Shine Salon to move to Sunburst Plaza

Jan. 23, 20135:12 p.m.

UPDATED — There’s a new tenant coming to Phil Ruffin’s Sunburst Plaza at 1725 at 1725 E. Douglas, which may be better known as the home of Tanya’s Soup Kitchen.

Shine Salon is moving into 2,500 square feet next to the former Integrity Auto Group space at the center.

“We’ve kind of been looking to expand, to grow our business,” says Val Sigg, who owns the business with his wife, Casey. “Our business has been fantastic.”

The salon will celebrate five years at 110 N. Hillside on March 18.

Currently, Shine has six styling chairs and eight stylists.

“We’re trying to accommodate 14 hair stylists at our new space,” Sigg says. “We are actively looking for … hair stylists to come work with us over there.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Filed under Real estate, Salons, Sunburst Plaza at 1725 | Comments Off

Rowley Snyder Ablah buys former Big Dog Motorcycle building it’s occupied for a year

Aug. 21, 20125:00 a.m.

Part of the upgrades to Rowley Snyder Ablah's newly purchased building include glass blocks in an area that used to have a nonworking door.

WICHITA — When the new Rowley Snyder Ablah ad agency signed a lease for former Big Dog Motorcycle space at 145 N. Hydraulic in the spring of 2011, CEO Bruce Rowley said, “You know there’s something happening down here. This is kind of a vibrant little area with lots of cool stuff going on.”

He and his partners like it so much, they’ve now bought the building from Sheldon Coleman Jr.

“We love the size of it,” Rowley says. “We love the flexibility of it.”

Most of the 3,000 square feet is an open area that Rowley says allows for easy reconfiguration of space depending on what a project might need.

“That was a huge part,” he says. “We’ve already moved ourselves probably four or five times in the year we’ve been in it.”

The agency is making a few upgrades at the building, such as getting rid of a nonworking door that Rowley says “made it sort of look like an abandoned building from the street.”

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Wichita Guitar Works to open next to Donut Whole on East Douglas

May 8, 20125:13 p.m.

Curt Mitchell (from left), Chris Glamann and Scott Kern of the new Wichita Guitar Works.

WICHITA — A new guitar and amplifier shop is in the works next to the Donut Whole on East Douglas.

Curt Mitchell, Chris Glamann and Scott Kern plan to open Wichita Guitar Works on Aug. 1 at 1716 E. Douglas.

The three used to sell and service guitars and amplifiers at Glamann’s GMI Music and Sound. That store, which was on West Central, closed in 2000.

“We’ve always talked about when the time was right, we wanted to do something again,” Mitchell says. “It’s the business we all love.”

Several factors forced the other shop to close.

“At that time, the sale of musical instruments on the Internet began to be real strong,” Mitchell says. Also, he says competition from chain stores was a factor, as was construction along Central.

“We just had some trouble keeping it going.”

He doesn’t expect the same issues now.

“Just in the last couple of years we really felt like the time was right again,” Mitchell says.

He says the retail climate has changed, and shoppers now seek local stores with specialized merchandise and service.

“There’s a big movement right now with what’s called boutique guitar shops,” Mitchell says.

He says he and his partners plan to sells guitars that are “made by people, not made by machines.”

“You can’t walk into every shop in Wichita and see these kinds of instruments.”

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

GLMV Architecture’s secret weapon: Barbie

April 18, 20126:13 p.m.

WICHITA — Lots of businesses have mascots of sorts.

Mattress Hub has Cheap Sheep.

The Donut Whole has a giant chicken that graces its roof.

And GLMV Architecture has … Barbie?

The firm’s Facebook page has been touting Barbie’s activities around the office, complete with photos.

“Look at Barbie go! What a multi-tasker, picking laminates, making boards, AND Studying for the big test! Wow…WOW!”

“Working in a construction zone is a little more challenging than Barbie thought it would be!”

“Barbie has been busy, busy, busy studying for her exams! Ken has been so supportive by sending her flowers, coffee and energy drinks!”

So far, there have been 17 updates.

When first contacted, GLMV chairman Bill Livingston said he didn’t know much about Barbie and her Facebook activities.

“I saw one copy of it, but that’s it,” he said. “We old guys with no techie skills, we don’t understand that stuff.”

Then he did some investigating.

“This is cool,” Livingston says.

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You don’t say

Jan. 26, 20124:42 p.m.

“If the motley crew of patrons is any indication, the draw of the perfect donut is universal.”

– A AAA lodging and restaurant inspector’s review this week of Wichita’s Donut Whole, which she says makes the world “a happier, more joyful place”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , Filed under Publishing, Restaurants, You don't say | Comments Off

How to succeed in business without really opening: NuPenny on East Douglas is the ultimate in window shopping

July 13, 20111:10 a.m.

UPDATED – Most people understand that one of the first steps to succeeding in business is to open a business.

That’s not Randy Regier’s approach.

But then, he’s not just a business owner. First — and foremost — he’s an artist.

He’d love for you to drop by his new NuPenny Toy Store, which he put the finishing touches on just after midnight on Tuesday after “way too many trips to Lowe’s.”

It’s at 1714 E. Douglas, which is two doors down from the Donut Whole and just across from Tanya’s Soup Kitchen.

Part nostalgic, part futuristic, the brightly lit shop full of shiny silver toys beckons passers-by to stop in, but they can’t.

“It’s like a ‘Twilight Zone‘ episode in a toy store that no one ever goes in and no one shows up,” Regier says.

He could go into great lengths, he says, about what it all means. That would spoil the fun, though.

Regier’s thought is “the idea of discovering something.” It’s an experience, and one that he doesn’t want to prejudice.

“It’s not so much not wanting to talk about it,” he says. Talking, though, “can take all the mystery from it.”

“It can be sort of mythical and mystical and bizarre and weird.”

The toys are made from things such as old toasters and Electrolux vacuum parts.

A London writer who wrote of Regier’s work examined it for his ability to create desire. Shoppers may want to come in, but can’t.

There’s no use advising Regier on another business model.

“I have business friends who have tried that,” he says. “I’ll just say they’ve given up on me.

“My business model is, ‘Good luck with that.’ ”

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Rowley Snyder Ablah moves agency office downtown

April 7, 20115:36 a.m.

WICHITA — Despite extensive east-side searches for a new office, Rowley Snyder Ablah has moved downtown to former Big Dog Motorcycle space at 145 N. Hydraulic.

“I’ve got to tell you, we’ve looked at almost everything on the east side,” Bruce Rowley says.

When he opened the agency late last year, it temporarily was located in the Terra-Cotta Tower at 29th North and Rock Road. Rowley liked the amenities on the east side.

“I finally got dragged by my leasing agent down to this building that he wanted to show me,” Rowley says of Classic Real Estate’s Craig Ablah, who is agency partner Jeff Ablah’s cousin.

Rowley likes the openness of the 3,000-square-foot space, but he particularly likes the area around the building.

“You know there’s something happening down here,” he says. “This is kind of a vibrant little area with lots of cool stuff going on.”

He’s impressed with what Chris Ruffin has done with the nearby Sunburst Plaza at 1725 on East Douglas, which is where Tanya’s Soup Kitchen will soon reopen.

Tanya’s and the Donut Whole across the street helped seal the deal.

Rowley says his office has already done taste tests to determine favorite doughnuts.

“I thought that maple bacon was going to be winning, but Neapolitan appears to be quite a hit, and the one with Fruity Pebbles on it.”

Rowley says he knows his 12-person agency isn’t going to have a huge impact on the area, but he hopes his “little, tiny presence” adds to the movement there.

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Siva Power Yoga owner to open Siva Hot Yoga at Sunburst Plaza at 1725

March 2, 20116:08 p.m.

WICHITA — Siva Power Yoga owner Adrian Tartler is expanding with a second studio.

His first is at 535 W. Douglas.

“My space in Delano is beautiful, and I love it, but we have 20-foot high ceilings,” Tartler says.

That and poor insulation don’t allow enough heat for his hot yoga classes, so he’s opening a second studio at 1725 E. Douglas where Tanya Tandoc is reopening her Tanya’s Soup Kitchen.

Siva Hot Yoga will take 2,318 square feet on the west end of Sunburst Plaza at 1725, which Phil Ruffin owns and recently renovated.

Tartler says the building has “brick and charm and character like my place in Delano has.”

One whole wall of his studio is brick.

“I like not having it feel like it’s a box,” he says.

“Plus, I really wanted to be next to Tanya. Plus I love the Donut Whole.”

That’s across the street.

Tartler will offer massages at the new location as well.

The main focus will be on hot yoga, which is at 95 to 100 degrees.

“The heat is meant to not only warm up the tissues . . . so your muscles can stretch, but it also offers an opportunity for your body to sweat and detoxify,” Tartler says.

“The heat just makes you feel so much more limber. It’s exciting because you actually feel like you’re making some progress.”

He says it feels great, but he adds, “You either like it or you really don’t.”

Look for the new studio to open around May 1.

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Donut Whole owners to open tea bar

Feb. 2, 20115:02 a.m.

WICHITA — Donut Whole owners Angela Mallory and Michael Carmody are working on a new venture next to their original one at 1720 E. Douglas.

They plan to open a tea bar in April.

“We don’t have anything like that here,” Mallory says.

She says tea bars are all the rage across the country.

Mallory and Carmody opened the Donut Whole in early 2009.

“We’ve kind of hit our stride here and (are) looking to stretch out a little bit,” Carmody says.

He says they’ll sell “every sort of tea that we can lay our hands on.”

That includes chai, boba and loose-leaf teas.

The tea bar, which hasn’t been named yet, won’t have retail sales.

Though the bar will be connected to the Donut Whole, it will be separate.

“It’ll have its own personality,” Carmody says.

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Tanya Tandoc to reopen her Tanya’s Soup Kitchen downtown

Jan. 26, 201111:15 a.m.

Tanya Tandoc and the team helping her reopen her Soup Kitchen: (from left) Sister-in-law Ann Tandoc, business consultant Jill Miller, husband Wayne Gottstine and brother Warren Tandoc.

UPDATED — For almost seven years, Wichitans have relentlessly asked: When is Tanya going to reopen her restaurant?

The answer: This spring.

Tanya Tandoc is bringing back her uber-popular Tanya’s Soup Kitchen.

She’s opening in a new spot with the same name.

“Don’t fix what ain’t broke,” is her philosophy.

Tandoc is taking almost 2,100 square feet at 1725 E. Douglas across from the Donut Whole.

That’s Phil Ruffin’s newly renovated Sunburst Plaza at 1725.

“The menu will be much like people remember it,” Tandoc says.

That includes favorite soups, such as her signature tomato bisque, which will be on the menu daily.

“Still, ridiculously, the very most popular soup I have ever served — ever!”
Sandwiches, such as the Milano and the Crocoville, will be back, too.

Tanya’s Soup Kitchen will be open for lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“It’s all flexible,” Tandoc says. “If people are banging down the door at 5 o’clock, well, we’ll open.”

Tandoc was forced to leave her space in the former Union Station baggage area when her landlord, Cox Communications Kansas, wanted it back in 2004.

She’ll have the same amount of seating — about 40 or 50 seats — as she previously did. She’ll also eventually have a patio.

Instead of having table service, though, customers will order at a counter and runners will bring out their food.

“We’re going to try and streamline the experience a little bit,” Tandoc says. “We’ll be able to turn tables a little bit faster than before.”

The “we” in the venture includes her brother, Warren, and his wife, Ann.

Their return to the Wichita area is part of what’s inspiring the restaurant now.

“It was like, oh, wait, the best line cook I ever met in my life and an incredible chef,” Tanya Tandoc says of her brother. “This is awesome.”

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