Former Twigs owners will keep in touch with Wichitans through a new decorating blog

July 11, 201111:14 a.m.

WICHITA — Former Twigs owners Iven Kelley and Jim Dobson leave for their new home in Mexico today, but they’ve created a blog to keep in touch with Wichitans and keep dispensing decorating advice.

“So many customers were asking Iven, ‘What are we going to do when we have a decorating dilemma?’ ” Dobson says.

“It’s just kind of, you know, an experimentation, and we’ll see how it evolves.”

Their blog, at girasolstyle.blogspot.com, is named for their home in San Miguel de Allende. Girasol is Spanish for sunflower.

“Of course, we’re Kansas boys, and that’s just our way of taking a little bit of Kansas with us,” Dobson says.

He’s “pretty much the home chef” and will be sharing entertaining ideas in addition to the decorating help.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , Filed under Internet, Retail | Comments Off

At Home With Style to open in former Twigs space near Central and Woodlawn

May 11, 20115:36 a.m.

WICHITA — Twigs is now gone, but a new interior design store is opening in its place.

Polly Peake is opening At Home With Style in the space near Central and Woodlawn where Twigs closed last week.

Peake, who has an interior design degree, will sell what she calls a diverse array of furniture, accessories, art and bronze statues.

“We’re going to have local artists show some of their work,” she says.

That includes her husband Ron’s mosaic crosses.

“He’ll have a space in back where he’ll be working on those,” Peake says.

Ron Peake also still has his Ron Peake Design Build.

Abbe Doll, who does furniture painting and repurposing through All Dolled Up, also will do work out of the shop.

“Most of it will be showroom space,” Peake says of her 5,000 square feet.

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

Home Gallery owner hopes to open a new store after closing sale

Nov. 23, 20103:00 p.m.

WICHITA — Jeff Cohlmia is planning for what he hopes will be a return to what made his Home Gallery successful when it first opened 21 years ago.

For that to happen, though, he has to sell his current inventory through a going-out-of-business sale and open in a smaller space with a new name.

“We kind of got away from what put us where we were,” Cohlmia says of the medium-priced furnishings and accessories he used to carry in a smaller space.

“That’s what got us to where we are.”

The store opened in the approximately 4,500-square-foot space Twigs now occupies at 535 N. Woodlawn.

Four years ago, Cohlmia moved just down from there to 8,300 square feet.

“People kept asking us for better things . . . so I started carrying better things,” he says.

Then came the economic downturn in 2008.

“We just slowed down to a crawl,” Cohlmia says.

“I think a lot of people decided that they would pay off all their bills and just buy things as they needed.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Closings, Retail | Comments

Twigs taxes are paid; arson investigation is ongoing

Oct. 27, 200911:01 a.m.

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WICHITA — Shortly before Twigs was destroyed by fire in late 2005, news broke that owner Iven Kelley was more than $200,000 behind in taxes.

“People thought I burnt down my own business because I owed so many taxes,” Kelley says. “It was somebody else out there that hasn’t been caught yet.”

The fire was ruled arson and has not been solved.

But Kelley’s tax problems have.

“All of our sales tax is zero,” says Kelley, who shared notices from the state showing satisfaction of judgment. “We have worked diligently to get everything done. . . . I’m feeling fabulous about that.”

Kelley blames a former accountant for his tax troubles.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Retail | Comments

Roo Grayson home decor to open near Central and Woodlawn

Oct. 9, 20096:16 a.m.

WICHITA — There’s a new home decor store opening by a couple of other well-known ones near Central and Woodlawn.

Roo Grayson is opening next month at 515 N. Woodlawn not far from Twigs and Home Gallery by Cohlmia.

“It’s just a little bit of everything,” Karla Binns says of her shop.

And she means it.

She’ll have antiques, furniture, a jewelry line from Sweden, handmade mahogany pieces from Indonesia, salvaged pieces from other countries and, believe it or not, a small area for spray tanning.

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Twigs to open small shop at Galichia Heart Hospital

May 22, 20093:00 p.m.

WICHITA – Twigs owner Iven Kelley is opening what you might call Twigs Jr.

As of June 1, he’ll be operating a small Twigs as the gift shop at Galichia Heart Hospital.

“It’s going to be a different kind of a hospital gift store,” Kelley says.

There won’t be candy or newspapers for sale. There will be gift items, such as those he sells at his Twigs near Central and Woodlawn. There also will be flowers for sale, and customers can place floral orders there as well.

Kelley says about 600 people work in the hospital and offices next door, so he hopes they’ll shop at the store in addition to hospital visitors.

The store is on the first floor of the hospital near the entrance.

“It’s going to be cool,” Kelley says.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Medical, Retail | Comments