Former Dillons space at Douglas and Meridian sells and will be leased

June 17, 20136:00 a.m.

WICHITA — The former Dillons at the southwest corner of Douglas and Meridian has sold, and a new occupant is likely to be in the building relatively soon.

Tom Schmeidler and a group of investors called DOME LLC — for Douglas and Meridian — closed on the building last week and are looking to lease it.

“There’s a couple of different entities that are very interested in it,” Schmeidler says.

One would take the entire 20,000-square-foot space, but Schmeidler says he’s opening to dividing the space between users.

The size of the building and its parking — there are about 120 spaces — made the purchase attractive, Schmeidler says.

“It’s a very stout building,” he says. “It’s a block building.”

It also has a basement.

“It’s in the core of Wichita, so if somebody needs to be close to downtown … this is close enough, plus this has the parking,” Schmeidler says. “There’s few buildings that are close to downtown that have the availability of that much parking.”

Brad Saville of Landmark Commercial Real Estate and Grant Tidemann of J.P. Weigand & Sons handled the sale. Saville also is representing DOME in leasing the space.

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

Jason-Paul Febres to open second Taste & See in part of former Doc Howard’s space

June 17, 20135:00 a.m.

UPDATED – Jason-Paul Febres is heading back to Old Town.

“Now I’m moving back to my roots,” says the man who became known as Sabor Latin Bar & Grille’s first executive chef.

The Venezuela native is returning to Old Town with his own place — a second Taste & See.

“Well, first of all, it’s about time,” Febres says. “I don’t think it was a matter of if we were going to expand. It was a matter of when we were going to expand.”

Febres is taking 4,532 square feet at 252 N. Mosley, which is part of the space developer Dave Burk is converting at the former Doc Howard’s Lounge building.

“I love Old Town,” Febres says. “I like the crowded scene. That’s what I’m made for.”

Febres bounced around to various restaurants before opening Taste & See with a partner at Office This in the former Wichita Mall. Febres says he plans to keep that site, which will be open for lunch, classes and private events. It will be known as Taste & See The Venue.

The new Taste & See will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Febres is planning a “very, very upscale tapas lounge” and “a beautiful patio.”

He’s also working on a new menu.

“It’s going to be a little more out there, and it’s going to be more fun,” Febres says. “I’m going to have the chance to play with more food than I was able to.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Filed under New business, Old Town, Real estate, Restaurants | Comments

Loft to open this fall at Bradley Fair

May 24, 20132:57 p.m.

WICHITA — Finally, Bradley Fair can reveal the reason behind its game of musical chairs, business style.

Loft is coming to the center at 21st and Rock Road this fall.

“We have been working with them for quite some time,” says Cathy Erickson, vice president at Laham Development.

“It’s been one of our most-requested stores,” she says. “We do listen, and we do appreciate when our customers give us their … input on what stores and restaurants they would like for us to have at Bradley Fair.”

Formerly known as Ann Taylor Loft, the women’s clothing store is something of a hipper younger sister to Ann Taylor. There are 500 of the stores nationwide.

The store will locate between Talbots and Bella Luna Cafe where Randy Cooper’s Fine Jewelry and College Hill Cleaners are vacating.

Randy Cooper’s is moving to where Howard’s Optique used to be. Howard’s moved from its freestanding space to new space between Sephora and Jason’s Deli in the first round of moves to prepare for Loft.

College Hill Cleaners is moving to where Origins used to be.

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

Precious Debut 4D Ultrasound to open at Bristol Square Shopping Center

May 16, 20134:15 p.m.

WICHITA — Precious Debut 4D Ultrasound will make its debut in the Bristol Square Shopping Center in Derby next week.

The business will cater to pregnant women in 1,600 square feet at the center, which is at the northeast corner of Madison and Rock Road.

Tammy Dvorak and Shelly White, who have 30 years of ultrasound experience between them, are partners in the business.

Dvorak says 4D ultrasound is basically 3D with motion. She and White prefer that expectant mothers have permission from their doctors before getting these elective ultrasounds.

“This is more for … fun,” Dvorak says. “Kind of bond the family together.”

The business will be available for baby parties. Dvorak says she hasn’t had final word from the fire marshal yet, but she thinks the space may be able to hold up to 50 people.

Cristi Howell of J.P. Weigand & Sons handled the lease.

Precious Debut also will offer diagnostic ultrasound with a doctor’s order and offer a variety of general health screening services.

Dvorak says she and White hope to open on Monday.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Bristol Square, Derby, New business, Real estate, Retail | Comments

Empire Energy to expand to Riverview

May 1, 20135:00 a.m.

WICHITA — Pennsylvania-based Empire Energy is expanding its Wichita office.

The company established an office here following an oil acquisition in 2011. Currently, it is in 1,600 square feet at the Twin Lakes Office Park at 1900 N. Amidon.

Empire is moving to the Riverview building at 345 Riverview near Third and Waco.

“It’s been going well,” says Rob Kramer, vice president of Empire’s mid-continent region.

“We’ve drilled a few new wells, had decent results and just been kind of maintaining,” he says. “We haven’t grown a great deal. There’s a lot of maintenance and upkeep with the wells we took over.”

Empire has almost 300 producing wells in the greater central Kansas area. It has drilled 16 new wells.

Kramer says that “16 wells over two years is not a very fast pace.”

He says the company prefers to grow through acquisition.

“We’ve got several deals currently in the works.”

The new office is 2,209 square feet.

Tony Utter of Utter Commercial Real Estate and Grant Tidemann and Marty Gilchrist of J.P. Weigand & Sons handled the deal.

Empire recently hired a new employee and is looking to possibly hire a couple more soon.

“We just need more office space here,” Kramer says. “We are trying to grow.”

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

Paradise Donuts and Coffeehouse to open in former Wonder Bread space

April 29, 201311:05 a.m.

UPDATED — A second helping of Paradise is coming to the west side.

Marilyn and Hervey Wright III are opening Paradise Donuts and Coffeehouse near Maple and Maize, which will be the second Paradise Donuts on the west side.

Steve Trask opened one at 3107 W. Central in 2010.

The Tulsa-based Paradise Donuts offers licensing agreements for an area of three to five miles.

“We just have had this in the back of our minds, and the timing seemed to be right,” says Marilyn Wright, who used to work in accounting at Koch Industries.

Hervey Wright was in administration at Friends University for 20 years.

Marilyn Wright says they both grew up loving doughnuts.

Her mother made homemade bread and doughnuts with an inspiring effect.

“Hers were so good that people came to church on Sundays when she provided the fellowship refreshments.”

A young Hervey Wright, who was known as Billy back then, used to perch on a stool to watch his grandmother create cake doughnuts. He once wrote his name on her doughnut recipe card.

“And the doughnuts were forever called ‘Billy Doughnuts,’” Marilyn Wright says.

She says they chose the Paradise affiliation because the brand allows them the flexibility to do their own menu and store design.

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

You don’t say

April 8, 20133:53 p.m.

“I mean, I can not tell you how cool this girl is.”

– Weigand’s Herb Krumsick on his new daughter-in-law, Brooklyn-based Cristina Suarez Krumsick, author of the forthcoming No Bake Makery who will be on Rachael Ray’s show Tuesday

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

Wichita’s LSI office to move to Ruffin Building on East Douglas

April 8, 201311:06 a.m.

UPDATED — When LSI’s Engenio storage division sold to NetApp in 2011, one piece of the LSI business remained at the NetApp building on North Rock Road.

LSI is now moving into its own space at the Ruffin Building at 9111 E. Douglas, which is the one-time Pizza Hut headquarters.

“We’re excited to have them,” says Chris Ruffin, director of real estate for his father Phil Ruffin’s Ruffin Properties.

The 5-year lease is for 19,000 square feet of the 254,000-square-foot building.

“I have about 25,000 left,” Ruffin says of what’s still available to lease.

Marty Gilchrist and Grant Tidemann of J.P. Weigand & Sons helped him with the deal.

“They were instrumental in helping put it together,” Ruffin says.

Also helping was California-based Ham Southworth of Studley Inc. Southworth represents LSI nationally.

He says about 50 people will be moving. Southworth says most are engineers but there are sales, operations and marketing employees as well.

“They’re going to move in as soon as possible,” Ruffin says. He anticipates that will take three or four months.

Other tenants include Ally, CCH and Pure-Formance Sports & Fitness Training Center, which Ruffin says is open to the public.

He says Ruffin Properties recently spent $115,000 on landscaping at the Ruffin Building.

“And it’s going to really improve … the overall appearance to the building.”

Ruffin says the LSI lease is significant.

“It’s just a really good deal,” Ruffin says.

And not just for Ruffin Properties and LSI, he says, but for Wichita in general.

“It means that the private sector’s moving a little bit.”

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

Kumon Math and Reading Learning Center to open in Hampton Lakes Retail Center

March 28, 20133:37 p.m.

WICHITA — Recent Wichita State University graduate Neeti Patel is now a teacher – and a business owner at age 22.

Patel, who has a business management degree, is opening a Kumon Math and Reading Learning Center in the Hampton Lakes Retail Center at 4041 N. Maize Road.

“I went to Kumon as a child,” Patel says. “The program is amazing. I really believe in it. … Education’s really important to me.”

She says Kumon is a Japanese learning enrichment program for students of all ages. It focuses on math and reading.

“It is the world’s largest enrichment program,” Patel says. “The children actually end up learning the concepts on their own.”

She says Kumon instructors make sure there are no gaps in what the students are learning.

“We start them at a place where they know everything, and we go up from there,” Patel says. “We call it the comfortable starting point.”

She says that’s to build confidence for the students and help them enjoy what they’re doing.

“They actually learn to love the material,” Patel says. “I loved the program. My parents loved the program.”

She says Kumon also is good to franchisees.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Education, Hampton Lakes Retail Center, Real estate, West side | Comments Off

Pure Fitness Rx opens in west Wichita

March 20, 20135:00 a.m.

WICHITA — Pete Rohleder has been working out at Fit Physique Fitness Center since he was 12 and working there since he was 16. After spending half his life there, he says he was ready to have his own place.

This week, he’s having a soft opening for his Pure Fitness Rx at 3460 N. Ridge Road.

“Fit Physique is a wonderful place … but I needed to grow professionally,” Rohleder says.

He got his master’s degree in exercise science last year and says, “I wanted to be able to offer more services.”

Rohleder calls himself an exercise physiologist.

“It allows me to be a little bit more in-depth and a little more comprehensive with my approach to health and fitness.”

He says he can incorporate more physiological tools for better results.

“I can help develop programs that are much more efficient.”

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