Old Town Square | Have You Heard?

You don’t say

April 15, 20113:47 p.m.

“It turned out to be this huge blessing.”

— Lucinda’s owner Valerie Reimers, contemplating her Old Town Square shop’s 10th anniversary and how disappointed she was when she had to move out of the Farm & Art Market eight years ago

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Farm & Art Market, Lucinda's, Old Town Square, Valerie Reimers Filed under Old Town, You don't say | Comments Off

Cohlmia Marketing to move to Delano

March 30, 20115:45 a.m.

UPDATED — Cohlmia Marketing is moving from one historic building to another.

The marketing-communication firm has been in the Yellow Cab building in Old Town for a decade.

It’s moving to the Travel Air Building at 535 W. Douglas in Delano.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to have some Douglas street exposure,” says president Carol Skaff.

That’s partly why she’s moving.

“We’re kind of off the beaten path here,” she says of her location on Mosley Street between First and Second streets.

That’s the same building where Egg Cetera is.

“It really is a wonderful location,” Skaff says. “We have really enjoyed Old Town.”

When the office opened there, there was no Old Town Square.

“The energy has been building,” Skaff says. “It’s been really fun to be part of that.

“At this time, the energy of Delano is really starting to, I guess, percolate,” she says. “They’ve just been doing so many interesting developments, and it has an interesting creative vibe, and that was attractive to us.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Carol Skaff, Chad Stafford, Cohlmia Marketing, Delano, Egg Cetera, Occidental Management, Old Town, Old Town Square, Spangenberg Phillips Tice Architecture, Travel Air Building, Yellow Cab Filed under Advertising, Delano, Downtown, Leases, Old Town, Real estate | Comments Off

Old Town’s Uptown Bistro to close April 2

March 23, 20113:44 p.m.

WICHITA — After months of speculation — and some denials — Melad Stephan says he’s closing Uptown Bistro in Old Town Square on April 2.

“That store hasn’t lived up to my standards in food and service and sales,” he says. “I’ll take the blame for some of it. Or most of it.”

Stephan signed a new 5-year-lease last month.

“I’m not going to leave that spot. I’m going to do something with it some day.”

He’s working on a new concept, but he won’t share details yet.

Stephan grew fed up with Uptown Bistro.

“I told them the other day, if I hear one more complaint, I’m shutting the doors down,” he says. “I’m done with everybody.”

Stephan says he couldn’t be there enough to oversee and correct operations.

He also owns Sabor Latin Bar & Grille, Egg Cetera, Oeno and Press.

So has he considered perhaps limiting himself to only one or two restaurants?

“I have in the past,” Stephan says. “You know what? You do one thing . . . you get bored with it.”

He says he could don his chef’s coat and revive Uptown Bistro on his own, but he doesn’t want to.

“Do I have the passion and the time and the effort to do it at this stage in my life? I don’t.”

He’s been in the restaurant business 25 years.

“You know, just the routine kills you. You want to advance your life.”

Look for an update on the space as soon as Stephan makes a final decision.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Egg Cetera, Melad Stephan, Oeno, Old Town Square, Press, Sabor Latin Bar & Grille, Uptown Bistro Filed under Closings, Leases, Old Town, Restaurants | Comments Off

Jacque Inc. Photography opens in Old Town

Feb. 25, 201111:42 a.m.

WICHITA — There’s a new photography studio in Old Town Square.

Jacque Waite has opened Jacque Inc. Photography in the former Reb and, before that, Beadazzled space next to Caffe Moderne.

Waite started her company five years ago as a side business. Her main job was at DigitalBrand Communications.

“I just recently decided to try it on my own,” Waite says of taking her business full time.

She’s done a lot of shooting in Old Town prior to deciding to locate her business there.

“I love shooting down here, portraits for sure,” Waite says. “I had so many people wanting to shoot down here last fall, and I’m assuming people will want that this spring.”

She likes “the combination of having a nice open space within (my studio) and then having all the great spots around Old Town outside.”

Waite wants to focus on more commercial photography. She says it’s different than shooting portraits of, say, children.

“Although I love spontaneous shoots like that where I have to make spontaneous decisions on the fly, I really like to have more control,” Waite says.

She likes the planning involved in commercial shoots.

“That’s what I loved about working at DigitalBrand,” Waite says. “We’d spend three weeks planning and then a day to shoot and a day to post.”

She plans to hold an open house in her new 1,600 square feet on March 12.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Beadazzled, Caffe Moderne, DigitalBrand Communications, Jacque Inc. Photography, Jacque Waite, Old Town Square, Reb Filed under Old Town, Photography, Retail | Comments Off

Expanded Hana Cafe to open Thursday

Dec. 29, 20102:45 p.m.

WICHITA — It’s a month later than she planned, but Eunice Kim is happy to say her newly expanded Hana Cafe in Old Town Square is opening Thursday.

The new portion of the restaurant opened Monday in the former Picture Framing & More space, but the previous Hana space has been under construction since then.

That part of the restaurant will close again briefly early next week to have its floors redone, but it should be back open quickly.

Kim doubled her space and has added sushi and sake bars.

Though she’s disappointed by construction delays, Kim is happy with how the new space turned out.

“It’s very nice.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Eunice Kim, Hana Cafe, Old Town Square, Picture Framing & More Filed under Old Town, Restaurants | Comments Off

On the Town with Carrie, Denise and you

Oct. 11, 20103:23 p.m.

Food. Friends. Fun.

They’re all on the menu Tuesday night at Oeno as my dining colleague Denise Neil and I host our first “On the Town with Carrie and Denise,” a culinary cocktail adventure if you will.

The plan is to gather on the patio at Oeno in Old Town Square at 5:30, eat some free appys, perhaps drink our signature ICTini and talk food.

There will be a formal Q&A where Denise and I answer restaurant-related questions (or, heck, most anything else you’d like to ask).

We’ll tackle some of the standard questions (When is that Chick-fil-A coming to Central and Rock?) and some unexpected ones (as tough as you care to make them).

Which is where you come in. Please join us and fellow Wichita foodies. It’ll be relaxed and casual and hopefully the start of a fun new tradition.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Chick-fil-A, Denise Neil, ICTini, Oeno, Old Town Square, On the Town with Carrie and Denise Filed under Restaurants | Comments Off

Oeno Wine Bar expands with the Champagne Room for private parties

Sept. 29, 201011:06 a.m.

WICHITA — Way back in February, Have You Heard? told you of restaurateur Melad Stephan’s expansion plans for his Oeno Wine Bar in Old Town Square.

Now, part of those plans are almost ready.

Stephan is opening the Champagne Room immediately east of the bar area for private parties.

He’s been doing a lot of private parties at Oeno, but he has to close the bar to regular customers, which he hates to do.

The new room, which will have its own bar, will seat about 70 and should be ready next week.

Stephan had also hoped to expand his patio, but it looks like the city might not allow him to do it. He’s waiting on a letter from the city to learn why.

Stephan isn’t giving up on the city reversing its decision, though.

“There’s a chance.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Champagne Room, Melad Stephan, Oeno Wine Bar, Old Town Square Filed under Bars, Downtown, Old Town | Comments

Reb Boutique leaving Old Town Square for the east side

Aug. 31, 20101:44 p.m.

WICHITA — Reb Boutique’s first grand opening was April 23 in Old Town Square.

Now, owners Glenda Sue and AJ Morris are preparing for their second grand opening — this time in a new location.

“We decided to get a larger space with more visibility,” Glenda Sue Morris says.

They’re moving the shop, which sells fabrics, clothing and furniture, to the former Tux Shop space in front of Scotch & Sirloin on East Kellogg.

“I did my pros and cons list,” Glenda Sue Morris says. “It was a hard decision.”

She says parking isn’t ideal in Old Town when the weather isn’t nice.

“I’m just fortunate enough to have some good word of mouth,” she says. “But you know what? I’m not going to make it in the winter. I know that. I can feel it in my gut.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: AJ Morris, Glenda Sue Morris, Old Town Square, Reb Boutique, Rebecca Simpson, Rebecca's, Scotch & Sirloin, Tux Shop Filed under East side, Leases, Old Town, Real estate, Retail | Comments Off

Hana Cafe to double in size and add sake and sushi bars

May 27, 20106:00 a.m.

WICHITA — Picture Framing & More is leaving Old Town Square because of a lack of business, but next-door neighbor Hana Cafe is expanding into that space because its business is doing so well.

Since 13-year-old Hana Cafe moved from 306 N. Rock Road to Old Town four years ago, business has tripled says Eunice Kim, who owns the business with her husband, Jay.

During that time, the popularity of sushi, which is only part of what Hana sells, seems to have grown.

“Every single table has sushi,” Eunice Kim says.

Old Town is attracting more diners as well.

Now, the Kims want to capitalize on the sushi craze and the trend of young people who enjoy partying with music, sushi and sake in the evenings.

The Kims plan to completely remodel their 1,500 square feet and the similarly sized frame shop, which will close at the end of June.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Eunice Kim, Hana Cafe, Intrust Bank Arena, Jay Kim, Old Town Square, Picture Framing & More, WaterWalk Filed under Old Town, Restaurants | Comments

Picture Framing & More to close in Old Town Square

May 26, 20107:38 p.m.

WICHITA — Brett Osburn is closing his Picture Framing & More in Old Town Square after almost six years in business, but he’s not blaming the economy.

“The economy is definitely not helping out,” he says.

The bigger problem, Osburn says, is Old Town.

His business has “never been what I hoped for.”

The store’s average ticket is good, Osburn says, but he doesn’t see enough customers.

“That’s been the No. 1 problem since Day 1,” he says.

“I don’t get the sense that people out east (or) out west are coming down.”

Even though Old Town boasts a number of unique businesses, Osburn says, he’s not sure most Wichitans even know they’re there.

“I don’t think a lot of Wichitans are using the area or even know what’s down here,” he says.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: Abode Home, Brett Osburn, Old Town Square, Picture Framing & More, SABEW 2010 Filed under Old Town, Retail | Comments

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