Tractor Supply to open Augusta store

May 30, 20135:00 a.m.

UPDATED — Tractor Supply, a national chain that sells lawn, garden and animal care products, is expanding with a new store in Augusta.

The company already has stores on East and West Kellogg.

The new store is tentatively set to open Oct. 10 at the southwest corner of Southwest Diamond Road and East Kellogg. Jeff Englert and Nathan Farha of NAI Martens represented a seller who sold three and a quarter acres to a developer who is a building a building for Tractor Supply.

Englert and Farha’s client has another eight acres near there to sell.

Via e-mail, a Tractor Supply representative said the area is especially attractive because of farmers and horse owners who live and work there.

The store, which will be almost 20,000 square feet, will employ 12 to 17 full-time and part-time employees.

 

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

Loony Bin closes deal for downtown space

May 23, 20135:00 a.m.

UPDATED — As expected, the owners of the Loony Bin closed a deal this week to buy the 13,000-square-foot building between First and Second streets on St. Francis across from the urban park on the southeast corner of Second and St. Francis.

“We hope to get open probably early fall, September or October at the latest, I would say,” says partner Jeff Jones.

The Loony Bin had been at 21st and Woodlawn in Oxford Square from 1999 until it closed in late March.

The new space is two buildings — one a single story and one that’s two stories — that are attached.

The 3,400-square-foot single-story space is where the comedy club will be. It will hold about 150, which is down from the 299 that the previous space held.

“Although that was pretty optimistic,” Jones says.

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

Shine Salon to move to Sunburst Plaza

Jan. 23, 20135:12 p.m.

UPDATED — There’s a new tenant coming to Phil Ruffin’s Sunburst Plaza at 1725 at 1725 E. Douglas, which may be better known as the home of Tanya’s Soup Kitchen.

Shine Salon is moving into 2,500 square feet next to the former Integrity Auto Group space at the center.

“We’ve kind of been looking to expand, to grow our business,” says Val Sigg, who owns the business with his wife, Casey. “Our business has been fantastic.”

The salon will celebrate five years at 110 N. Hillside on March 18.

Currently, Shine has six styling chairs and eight stylists.

“We’re trying to accommodate 14 hair stylists at our new space,” Sigg says. “We are actively looking for … hair stylists to come work with us over there.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Filed under Real estate, Salons, Sunburst Plaza at 1725 | Comments Off

Social Manor to open in Old Town

Sept. 25, 20127:54 a.m.

WICHITA — A new shop is coming to Old Town in time for Christmas.

Erin Kice and Lauren Johnson are opening Social Manor in the former Gingeroot Studios space at 920 E. Douglas, which is next to I Do Bridal & Tux.

The store will have furniture, accessories and gifts along with design services.

Johnson and Kice say they hope to inspire people.

“We kind of really feed off each other,” Johnson says.

She says Kice will handle the business side, and she’ll focus on marketing and design.

Johnson had been working in the marketing department for Intrust Bank when she decided to return to school to get an interior design degree. She’s also been doing staging for real estate.

Erin Kice has worked at Alltite for six years in various capacities, including accounting, human resources and office management. She says she “learned a lot about how a small business operates.”

“That has always been my dream, to have a shop of my own,” she says.

Kice says she knew out of college she didn’t have the experience she needed to open her own business.

“My time at Alltite has been great for that.”

“Erin has a passion for entertaining and throws the most wonderful events in her home,” Johnson says.

Johnson says she also likes entertaining but with more of a focus on interior design.

Kice says they’ll offer in-store instructional events.

“Kind of a decorating 101 type thing,” she says. “That’s kind of part of our creating a fun and entertaining atmosphere.”

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

Simon Property Group hires local firm to market space

May 16, 201211:12 a.m.

WICHITA — It’s not exactly news when new space is available at a mall, but Jeff Englert makes a good case for 8,000 square feet that he and Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group colleagues are marketing at Towne East Square.

“To my knowledge, it’s the first time that Simon used third-party brokers in Wichita,” he says of Simon Property Group, which owns the mall.

Perhaps more significantly, Englert says, “They want to go after nontraditional mall tenants for this.”

Not that he and fellow brokers Nathan Farha and Grant Glasgow won’t look at retail.

“Retail is definitely going to be our first play there.”

However, Simon has had some luck with nonretail tenants, such as Wright Career College.

“They want to explore that some more,” Englert says.

The space is located on the west side of Towne East between Dillard’s and Sears at the second-most busy main entrance of the mall. Englert says it’s possible to add a glass exterior so the space is visible from outside the mall.

After retail, Englert says there could be possibilities such as office users, educational facilities or a fitness center.

He says he’ll soon have news on a new Towne West Square tenant.

“This will be pretty big news, let’s put it that way.”

Look for it in about a month or so.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , Filed under East side, Real estate, Towne East Square, Towne West Square, West side | Comments Off

Child Start to open West Village Head Start near West Street and Zoo Boulevard this fall

April 17, 201211:03 a.m.

WICHITA — Child Start is opening a new center on the west side. This makes the third new facility in as many years for the nonprofit, which provides early childhood development services.

“We need to be where the children are to serve them,” says executive director Teresa Rupp. “We haven’t been on the west side for, oh, a long time.”

The new center, which will be called West Village Head Start, will open this fall in 9,900 square feet at 1024 N. West St. near West Street and Zoo Boulevard.

With the help of Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group, Child Start did a study to analyze existing locations, concentration of income-eligible families and enrollment patterns.

“Once we did that study, there was obviously a need for another location to serve their clientele in the central west area, and this filled that void,” says Jeff Englert, who is with Martens.

He and colleagues Kris Wessel and Nathan Farha handled the deal for the new space. It will include seven preschool classrooms and land for a playground. West Village will serve 183 children.

Conco Construction is the contractor and WDM Architects is the architect.

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

Paramount East Antique Mall to open in Augusta in October

Aug. 22, 20114:20 p.m.

WICHITA — About a decade after the first Paramount Antique Mall opened on the west side, a second is opening on the east side.

“We have been doing so well,” says co-owner Cynthia Branch. “Even with the bad economy . . . it has just kept getting bigger and bigger.”

Paramount East Antique Mall will be at 10187 S.W. Highway 54 in the former Walnut Valley Furniture building, which also used to house the White Eagle Antique Mall. That’s an Augusta address, though it’s partway between the main city of Augusta and Andover.

At 20,000 square feet, the building is about half the size of the west-side Paramount Antique Mall at 13200 W. Kellogg.

Branch owns that business with Sandy Hudspeth and their mothers.

Hudspeth, Branch and another partner are opening the east-side store.

Branch says the economy seems to be helping business as shoppers look for deals.

Recycling is a factor, too, she says.

“Everybody buys and repurposes things.”

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

Northwest corner of Kellogg and Tyler to be home to two new retail centers

Aug. 2, 20115:22 a.m.

WICHITA — After a false start a few years back, George Holland is moving ahead with two new retail centers near Kellogg and Tyler.

Holland owns more than 11 acres at the corner, including property where the Horn bar sits and where he has his Holland Paving and Holland Ventures offices.

“It’s time to build,” Holland says.

He plans two retail centers, one that’s 4,500 square feet and one that’s 3,000 square feet, under the name Holland Plaza.

Holland looked into building previously but had trouble attracting interest from potential tenants.

“We just never brought anybody to the table to sit down and make a deal,” he says.

Though he doesn’t have any contracts yet, Holland says there is interest this time around.

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

Beds For Less to open on North Rock Road

June 17, 20115:35 a.m.

WICHITA — Hate to pull an “I told you so,” but it was about a month ago when Have You Heard? declared that mattress stores are almost giving yogurt shops a run for their money with so many opening in Wichita.

Further proof:

Wichita’s third Beds For Less store will open Thursday at 3236 N. Rock Road. That’s in the same center as Buffalo Wild Wings.

Owner Dustin Pullman says all the new competition doesn’t bother him a bit.

He opened his first Beds For Less at 6821 E. Kellogg in 2004. A West Kellogg site followed along with one in Manhattan.

Pullman will keep the East Kellogg store in addition to opening the Rock Road one.

He likes the new 3,100-square-foot space for its visibility and high traffic counts.

Kris Wessel and Nathan Farha of Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group handled the deal.

Pullman says this will be it for more Wichita Beds For Less stores.

“Probably at least for now it will.”

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

Hospice Care of Kansas signs lease

Feb. 21, 20115:01 p.m.

WICHITA — Hospice Care of Kansas has found a new home.

Last month, Have You Heard? reported that Broadway Home Medical would move into Hospice Care’s 9,000 square feet at 808 S. Hillside as soon as the group found new space.

That new space is 13,000 square feet at West River Plaza at Central and McLean.

Via Christi Health is the landlord. Nathan Farha of Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group handled the lease for Via Christi.

Dallas-based broker Dan Woldert represented Hospice Care in the deal.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , Filed under Healthcare, Leases, Real estate, West side | Comments Off