Trove Total Body Studio to move to Renfro

Nov. 2, 20126:00 p.m.

WICHITA — A year after opening at the Finn Lofts, Janelle Robertson has decided to move her Trove Total Body Studio to the new Renfro at 612 E. Douglas.

“I am on the move,” she says.

Robertson is the first commercial tenant in the building, and she’s taking one of the live-work spaces but will use both areas for her business instead of living there.

Developers Robert Eyster and Michael Ramsey, in collaboration with Farha Construction, recently finished converting the former Victoria Park Apartments into the Renfro.

The building, which is named for a hotel that was once there, has 20 apartments, including several live-work units.

Robertson says she thinks her expanded space at the Renfro will be ideal.

“Just the configuration for me and what I’ve been doing here so far just fit better,” she says.

Trove offers facials, massage, chemical peels, body treatments and micro dermabrasion.

“Really just about everything you’d want in a spa,” Robertson says.

On the second floor of her studio — what typically would be the bedroom in the live-work arrangement — Robertson will have massages and facials.

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

Renfro apartments ready to debut

Oct. 18, 201211:08 a.m.

UPDATED — There will be more than art on display downtown for the Oct. 26 Final Friday.

Developers Robert Eyster and Michael Ramsey, in collaboration with Farha Construction, also are introducing their new Renfro apartments, including some gallery space in the first floor hallway of the historic building.

The property was built at 612 E. Douglas in 1908 and once was home to the Renfro hotel. Most recently, it was Victoria Park Apartments.

“It’s a building that needed a lot of love,” Ramsey says.

He applied for the building to be on the National Register of Historic Places and was able to use historic tax credits in renovating it.

“We love being part of giving a building another 100 years of life,” says contractor Ted Farha. “There’s something pretty special about that.

“When it comes to sustainability or green building, really, I don’t think there’s anything greener than taking an existing building and bringing it up to date.”

There are 20 units, including a few live-work units with metal spiral staircases between the work and living spaces. There also are two commercial spaces in the front of the building. Those spaces are still available. Four of the apartments, including one live-work space, are leased.

There are unique touches throughout the building, such as original ceiling tins in some apartments, a garage door in one back unit and glass brick where another garage door once was.

Ramsey says he, Eyster and Farha Construction incorporated a lot of what they learned from renovating the Zelman Lofts building just down the street.

“The things that worked we tried to keep,” he says.

That includes open areas and ambient light.

“People will put up with smaller living space if we give them lots of storage, lots of shared light, lots of open area … and we give them nice kitchens and nice bathrooms.”

They found substantial savings by having Farha build cabinets in each of the units instead of buying them.

There are further savings for renters with high efficiency heating and air and LED lighting.

“We employed all the current technology that’s available to make this building as green as possible without going through . . . all the LEED Certification stuff,” Farha says. “It’s really satisfying to be able to do that. To create great living spaces for people.”

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

Cake Face Bake Shop adds truck, sandwiches to business

July 13, 201210:37 a.m.

WICHITA — Another new food truck is going to debut this weekend.

Summer Schoenhals already owns Cake Face Bake Shop, which she runs from a licensed kitchen in her home, and now she’s going to start selling baked goods and other items from a truck, too.

For a long time, Schoenhals says she “piddled around” making cakes and cupcakes for friends and family.

“Everybody kept telling me to start a business,” she says.

In January, she started one in the kitchen of her home. The business grew so quickly, she had to add a commercial kitchen.

In March, Schoenhals says she was approached about selling out of Absolute Vintage Boutique on Maple across from Target.

Saturday at the Automobilia car show, she’ll debut the truck, from which she’ll sell cakes, cookies, cupcakes, novelty baked items and a line of gourmet sandwiches using Big Rick’s barbecue sauce.

Big Rick’s is located at 400 S. Commerce St., and Schoenhals says she’s going to be able to use the company’s parking lot to sell from the truck during Final Friday and before events at the nearby Intrust Bank Arena.

Schoenhals also is a nurse, but she’s going to cut back to one day a week to help her Cake Face business grow. She says she’s also going to pursue corporate and event catering.

Schoenhals’ husband, David, recently was laid off, so he’s going to work with Cake Face, too.

“The timing was actually great,” Schoenhals says. “This is going to be our new source of income, so we’re pretty excited to get going on it.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Restaurants | Comments Off

Delano Gallery of Fine Arts opens in June

May 11, 201211:00 a.m.

WICHITA — Brent Miller is planning the new Delano Gallery of Fine Arts at the Delano Bed & Breakfast he and his wife, Becky, opened last year.

Miller previously owned Evo Gallery in Old Town in the 1990s and has the distinction of naming Final Friday years ago. He plans to use the gallery crawl for public openings. In fact, the gallery will open on Final Friday in June. Otherwise, it’s by appointment only except for an occasional special event.

“I’m really kind of narrowing it down to focusing in on buyers, and the way you do that is limit access,” Miller says. “Really in a town of this size if you restrict the access, you actually increase the interest.”

On the ground floor, Miller will showcase more traditional landscape art. Upstairs, he’ll feature more contemporary art.

Miller says he wants visitors to see the art with furniture so they can visualize what it would look like in their own homes.

He says he’s doing the gallery “to represent artists locally and sell the work.” He’ll feature some regional artists as well.

Showcasing the bed and breakfast is a nice side benefit, too, Miller says.

“That is definitely a component of it.”

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

Rebecca’s owner has shot at being Project Runway contestant

Feb. 23, 20125:22 p.m.

WICHITA — Most people who have “Project Runway” parties simply are watching the popular Lifetime show with friends.

That’s not why Rebecca Simpson is throwing one during Final Friday.

The casting director of the program, which is a reality show that pits designers against each other, has invited Simpson to try out for the next season. Part of her audition includes making a short video, which she’ll do at Rebecca’s, her Old Town Square shop next to Caffe Moderne.

“It’s going to be packed in here,” Simpson says.

She also has to fill out a 25-page application and may be called for an interview.

“He already asked me where I wanted to interview at,” Simpson says.

The casting director found her through a mutual friend.

“I still haven’t seen a whole episode through,” Simpson says.

She plans to study, though.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , Filed under Old Town, Retail, Television | Comments Off

Arts Council teams with city and Wichita Downtown Development Corp. to create new Final Friday campaign to boost art sales

Jan. 18, 20127:04 p.m.

WICHITA — Final Friday is a popular monthly art crawl for some, but the Arts Council wants to make sure it makes business sense, too.

Final Friday attracts about 4,000 people monthly, which the Council says boosts area restaurants and retail shops, but that doesn’t always translate to support for artists.

“We know there’s already a lot of attention out there for Final Friday, but we want to take it to the next step up,” says Ann Keefer, who sits on the Council’s board and is vice president of marketing for the Wichita Downtown Development Corp.

The Council, the WDDC and the city are teaming for a new campaign to help increase art sales.

“One of the things we see as far as helping to develop downtown … has been the creative industry,” Keefer says. “It actually is an economic driver in some respects.”

If people only tour galleries and don’t buy art, though, artists won’t be able to stay, Keefer says.

“We don’t want that to happen. We want them to stay and flourish.”

The campaign will be led by a new logo that Sonia Greteman agreed to have the Greteman Group create pro bono.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Art | Comments Off

Artist Central to open for artists to create, show and sell their work

Nov. 17, 20115:06 a.m.

WICHITA — Clifton Square owner Jo Zakas and a group of other artists are opening a new space to create, show and sell art.

Artist Central will be at 5014 E. Central, which is on the north side of Central between Oliver and Edgemoor.

“Primarily it’s an artist’s studio where people can come and work,” Zakas says.

Other artists include Carol Cumberland, Barbara Niewald, Vicki McIlroy and internationally known artist and teacher Jim Gross.

Initially, they’ll have 900 square feet, which has been vacant since U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran had a campaign office there.

Zakas says there’s room to grow to 2,400 square feet.

“We’re looking for some additional artists, too,” she says.

The artists have a particular focus on abstract work, though they’re open to any kind of artists joining them, including photographers.

Art isn’t new to Zakas, who is best known for her Clifton Square retail center near College Hill.

“You know, I’ve been doing art since the ’80s,” she says. “It all started because I needed paintings for my wall, and everything I looked at was $6,000.”

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

Lights Salon Studio to open in Riverside

Aug. 26, 20114:46 p.m.

WICHITA — Jen Kimble has seen the light.

After a year off from the salon business, which she’d previously been in for about 16 years, she’s preparing to open a new salon in Riverside called Lights Salon Studio.

“This is just the perfect location,” Kimble says of the space she’s opening next to the Riverside Perk at 11th Street and Bitting next month.

Kimble also is an artist, which is what she’s been focusing on for the last year, and she takes a lot of inspiration from light.

She thought about that and working with hair color, which is what led to the Lights name.

“It’s so important to have lighting,” Kimble says. “When I draw I use a light table.”

In addition to having two styling chairs, Kimble will have a small studio in which she can do her art.

She also plans to be on the Final Friday circuit and have regular exhibits in her shop.

Kimble will lease her second chair to stylists who might like to rent by the day.

“It’s just really helpful to have a place you could just do five clients,” Kimble says.

With day rentals, she says, “It’s a possibility to have seven employees in a very small space.”

To kick off her Sept. 10 opening, Kimble is going to offer a $60 cut and color.

“I know that can’t be beat,” she says. “Not in this town. Not anywhere, really.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under New business, Riverside, Salons | Comments Off

T&J Studios leaving Valley Center for Wichita

May 24, 20114:04 p.m.

WICHITA — T&J Studios is Wichita bound.

The 10-year-old Valley Center photography studio is moving for a couple of reasons.

First, the building that partners Jeff and Tyffany Wendling and Brett Schauf are in has sold.

“We took that as an opportunity,” Schauf says.

In addition to wedding and portrait photography, the company does a lot of commercial work as well.

“You name it, we’ve been out and shot it,” Schauf says.

Now, with a new site at 144 N. Emporia, he says the company will be in the middle of where many clients, such as advertising agencies, are located.

This also will give T&J Studios an opportunity to have a gallery and be involved with events such as Final Friday.

“Those are the big things,” Schauf says. “Just being involved in the Wichita community a little bit.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Downtown, Photography, Valley Center | Comments Off

MillyRose Photography & Design is now a home-based business

Sept. 27, 20102:56 p.m.

WICHITA — The new Salon Lush that’s opening at Occidental Plaza at Second and Main streets is taking the former MillyRose Photography & Design space.

Taci Fast still has her photography business, but she’s decided to base it out of her home.

Fast is traveling, so she filled us in on what’s going on via e-mail.

“Since my focus is predominately fine art lifestyle photography, I found the studio model was not fitting my needs,” she says. Almost all “of my shoots are location based, and with a website serving as my storefront, the studio is just not necessary for a successful business.”

Fast liked opening for Final Friday, but she did that only every two or three months.

With less overhead, Fast says she’ll be able to be more generous with causes like Make-A-Wish Foundation of Kansas, the Kansas Humane Society and her own charity, Angel Kisses, which gives free portraits to families who are facing critical illnesses.

Fast says photography is competitive and has changed substantially because of the digital revolution.

“I think the secret is to just keep evolving to stay relevant and reinvent yourself every couple of years!”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Photography | Comments