Ninza Sushi Bar to open at Northwest Centre at 13th and Tyler

Jan. 14, 201310:52 a.m.

WICHITA — Lots of college students work in restaurants while going to school, but Ada Yang is taking it one big step farther.

The Wichita State University economics student is opening Ninza Sushi Bar at the end of the month.

The restaurant will be next to National American University in Occidental Management’s Northwest Centre at 13th and Tyler.

Occidental chairman and CEO Gary Oborny handled the deal for the 60-seat restaurant.

This is Yang’s first restaurant, which she’s opening with boyfriend Seong Han. Han was a sushi chef and head chef in California for years.

“He has a lot of experience,” Yang says.

Han and Yang plan to serve Japanese and Korean food, including traditional sushi as well as other kinds. They’ll also have a full bar.

The word “ninja” is the inspiration for the Ninza name, substituting “z” for “j.”

“Just like Krispy Kreme, they change the ‘c’ to ‘k,’” Yang says.

Though Yang is still working on her degree, with opening a restaurant she’s decided to take this semester off.

“This semester I’m too busy.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under New business, Northwest Centre, Real estate, Restaurants, West side | Comments Off

Pennsylvania-based Benco Dental to open office at Travel Air Building in Delano

Feb. 22, 20125:00 a.m.

WICHITA — Benco Dental, the third-largest dental dealer in the nation, will be moving to Delano in April.

“We sell everything that a dentist uses in his office,” says Dennis Doyle, a territory representative for the Pennsylvania-based company.

Benco, which arrived in Wichita about seven months ago, is taking 2,600 square feet in Occidental Management’s Travel Air Building at 535 W. Douglas.

The company has been in temporary Occidental space at Northwest Centre at 13th and Tyler while the new space is prepared.

“We’re going to keep the space very open to … show the old architecture of the building,” Doyle says.

There are brick walls and exposed timbers in the ceiling.

“We wanted someplace that wasn’t kind of sterile or an industrial park area,” Doyle says. He says the company wanted “a more relaxed setting.”

“Plus, it’s very centrally located for us as well.”

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You don’t say

Dec. 15, 20115:23 p.m.

“I definitely was smart enough not to try to start up a restaurant.”

– Greg Buss, who left the real estate business for the restaurant business by purchasing the Egg Crate in Northwest Centre at 13th and Tyler

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Another Lady’s Treasure to almost double in size

Dec. 8, 20114:53 p.m.

WICHITA — Tanna Debo-Loreg is almost doubling the size of her Another Lady’s Treasure consignment shop at Northwest Centre.

She’s been in 975 square feet at the center at 13th and Tyler for four years.

“It has just been fabulous,” Debo-Loreg says.

She says she has great consignors and customers.

“It just keeps coming through the door … and going out the door,” she says of merchandise.

The store sells clothing, handbags, jewelry and shoes.

Debo-Loreg says some of her consignors would like to offer antique pieces as well.

“We’ll just have to see,” she says. “I’m already having to put people off bringing clothes in.”

She’s running out of space.

The expansion, which will be ready in the new year, will create a much more open look. There will be new dressing rooms as well.

Stephanie Wiens of Occidental Management handled the deal for the new space.

Debo-Loreg says she doesn’t expect to expand again.

“I’ll still be able to manage to do everything myself,” she says. “It gets too big, and then it’s not fun.”

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West-side Mid-Kansas Dermatology Clinic expands

Oct. 1, 201010:57 a.m.

WICHITA — When Steven Passman considered opening a west-side Mid-Kansas Dermatology Clinic branch at Northwest Centre in 2003, he was hesitant.

“I didn’t know if there would be enough work to justify the expense,” he says.

Now, though, Passman is expanding by almost 1,000 square feet at the center at 13th and Tyler, which Occidental Management owns.

The clinic will have a total of 2,600 square feet.

“I’m just gratified that we’re supported there so well by the physicians and patients,” Passman says. “It’s a good position to be in.”

He’s almost doubling his waiting room size.

“People were actually sitting on the floor sometimes,” he says. “It was quite a sight.”

Passman is adding two treatment rooms as well.

He also has an east Wichita site along with locations in Wellington, El Dorado and Newton.

Passman’s west-side expansion should be complete in a couple of weeks.

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Realty World Alliance expands on east, west sides

July 1, 20103:42 p.m.

WICHITA — Greg Fox’s Realty World Alliance is expanding on the east and west sides.

“We’ve had a pretty good year, and we keep growing,” Fox says. “I like the steady pace we’re growing.”

Fox is moving his east-side office from Tallgrass Office Park on East 22nd Street to 6100 E. Central near Central and Woodlawn.

“We’re clear on the north end of the parking lot,” he says of Tallgrass. “It just doesn’t have the street presence.”

He backs up to a golf course.

“It’s gorgeous, and I love it,” Fox says. “But it’s difficult for clients to find because they really have to wind around in there.”

His new space will be 5,000 square feet, which is bigger than his current 3,300 square feet.

Fox also is expanding on the west side at Northwest Centre at 13th and Tyler, where he moved in late 2008.

“We really filled up the office space,” Fox says of the 2,900 square feet he has there.

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Dollar Tree to expand at Northwest Centre

Aug. 24, 20095:23 p.m.

WICHITA — The Dollar Tree at Northwest Centre at 13th and Tyler is expanding.

The store, which is almost 6,000 square feet, will expand to 10,000 square feet and should be ready before Thanksgiving.

That size “is more in line with what we call the Dollar Tree sweet spot,” says spokeswoman Chelley Davis.

The “sweet spot” is stores between 10,000 and 12,500 square feet. The larger store allows for expanded merchandise.

Michael Monteferrante of Occidental Management, which owns the center, and Leisa Lowry of J.P. Weigand & Sons handled the deal.

Dollar Tree’s second quarter earnings were up almost 12 percent over last year’s. Sales were $1.22 billion.

Davis says it could be the recession is prompting more people to shop at the discount chain.

“Our sense is yes, but I don’t have any metrics,” she says.

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U.S. Census Bureau preparing to move into Northwest Centre for 2010 census counting

July 2, 20092:08 p.m.

WICHITA — With the 2010 census just around the corner, the U.S. Census Bureau is leasing space at Northwest Centre at 13th and Tyler in preparation to start counting Wichitans.

“They’re taking about 6,500 square feet of the former J.P. Weigand west residential office space,” says Brady Miller, who handled the deal for Occidental Management.

“That space has all been completely re-leased now,” he says.

Greg Fox of Realty World Alliance took the rest of the space.

The Census Bureau will move in sometime in August.

“We’re excited to have them there,” Miller says. “They’re going to have about 50 employees, which we think is going to be great for the center.”

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Red Cross tests west Wichita branch

April 9, 20092:03 p.m.

redlogo

The American Red Cross is considering adding a satellite branch in west Wichita and will have monthly blood drives to determine the interest.

“We just want to try to bring in donors,” says Jennifer Keller, communications manager for the Central Plains Region Blood Services division.

Keller says donations are down at the Red Cross’ main branch at 707 N. Main in downtown Wichita.

“We’re going to have to find ways to boost those numbers,” she says.

“Convenience is what people want,” Keller says. “That comes down to finding a place that’s close to their house.”

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Hutch’s Stutzmans enters Wichita market

April 6, 200911:17 a.m.

LIFE HOME-NEWPLANTS 7 TB

There’s going to be some new nursery competition in Wichita this spring, summer and fall.

Stutzmans Greenhouse & Garden Center of Hutchinson will have a temporary building at Northwest Centre at 13th and Tyler for most of the year.

“We are seasonal, but yet we take the seasons from spring to fall,” says Ben Miller, who owns the business with his wife, Marlene.

The Millers have owned the business, which opened in Pleasant View in 1956, since 1985. In the past several years, they’ve expanded their retail operation in Hutchinson and opened in Pratt and Salina.

Expanding in Wichita is a possibility, too.

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