Category Archives: Real estate

Loony Bin deal is close to closing

May 7, 20136:00 a.m.

WICHITA — The final contract is yet to be signed, but Loony Bin co-owner Larry Marks is confident the club will open on St. Francis downtown as early as September.

“It looks like we’re rolling ahead there,” he says.

“We are due to close on it in about a couple of weeks.”

Last month, Have You Heard? reported that Marks and his partner, Jeff Jones, are interested in a 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. Their Loony Bin had been at 21st and Woodlawn until it closed in late March.

They’re looking to do more than comedy in the new space.

“We may expand our entertainment format a little bit,” Marks says.

He says that could be trivia nights, improv and “even newlywed games and all kinds of stuff.”

There also will be room in the building to possibly do retail or to use the space for an office or apartments.

Marks says he and Jones are considering proposals and should make a decision on the extra space within 60 days.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Downtown, Entertainment, Real estate | Comments

Rylee & Reece Kids Boutique and Party Place moving to Maple and Ridge Road

May 7, 20135:00 a.m.

WICHITA — Rylee & Reece Kids Boutique and Party Place is moving – again.

When Tiffany Garner and her mother, Lynette, bought the children’s shop in early 2011, they moved it from Comotara Center on the east side to NewMarket Square at 21st and Maize Road.

Now, they’re moving to the center at the northeast corner of Maple and Ridge Road.

“We have found a bigger space,” Tiffany Garner says. “We’re able to lower our overhead. It’s just going to give us a bigger opportunity for the store.”

They now have about 2,000 square feet. The new space will have an additional 400 square feet.

“The party room is a little bit more separate,” Garner says.

About 60 percent of their business is through the party room. There will be additional themes for parties at the new space.

Garner says the party-room business has doubled from what it was on the east side.

She says the “west side loves us.”

“We’ve got a huge response from the west side.”

Read More »

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , Filed under Comotara Center, NewMarket Square, Real estate, Retail, West side | Comments

Curly’s American Diner to open in former Burger House space at Harry and Webb

May 6, 20134:59 p.m.

WICHITA — A new restaurant is opening in the former Burger House space at Harry and Webb.

David Rohr and two partners, Carlos Magana and Stephen Joseph, are opening Curly’s American Diner on May 13.

“It’s just kind of an opportunity, and I said, ‘Sure, why not?’” says Rohr, who used to manage the Applebee’s near 47th and Broadway.

Curly’s is named after Magana’s nickname.

“It just kind of fit,” Rohr says.

The menu will include lots of comfort food, such as chicken fried chicken and steak, meatloaf and pot roast along with burgers and sandwiches.

There will be seating for about 100, and there will be a new banquet room that seats about 40.

Hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Rohr says he’s working on a liquor license.

“We are planning on that eventually.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under East side, New business, Real estate, Restaurants | Comments

Tim Adams to move his dental practice further west to 45th and Maize Road

May 6, 201311:32 a.m.

UPDATED — After 16 years at 37th and Arkansas, dentist Tim Adams is moving his practice.

“This building’s old,” he says of where his self-named business currently is.

Adams wants to start over with a new space in a new area, so he’s moving to the southeast corner of 45th and Maize Road and renaming the practice Maize Family Dentistry.

His move to the 3,000-square-foot space will give him about 500 extra square feet.

“That’s part of it,” Adams says.

He also lives on the west side, so the move makes sense for him, but Adams says he’s particularly excited about getting new space, buying new equipment and updating his office.

Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal.

The new office will open around August.

 

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , Filed under Health care, Real estate, West side | Comments

Davis Family Pharmacy to open in former Lindsay Pharmacy near 21st and Ridge

May 6, 20135:00 a.m.

WICHITA — A new pharmacy is opening in the west-side space where Lindsay Pharmacy closed late last year.

“Our plans are to open a small, independent pharmacy here at 21st and Ridge,” says pharmacist Darren Davis.

His Davis Family Pharmacy will open next month in about 1,000 square feet near the southwest corner of the intersection.

“When this became available, I guess I kind of thought maybe I could reclaim that atmosphere … where service and customer relationships come first,” Davis says.

“I grew up in a small town working at a little, independent pharmacy, and that’s kind of why I went to pharmacy school.”

Davis graduated in 1997 and worked for Walgreens for eight years.

He left in 2004 and has since been working for a long-term care pharmacy that services nursing homes.

“It’s never really felt the same as working for a small, independent pharmacy,” Davis says. “I would rather make less money and be able to know the customers by name and enjoy my job.

“It’s the way I want to practice rather than having a corporation telling me exactly what I have to do and what I can do,” he says. “They call them chain pharmacies for a reason because you’re in chains and can’t really do what you want to do.”

Davis Family Pharmacy will accept most major insurance plans and offer over-the-counter medicines.

Read More »

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Health care, Real estate, West side | Comments

Saint Francis Community Services to take 30,000 square feet at the former Office This

May 3, 20132:34 p.m.

WICHITA — Saint Francis Community Services, which is taking over child welfare services previously provided by Youthville, is going to occupy 31,000 square feet at the former Office This.

The organization currently operates in about 4,000 square feet on North Amidon.

“We have to significantly expand that space,” says John Hoskins, vice president of marketing for the Salina-based group.

Saint Francis will occupy space that technically was part of the Office This development at 4031 E. Harry but wasn’t in the main area that was rented for office and conference space.

Developer Max Cole has closed that space in anticipation of a new tenant that will take as much as 100,000 square feet, though the deal isn’t done. The Saint Francis deal is separate from that.

In 1996, Kansas privatized management of its child welfare system that handles foster care, adoption services, residential treatment facilities and family preservation services.

There are five groups that bid on contracts to handle those services every four years.

Saint Francis won work for the next four years in two regions, including the Wichita region which is comprised of Wichita and almost a dozen surrounding counties.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Nonprofit, Real estate, South side | Comments

Jared Sprole’s Arcady Capital to lease space from Bud Gates at the Polo Club Office Park

May 2, 20135:00 a.m.

WICHITA — When Bud Gates last week told Have You Heard? he was moving his Easygates office to the Polo Club Office Park near 13th and Rock Road, he said he would have enough room to lease to a tenant as well.

It turns out that Jared Sprole and his Arcady Capital will be taking that space.

Currently, the private equity group is in a small office at the Remington Place Executive Park on 21st Street between Webb and Greenwich.

“We’ve really grown out of that space,” Sprole says of his more than 2-year-old company.

He says he’ll use 910 square feet of Gates’ new space, which will allow the company office and conference space and room to grow.

Arcady also has an Overland Park office where Sprole’s partner, Ron Stier, works.

Sprole says he thinks the new Wichita office will be enough room for the company for the next two or three years.

“This fits the bill.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under East side, Real estate | Comments

Taco Bueno to sublease West Street space

April 29, 20134:23 p.m.

WICHITA — When the Taco Bueno at 333 S. West St. caught fire in August due to a carelessly thrown cigarette, a fire official said it likely would be a long time before the restaurant would reopen.

Turns out it won’t happen at all.

“They decided not to reopen it,” says Brad Saville of Landmark Commercial Real Estate.

He’s now helping Taco Bueno sublease the 2,500-square-foot space, which is just south of the southwest corner of Maple and West.

“The most important thing is the city has already widened and improved West Street,” Saville says.

The building has a drive-through and has been entirely rebuilt, he says.

“You sure wouldn’t have known there was any damage to the property,” Saville says.

“It’s pretty good real estate.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Closings, Real estate, Restaurants, West side | Comments

Platinum Salon Spa & Boutique and Salon Bella to merge on west side; Color Bar Salon to open in Clifton Square

April 26, 20132:50 p.m.

WICHITA — There’s news with a few salons and stylists in the greater Wichita area.

First, Platinum Salon Spa & Boutique and Salon Bella are merging.

Susan Wardle and Tammy Kudlock are moving their Salon Bella from 119th and Maple to Tambra Hiser’s Platinum Salon at the northeast corner of 13th and Maize Road on Tuesday.

“I wanted to grow, and I don’t want to do it … one by one where it takes months,” Hiser says. “I came up with this innovative idea.”

She actively sought other salon partners by cold calling a few.

“Basically I decided to knock on some doors,” Hiser says. “I wanted to see what salon owners were faced with, some challenges.”

She and Wardle and Kudlock thought they would be a good fit and be able to offer complementary services. Hiser says they decided, “Wouldn’t it be genius to mix these two staffs together?”

She says education is a big focus for both salons.

There will be 11 stylists who will share nine stations.

In addition to hair services, there will be facials, nail care, massage and body wraps among other things.

Hiser says the trend lately has been for stylists to branch out on their own, but she says she and Wardle and Kudlock see benefits to combining their services in one place and under the Platinum name.

“Adding two heads is better than one,” Hiser says. It’s “going to be incredible.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Filed under Clifton Square, College Hill, New business, Real estate, Salons, West side | Comments

Mattress Hub founders start second company, Furniture Hub, to sell furniture

April 25, 20134:28 p.m.

WICHITA — In case opening more than 20 stores in four years isn’t enough to keep them busy, Mattress Hub founders Ryan Baty and Mark Barrientos are starting a second company.

“Basically what we’re trying to do is expand on the Hub brand,” Baty says of starting Furniture Hub.

“We’ve always been intrigued by the furniture business,” he says. “We see a lot of potential and a lot of opportunity.”

Furniture lines will include Lane, Bassett and England.

“You’re going to see brands that are very familiar,” Baty says.

He says he and Barrientos envision branding Furniture Hub in the same way they’ve marketed the Mattress Hub in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.

“We’re really going to try to own the media in every market we go to,” he says of advertising penetration.

He says customer service, which now includes educating customers on mattresses, will continue to be a focus.

“We try to take it to a whole other level,” Baty says. “We see opportunity in selective markets to where we can come in and bring the same type of approach.”

They’re looking at some markets that have Mattress Hubs and some that don’t.

Read More »

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , Filed under Hutchinson, New business, Real estate, Retail | Comments