Category Archives: Garvey Center

Shear Voltage to leave the Collective for expanded space at the Garvey Center

May 1, 20134:23 p.m.

WICHITA — A salon is opening in the former Bob’s Place barber shop at the Garvey Center downtown.

Jennifer Collins and Shelby Cheatum are moving their Shear Voltage salon from a small suite at the Collective near 21st and Greenwich to the Garvey Center on July 1.

“We’re just really excited to be in the downtown area and continue to grow our business,” Collins says.

She and Cheatum have been cutting hair together for about seven years and opened their business almost two years ago. They purposely started small because they heard the first couple of years in any business are particularly rough, Collins says. She says they’ve been successful, though, and are ready to grow.

The new space is 1,512 square feet.

Adam Clements and Larry Weber of Builders Inc. handled the deal.

The expanded salon will have eight stylists and offer a range of services in addition to hair care. That includes spray tans, massage, body waxing, makeup, eyelash extensions and, eventually, manicures and pedicures.

Collins says it makes sense to move downtown now.

“I think we’re hitting it at the time that we can grow with the downtown area.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Downtown, Garvey Center, Salons | Comments

Bob Martin to open Law Office of Robert G. Martin at the R.H. Garvey Building

Jan. 21, 20133:08 p.m.

WICHITA — Bob Martin has left McDonald, Tinker, Skaer, Quinn & Herrington to start his own law firm, but he hasn’t gone far.

His Law Office of Robert G. Martin officially opens Wednesday in almost 2,000 square feet on the fourth floor of the R.H. Garvey Building at 300 W. Douglas.

That’s one floor below McDonald, Tinker.

“It’s a chance for me to do more of my niche,” Martin says.

He’s been at McDonald, Tinker, where he’s been a director and shareholder, since 1987.

“I’m top of the letterhead, actually.”

He says the firm primarily focuses on litigation, and that’s not his specialty.

“I’ll never do criminal law in my life again,” Martin says. “The practice of law has become specialized.”

Martin will focus on estate planning and workers compensation defense work.

“Those are the only two areas I will be emphasizing going forward.”

Why?

“Because I enjoy ’em. I’m good at it.”

He says estate planning can be more pleasant than other types of legal work.

“We call this area of the law ‘happy law,’” Martin says. “You’re making people have a better outcome for their lives and their families and their possessions. You’re proactively preventing problems.”

In the workers comp arena, he says, “I’m trying to make the best of a difficult situation.”

Martin says by starting his own firm, he’ll have more resources.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Garvey Center, Law firms, New business | Comments Off

SBA office to move to the Garvey Center using new streamlined design process

Oct. 10, 20125:35 p.m.

Wayne Bell, district director of the Small Business Administration.

WICHITA — The government is better known for red tape than streamlined processes, but the General Services Administration is working on that, and a change in offices for the Small Business Administration is going to offer something of a test case.

The SBA’s Wichita district office is moving from 271 W. Third St., where the IRS is, to the Page Court Building at the Garvey Center at 220 E. Douglas.

Before the move can happen, there has to be a design phase, which could determine everything from the tint of the windows to security systems in the new office.

“Normally, the process would take … 60 days or more,” says Wayne Bell, the SBA’s district director.

The GSA has a new design intent drawing process that will convene everyone involved in the move — contractors, designers, the SBA, the GSA, a representative for the landlord and anyone else connected with the project.

“You’re going to have all of the players in the room,” Bell says. “With this approach, everything should be complete within a three-day timeframe. It’s a really, really good idea.”

The old way of doing things involved sending drawings to the GSA, then the SBA, which would make changes before sending it back to the GSA. Then the contractor would get the drawings after a protracted period.

“So it could take months,” Bell says.

The design intent drawing creates a condensed timeframe where there’s an on-the-spot rough draft of the SBA’s needs that gets refined immediately with everyone present.

“This is very new,” Bell says. “So it’s going to be kind of an on-the-job learning process.”

The meetings will take place over a three-day period in late October at the Wichita Downtown Development Corp.’s design innovation center.

“What we try to do in that space is make resources available,” says WDDC president Jeff Fluhr.

That includes conference calling and video conferencing.

“We’re thrilled they’re willing to take the opportunity,” Fluhr says of the SBA and GSA. He says the attitude is “let’s walk through it and see what we learn from it.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , Filed under Downtown, Garvey Center, government, Real estate | Comments Off

CASA of Sedgwick County to move to the Garvey Center

July 2, 20125:00 a.m.

WICHITA — CASA of Sedgwick County is leaving 150 N. Main St. for the Garvey Center.

“Real Development just has failed to … live up to their promises,” says Anne Duncan, CASA’s executive director, referring to the owner of CASA’s current building.

Duncan says there are maintenance issues, such as an elevator that has had repeated problems, and Real Development is “not being very attentive to those types of things.”

Neither Michael Elzufon nor Dave Lundberg of Real Development returned calls for comment.

Duncan says the move, which will happen July 28, will give CASA 2,640 square feet compared to its current 1,600 square feet.

“We need more space and a place to do training,” Duncan says. “That’s one of our big considerations.”

The nonprofit trains volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in court.

“We’re just really excited to be able to deliver all of our training on site,” Duncan says.

Larry Weber of Builders Inc. handled the deal.

CASA will move into the Kiva at the Garvey Center, which is across from Papa John’s Pizza.

Duncan says she’s pleased that CASA can remain centrally located “without fighting for parking.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Garvey Center, Nonprofit, Real estate | Comments Off

Law Offices of Eldon Boisseau returns to the O.W. Garvey building downtown

June 4, 20124:30 p.m.

WICHITA — Eldon Boisseau has moved his Law Offices of Eldon Boisseau back to the O.W. Garvey building downtown at 200 W. Douglas.

“I actually started my legal practice in the top floor of this building more years ago than I want to talk about,” Boisseau says.

For the record, it was 1973.

Over the weekend, Boisseau moved into 2,546 square feet on the first floor, which brings the building to 100 percent occupancy.

The law office has been in about 2,000 square feet at River Park Place at 727 N. Waco along the Arkansas River.

“I’ve looked at that river for 30 years,” Boisseau says. “I don’t think it’s made me any money. … I just don’t need to look at that river anymore.”

Instead, he says he’s going to enjoy the high ceilings, open space and glass at his new office.

Larry Weber of Builders Inc. and Tony Utter of Utter Commercial Real Estate handled the deal.

St. Louis-based Reeg Lawyers, which recently expanded to Wichita by sharing space with Boisseau, also is moving to the new space.

The Law Offices of Eldon Boisseau today is a two-lawyer firm, as it was when it began.

At one point, the firm had more than 150 employees in four cities before it split into other firms.

Boisseau says he doesn’t want to be that big again, but he is looking to expand.

“My plan is to grow, absolutely.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Downtown, Garvey Center, Law firms, Real estate | Comments Off

Chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee Laurie Williams to move to the Garvey Center

April 30, 20125:00 a.m.

WICHITA — Reluctantly, Chapter 13 bankruptcy trustee Laurie Williams has to move her office.

“When I moved here, I really had hoped to not have to move again,” she says of her 2,300 square feet at 225 N. Market.

“I love this space and its proximity to my courthouse, but my caseload has grown, and I’m just out of room.”

Williams is moving her office to 5,800 square feet at the R.H. Garvey Building at 300 W. Douglas.

The new office will allow for more files and employees.

Williams, who makes recommendations on whether Chapiter 13 plans should be approved and then administers them, has almost 2,900 cases.

Currently, she has 12 employees.

“I hope to add two more,” she says.

Larry Weber represented the Garvey Center in the deal, and Patrick Ahern of Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group represented Williams.

The new office will be ready in late summer.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Bankruptcy, Downtown, Garvey Center, Real estate | Comments Off

Tect Aerospace signs lease at Garvey Center

March 16, 201110:06 a.m.

UPDATED — TECT Aerospace has signed a new lease for 5,600 square feet at the R.H. Garvey Building at 300 W. Douglas.

The firm will take about half of the first floor.

This brings the building’s occupancy, along with the occupancy at the O.W. Garvey Building at 200 W. Douglas, to 100 percent for now.

“That’s a neat feeling to have,” says Larry Weber of Builders Inc., which owns the buildings. “I can’t tell you the last time that that had happened.”

Marty Gilchrist and Grant Tidemann of J.P. Weigand & Sons represented TECT in the deal.

TECT currently has its headquarters at 2872 N. Ridge Road.

A couple of its new neighbors at the Garvey Center will be leaving or downsizing in the next couple of weeks.

Attorney Mark Kahrs is vacating 2,500 square feet on the first floor of the O.W. Garvey Building.

Harrington Health, which has two and a half floors in the R.H. Garvey Building is giving back half a floor.

“They’re consolidating their spaces,” Weber says.

Still, he says he’s pleased with what’s happening at the Garvey buildings and in downtown in general.

“There is a lot happening in downtown right now,” Weber says.

“Downtown is alive and well.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Filed under Garvey Center, Leases, Real estate | Comments Off

Avenue Style to return to Garvey Center

March 12, 201010:52 a.m.

WICHITA — Avenue Style is returning to the Garvey Center, where it used to be years ago.

The salon currently is in Cargill’s Wichita headquarters at 151 N. Main.

Cargill needs the space, though.

“Since we’ve been open 37 years downtown . . . we decided we better stay in the same area,” co-owner Keith Shaw says.

He says the salon is taking 3,300 square feet on the first floor of the Page Court building.

“We’re going to have a brand new look,” Shaw says.

“It’s going to be very elegant, let’s just put it that way. We’re spending lots of money.”

The salon will open in the new space May 4.

Piccadilly Express also has to vacate its space at the Cargill building, but Piccadilly owner Latour Management is negotiating with Cargill to move into the Avenue Style space.

Cargill wants to keep a food-service provider in the building and is getting close to a contract with Latour.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Garvey Center, Leases, Real estate, Salons | Comments

Foster Design to move to the Garvey Center

Nov. 20, 200910:44 a.m.

WICHITA — When Gene Foster of Foster Design learned he was losing his space at Brittany Center at 21st and Woodlawn because of InfoSync Service’s upcoming expansion, his first thought was that he would move farther east.

But he didn’t like the prices.

“We couldn’t really justify building a Taj Mahal for our corporate headquarters when we could have just as nice (of a) facility downtown,” Foster says.

So now he’s moving his contract engineering firm to the Garvey Center.

“They made us the best proposal.”

And he likes that he’s going to be part of downtown’s revitalization.

“Downtown has some . . . potential,” Foster says. “If it’s handled right by our city . . . fathers, the movers and shakers, I think it could be vibrant down here again.”

He’s moving into close to 3,000 square feet by the end of the year.

Adam Clements of Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group handled the deal.

Foster says he thinks he’ll be part of a trend.

“We’ll see more people moving back downtown.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Brittany Center, Garvey Center, Leases, Real estate | Comments Off

Builders Inc. applies for central business district zoning on Garvey Center lot

Oct. 27, 20094:10 p.m.

WICHITA — There’s an interesting sign that’s just gone up on Wichita Street north of the Garvey Center on Douglas.

The sign shows that owner Builders Inc. has a development application on the Garvey Center’s north lot to change the zoning from limited industrial to central business district zoning.

Central business district zoning allows for residential or mixed uses and has different parking requirements than other types of zoning.

No one with the Garvey Center is talking yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , Filed under Garvey Center, Zoning | Comments