Artist at Large Tattoo owner Dennis McPhail plans ‘creative look’ for his building

May 3, 20122:00 p.m.

WICHITA — Artist at Large Tattoo owner Dennis McPhail is now also a landlord at large.

He has purchased the more than 8,000-square-foot building, which looks like three buildings, where his business is at the southwest corner of Douglas and Laura. That’s where Karma Konnections and Up N Smoke also are.

“I didn’t think I could do it, but we did it,” McPhail says of himself and his wife, Bunni.

“I just be creative and hand her the money,” McPhail says. “She makes me look legitimate.”

They were on a budget when they opened the shop eight years ago. More recently, they wanted to upgrade their space.

“I was getting ready to drop some money,” McPhail says. “I was just thinking, why should I do this on a place I don’t own?”

His landlord wanted to sell, and McPhail says he was nice enough to wait on him to be able to buy it.

“I always had it in the back of my mind,” McPhail says of owning his own space.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Downtown, Real estate | Comments (0)

Box Central to open west-side storage

April 18, 20123:02 p.m.

WICHITA — Sherilyn and Clif Elder are close to opening the new storage portion of their Box Central store at Douglas and West streets.

“Every time I think we’re going to get open, something else happens,” Sherilyn Elder says.

Nothing will keep her from getting open Monday, though, Elder says.

“Oh, no, we will be.”

The Elders started Box Central after buying the Love Box factory outlet stores in 2006. Last fall, Have You Heard? reported their west-side store was moving and expanding to 6,000 square feet and adding U-Haul rentals to its offerings. At the time, the Elders said they planned to add storage, too.

There will be 24 climate-controlled units in various sizes.

“Everybody keeps telling us, especially since we’re doing U-Hauls, these are going to fill up,” Sherilyn Elder says. “We’re just real, real encouraged by it.”

She’s already scouting locations for a possible expansion.

Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate and Vic Lawrence of Branson & Associates handled the deal.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under New business, Real estate, Retail, West side | Comments (0)

New Allstate claims office to open on west side behind Westgate Market

April 11, 20121:47 p.m.

WICHITA — Just behind where the new Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet is opening at Westgate Market, Allstate claims adjuster Dennis Dull is moving his drive-through claims office to 6301 W. Taft.

“The purpose is to give outstanding claim service to our customers,” Dull says.

He says the building’s 1,700 square feet also is a better fit for the office than its current larger space at 7606 E. 37th St. North.

Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal.

The new Allstate office, which is by appointment only, will open Monday.

 

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Art & Frame to move from NewMarket Square to 13th and Maize Road area

March 29, 20124:50 p.m.

WICHITA — Jack Wilson and his Art & Frame shop was one of the first businesses in NewMarket Square a decade ago, and he says he’s now reluctant to leave.

Due to another deal, though – more about that coming soon – Wilson is moving.

His new shop, which likely will open in June, will be just south of 13th and Maize Road at 1317 N. Maize.

“The core of our business is custom picture framing,” Wilson says.

He also does digital photo enhancements, photo restoration and large-format printing in addition to selling art.

“The new space will have a little bit more of a showroom than the current one, which is nice,” Wilson says.

His current space is 1,091 square feet, and the new space is 1,480 square feet.

Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal.

Wilson says his business officially has been open since 1999, but he’s been doing the work for much longer.

Art & Frame will remain open at NewMarket until the move.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under NewMarket Square, Real estate, Retail, West side | Comments (0)

InMotion Spine – Muscle – Joint Clinic to open at Hampton Lakes

March 28, 201211:00 a.m.

WICHITA — New chiropractors Meryl Miller and Jared Shoemaker are opening their first practice in Hampton Lakes at 37th and Maize this summer.

“We just decided we wanted to stay in Kansas,” says Miller, who graduated from the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Overland Park in December. Shoemaker graduates next month.

The practice, InMotion Spine – Muscle – Joint Clinic, will be in 1,750 square feet and should open in June.

“We just want to get started and get a year under our belt and see what happens,” Miller says.

She and Shoemaker wanted to work in a small town near a big city, and they decided Maize would work.

“We didn’t want to be too far out,” Miller says. Also, she says, “We just like that it was a newer area. . . . We always see people out being active.”

Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate and Curt Robertson of InSite Real Estate Group handled the deal.

Miller says she and Shoemaker plan to bring “a different model of care to everyone.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Hampton Lakes, Health care, Medical, New business, West side | Comments (0)

Bann Thai Restaurant to open in former Siam Cuisine space

March 27, 201211:12 a.m.

UPDATED — A new restaurant is going in the former Siam Cuisine space near 21st and Woodlawn.

Tui Jackson hopes to open Bann Thai Restaurant at 6249 East 21st Street North by April 3.

“I think it will be OK,” Jackson says of opening by then.

She plans to be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.

“My slogan is the taste of Thai,” Jackson says.

She says all of her food will be made from scratch. Jackson says she won’t use any canned ingredients for sauces or anything else.

Eventually, she intends to add alcohol to the menu, but the restaurant won’t have it initially.

Don Piros with Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal.

Jackson’s mother and sister will arrive from Thailand in May with special Thai uniforms for her employees. She plans to hold a grand opening celebration May 17, 18 and 19 while they’re here.

 

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under East side, New business, Real estate, Restaurants | Comments (0)

Furnish My Nest to open at the Shops at Tallgrass near 21st and Rock Road

March 22, 20124:36 p.m.

WICHITA — A new home furnishings store with a contemporary flair is coming to the Shops at Tallgrass near 21st and Rock Road.

Furnish My Nest is taking the 2,240 square feet Cox Communications Kansas/Arkansas used to be in before moving across the parking lot.

Chance Shipman and Josh Ruland are opening Furnish My Nest to sell furniture, accessories and lighting.

Shipman says they’ll offer “a mix of classic and contemporary styling, but very functional.”

“We want it to be usable … furniture for everyone’s lives.”

Shipman used to have a shop in Topeka. He says he noticed that there wasn’t a lot of variety in the home furnishings stores here.

Also, he says, “The contemporary choices were gone.”

He and Ruland also will offer a redesign-in-a-day service for $399 in which, after a few meetings with a client, they’ll redesign a room with existing furniture and accessories and add some new ones as needed as well.

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

Planet Fitness signs two new deals

Feb. 20, 20125:00 a.m.

WICHITA — There are deals for two new Wichita Planet Fitness sites, though the chain still isn’t talking about its plans here.

Have You Heard? previously reported that the company is working on locations in the former Star Lumber space at Normandie Center at Central and Woodlawn, at Marina Lakes at 21st and Amidon where a new Walmart Neighborhood Market is and also at the 21st and Maize area.

Since then, Scott Harper of Landmark Commercial Real Estate and Grant Tidemann of J.P. Weigand & Sons finalized a deal for the Marina Lakes space.

On Friday, Tidemann and Landmark’s Nick Esterline finalized a deal for the former bowling alley space at 2350 N. Maize Road. That’s where Countryside West Lanes closed in 2007.

It looks like there may already be demo work going on at the possible Planet Fitness space at Normandie.

Planet Fitness isn’t the only new gym coming to the city.

Gold’s Gym International also has been working on sites here. In fact, it appears it was negotiating for some of the same space Planet Fitness nabbed.

Earlier this year, Have You Heard? reported that a Gold’s deal at Harry and Rock may already be done.

Both companies are being similarly silent. We should hear something from them soon, though.

 

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Filed under East side, Health clubs, Marina Lakes, New business, Normandie Center, Real estate, West side | Comments Off

Plexus Inc. opens and leases space near Intrust Bank Arena

Feb. 15, 20124:34 p.m.

WICHITA — Business partners Shawn Spaeny and Nick Holt have started Plexus Inc. to sell high-definition surveillance cameras.

“High-quality surveillance is what we do,” Spaeny says.

The two have been in the business previously but decided to open their own place in almost 3,000 square feet at 535 S. Emporia.

“Seems prime, doesn’t it?” Spaeny says of being located just south of Intrust Bank Arena.

Ted Branson of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal.

In addition to offering new cameras, Spaeny says Plexus will offer service on other surveillance cameras as well.

“We’re ramping up all areas of that operation.”

 

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

RBP Auto to open on Southwest Boulevard

Feb. 14, 20124:15 p.m.

WICHITA — Ryan Peavey has been wanting to get into the car sales business, but to get his dealer’s license, he says first he needed a building.

So he’s signed a lease for 1,100 square feet at 1707 1/2 Southwest Blvd.

“It’s pretty little,” Peavey says.

It’s the start of his RBP Auto, though.

Peavey plans to sells cars and specialize in distressed ones that he repairs. He may fix other cars on the property as well.

Ted Branson with Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal.

“I expect to have more space eventually,” Peavey says.

He says he needed to start somewhere, though.

“I had to take a chance on something.”

 

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , Filed under Automobile industry, New business, Real estate, Retail | Comments Off