delano | Comments Off

Farmers’ market may come to Delano, but not this year

July 10, 20095:09 p.m.

WICHITA — And continuing with this week’s news from Delano . . .

There’s been talk circulating in Delano that a farmers’ market is coming to the area.

That may happen, but not this year.

“The problem that we ran into . . . was that we weren’t able to find enough vendors to make it happen,” says Jim Martinson of Historic Delano, a group that puts on events in the area.

Martinson had hoped to have the market this year, but he says he didn’t start working on it until February, “which was a little late.”

The plan was to use the parking lot at Senior Services of Wichita.

“We’re real excited about it,” says Laurel Alkire, executive director of Senior Services. “It would be a great way to bring people down here.”

The idea would be to have it perhaps on a weeknight in order to not compete too much with other markets.

“If he can drum up enough interest, it would be great,” Alkire says. “We just need to build it up for maybe a year.”

That’s what Martinson plans.

“That gives us a little bit longer to get all of ours i’s dotted and t’s crossed.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , Filed under Delano, Markets | Comments (1)

Secret Boutique to share Delano space with Eye Kandy Custom Paint & Pin-up Portraits

July 9, 200911:25 a.m.

weddingdressWICHITA — Sara Locke, who is better known as Jade Locke in the art community, is joining her friend Aleycia Crawford to share space for a new business in Delano.

As Have You Heard? reported Wednesday, Crawford is moving her Eye Kandy Custom Paint & Pin-up Portraits to 915 W. Douglas in time for July’s Final Friday.

That’s also when Locke will open her Secret Boutique.

“I’ve been online,” Locke says. “Now I’m branching out into a shop.”

Her specialty is corsets.

“I make corsets for clients all over the world,” Locke says.

Some are for underclothing — and can instantly shave off 10 to 15 pounds, Locke says — and some are for outerwear.

“They’re coming back into fashion,” says Locke, who has been sewing and designing clothes since she was about 11.

She also custom designs nontraditional wedding gowns (that’s Locke in her own wedding gown that she designed).

Locke’s day job is as an insurance secretary, but she hopes to make Secret Boutique her full-time job.

“When the economy picks back up, yes.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Delano, Retail | Comments Off