Invio Fine Furniture Consignment to expand

Oct. 11, 20125:00 a.m.

WICHITA — For the second time in less than six months — and the third time in less than two years — Invio Fine Furniture Consignment is expanding.

Andrea and Eric Johnsen are adding another 1,250 square feet to their furniture consignment shop in the strip center behind Havertys on Rock Road for a total of 3,750 square feet.

“It’s just really grown,” Andrea Johnsen says of the business, which started in Diva Furniture a couple of doors down.

Invio expanded into its own space in October 2011 and most recently expanded again in May.

Johnsen says her store is doing so well, she could probably handle 8,000 square feet, but she’d rather “take a baby step.”

Consignment is popular right now with customers who have unwanted furniture pieces, Johnsen says.

“They don’t want to just give them away.”

She says when customers come in to consign their furniture, “they end up purchasing as well.”

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

Invio Fine Furniture Consignment to move and double in size

May 14, 20126:00 a.m.

WICHITA — Last fall, when Invio Fine Furniture Consignment moved out of Diva Furniture into the first space of its own two doors down, owner Andrea Attwater said she’d love to one day double the space.

Since then, she’s married Eric Johnsen, and the two of them are now ready to double the size of the consignment shop in the strip center behind Havertys on Rock Road. The move will happen in two weeks.

“I probably could fill four or five warehouses with everything that comes in,” Andrea Johnsen says.

For now, though, they’ll stick with 2,500 square feet in the two warehouses next to their current space. Johnsen says she’s not keeping that 1,250-square-foot space, too, because it doesn’t have air conditioning.

Johnsen says she’s deluged with consignment items.

“When something leaves, I automatically fill that spot with something else.”

She also offers items online and through a photo book in the shop, “which has actually worked pretty well.” Johnsen says she prefers that to expanding even further now.

“I’d rather take small steps.”

 

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

Insurance Partners of Kansas to move to first permanent space

Oct. 10, 201111:08 a.m.

WICHITA — Father and son Jerry and Eric Johnsen are opening the first of several permanent branches for their Insurance Partners of Kansas.

They started the company, which represents 35 insurance carriers, in February and temporarily were in the Equity Bank building at 7701 E. Kellogg.

They’re now moving to permanent space at 707 N. Waco.

“This is the first of four branches we’re going to have,” Jerry Johnsen says. “We’re going to put a branch in all quadrants of the city.”

They plan to do that within two years.

Jerry Johnsen has been in the insurance business for 38 years. He says he likes the flexibility of being able to offer customers multiple policy carriers in order to find the best fit.

Brian Gaddis of BG Properties handled the deal.

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