WICHITA — Motor City Kansas, a 15-year-old hobby and motor-related collectibles store, is converting from a retail shop near Central and Tyler to an online business.
Sheldon Birmingham says he and his father, Motor City owner Ron Birmingham, made the decision when Boeing announced it was leaving Wichita.
“It kind of provoked the whole thing,” he says.
Birmingham says 2009 was a particularly tough year.
“We lost a lot,” he says. “Last year was significantly better than the year before, but we really didn’t want to go through another downturn in the Wichita economy.”
Ron Birmingham, who bought Motor City four and a half years ago, also wants to retire.
Sheldon Birmingham, who says he already does a lot of shipping internationally, wants to liquidate the merchandise to a manageable level and then close the shop.
Discounted merchandise, fixtures and shelves are on sale now.