Fidelity Bank expands at NewMarket Square

Feb. 14, 20135:00 a.m.

UPDATED — Fidelity Bank already has two branches at NewMarket Square at 21st and Maize Road, but it’s expanding.

“That is one of the fastest-growing areas in the city,” says Al Sanchez, Fidelity’s senior vice president and director of marketing. “We are happy with the business results that we had out there.”

Fidelity has a branch in Walmart. It also has one in the strip center it owns in front of Walmart.

“It’s really more of a drive-up facility,” Sanchez says of the strip center location.

“We’re going to turn that into a full-service banking facility.”

Currently, that site is less than 1,000 square feet.

“When we’re done, we’ll be over 5,000 square feet out there,” Sanchez says.

There will be consumer and mortgage loan officers, a full retail staff of tellers and new account specialists and, for the first time in that area, safe deposit boxes.

The building has been mostly vacant for a while.

“There were a couple of businesses that decided to go elsewhere,” Sanchez says.

He says the bank is taking the entire center.

“It’s going to be much larger.”

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

Look for the expanded branch to open this fall.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Uncategorized | Comments Off

Fair’s Shoe Store to close by March

Jan. 8, 201312:21 p.m.

WICHITA — One of the city’s oldest retail outlets is closing.

Fair’s Shoe Store in the Indian Hills shopping center at 13th and Meridian will go out of business by March.

“It has, unfortunately, been less than profitable for us over the last four years,” says general manager Andy Warren.

He says his family had planned to close Fair’s, which he thinks has been in business since the 1940s, in 2010 when it opened a New Balance and a Heads shoe store in the former Blockbuster space at 10231 W. 21st St. near Maize Road.

The family decided to keep Fair’s open and continue selling comfort shoes at a more moderate price.

“It just turned out to be a strategy that didn’t work,” Warren says.

He thinks there’s still a market for moderately priced comfort shoes.

“It’s probably being served at places like Famous Footwear, Shoe Carnival, Target and Walmart.”

Warren says the family’s other four stores are doing fine.

“The one out west has been kind of a bumpy road since they did the road construction over the summer, but it’s picking up where it left off.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Uncategorized | Comments Off

Despite sign to the contrary, T.J. Maxx isn’t coming to New Leaf Plaza

Jan. 4, 201310:40 a.m.

WICHITA — Shoppers in the 21st and Amidon area had brief hope that T.J. Maxx is coming to the intersection. A business in the area even had a sign saying so, but it’s not true.

“It speaks to a need or a demand at that intersection that’s probably not being fully fulfilled,” says Scott Harper, a broker with Landmark Commercial Real Estate.

“We have contacted them,” Harper says of T.J. Maxx. He was courting the store for New Leaf Plaza at the southwest corner where a Walmart Neighborhood Market is but says he “didn’t really get too far with it.”

Harper says that soft goods retailers such as T.J. Maxx like to cluster together.

“At the moment, that’s a little bit of a challenge for the intersection,” he says. Harper says it’s only one of a couple of intersections in the city with three grocers.

“I think soft goods are under served at the intersection,” he says. “A lot of them aren’t overly attracted to grocery-anchored centers.”

He says grocery stores are a draw for fitness centers.

“That’s why it’s good for Planet Fitness.”

The franchise opened in New Leaf Plaza last year, and Harper says it’s convenient for people to pop into the grocery store after their daily or weekly workout routine.

“Or, in my case, once-a year routine.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , Filed under New Leaf Plaza, Real estate, Retail, West side | Comments Off

Construction begins on one A-OK Center, second one to follow with more after that

Dec. 6, 20125:18 p.m.

WICHITA — Construction started this week at Bruce Harris’ new A-OK Center at New Leaf Plaza at 21st and Amidon, but that’s hardly the only new thing the pawn shop owner has going on.

“Wichita’s economy is starting to come back,” he says. “This shopping center in the middle of town is going to come alive again.”

The former Marina Lakes is now home to a Walmart Neighborhood Market that Harris says is contributing to those “sparks of life coming along.”

Harris also is about to begin building a new center at 410 N. West St.

It’ll be about 19,000 square feet, and the center at New Leaf will be 25,000 square feet.

“It’s going to be a huge place,” Harris says.

His centers at Harry and Oliver and Harry and Broadway are 18,000 square feet each.

The New Leaf center will be the “same thing on steroids.”

“What we’re doing is changing the way people shop,” Harris says. “We have new, used and lease to own.”

Both new centers and his store at Harry and Oliver will have a Better Living shop, which is Harris’ new lease-to-own concept.

New Leaf and West Street also each will have an A-OK Pawn Shop, One Day Jewelry and Repair, Cricket and A-OK Financial Services, which offers check cashing, payday loans, title loans and tax services.

Harris says the New Leaf center will be the most elaborate.

“I’m going to try to make it a lot of fun,” he says. “It’ll be kind of like Cabela’s.”

What he means is he plans a lot of displays and unusual touches that will “make it a really neat retail atmosphere that you’ve never seen in the pawn industry.”

There will be a dramatic 30-foot ceiling at the entrance of the center where Harris hopes to have something fun, such as a small plane or part of a helicopter hanging.

“We’re going to try to work with the Wichita motif.”

Read More »

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , Filed under Financial, New business, New Leaf Plaza, Real estate, Retail, West side | Comments Off

Wisconsin-based Cobblestone Inn & Suites looking to bring hotel to Augusta

Nov. 7, 201210:53 a.m.

UPDATED — A new hotel may be coming to Augusta.

Wisconsin-based Cobblestone Inn & Suites, which recently opened a new hotel in Anthony and also has one in Harper, is considering a 50-room hotel.

“They have been looking at our community,” says Mayor Kristey Williams. “They’re growing very rapidly.”

Cobblestone is considering property on Seventh Avenue next to a car lot and just down from the new Walmart.

“It’s not finalized, but there seems to be a lot of interest,” Williams says.

Cobblestone is looking for local investors to be part of an LLC. The hotel isn’t a franchise.

Williams compares it to a Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inn.

“It’s of that caliber.”

She says there would be a pool and a bar.

“It has all the amenities and features that you would find at any reputable chain.”

Attracting a well-known franchise in a city of Augusta’s size is difficult, Williams says.

“As you can imagine, it’s much more expensive to bring a franchise into your community.”

Read More »

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Augusta, Hotels | Comments Off

Knork Flatware expands Bed Bath & Beyond presence to 650 stores

Oct. 26, 20123:26 p.m.

WICHITA — Newton-based Knork Flatware has landed a deal to sell its products in 650 Bed Bath & Beyond stores.

“It’s obviously going to impact sales substantially for us,” Knork president Tom Carson says. “It’s probably our largest retail account for a box store.”

The company began working with the chain in 2008.

“Bed Bath & Beyond started as a test,” says Knork vice president of marketing Lacy Simon.

Initially, the flatware that features its signature knife and fork in one utensil — a Knork — was in only the Wichita Bed Bath & Beyond stores.

“It’s just built from there,” Simon says. “The product sold very well.”

The number grew to 200 before jumping to 650, though Carson notes there are many more Bed Bath & Beyond stores than that, and he’d like to be in all of them. Knork is on the chain’s bridal registry as well.

“That’s done very well for us, too,” Carson says.

“I like to get Knork anywhere there’s heavy bridal,” Simon says.

There are 200 Dillard’s stores that sell Knork.

“Right now, Dillard’s is exploring the opportunities to expand, and that might be a possibility for spring 2013,” Simon says. “Macy’s is looking at a test for next fall.”

Target and Kohl’s also carry Knork online but not in their stores. Simon says Knork’s extensive manufacturing process makes it more expensive than other flatware lines sold in those stores.

There are now about 50 Knork products and $2 million in annual sales for the company, which started in 2004 with one product that Wichita resident Mike Miller created.

“It was kind of gadgetry,” Carson says. “A fork that cuts like a knife.”

The issue was “just overcoming some of the consumer skeptics of the new kind of unfamiliar product,” Simon says.

“It was quite a struggle at the beginning.”

It sometimes still is.

“It is truly such an experiential product,” Simon says. She says the goal is always to put the product into someone’s hands.

“You’ve really got to put it in your hands to experience the functionality of it,” Carson says.

Starting out, Carson says the company sold direct to other businesses.

Read More »

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

American Bikes 4 You to move to Wichita

April 23, 20125:00 a.m.

UPDATED — Andover-based American Bikes 4 You, which sells pre-owned Harley-Davidsons, is moving to Wichita and almost doubling its space.

“Right now we average just over 300 bikes a year that we sell,” says LoRisa Fouch. “We’re hoping to double that. We’ll be able to have more motorcycles.”

Fouch owns the business with her husband, Larry, who has sold pre-owned Harleys for more than 25 years.

The 6-year-old company is moving to 8,500 square feet at 12345 E. Kellogg, which is east of Lowe’s and Walmart where Suburban Equipment used to be.

Currently, the Fouches rent two buildings, which are about 2,300 square feet each, at 13916 U.S. 54.

LoRisa says in addition to getting more space, the move will allow them to own their building, which she says makes more sense.

Read More »

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

Walmart confirms it will move and double the size of its Augusta store

April 20, 201211:03 a.m.

WICHITA — In October 2010, Have You Heard? first reported a new, larger Walmart would be coming to Augusta. The Arkansas retailer didn’t have a comment at the time. It now confirms the store.

In an e-mailed response to an inquiry from The Eagle, spokesman Ryan Irsik said the company will be moving its 47,000-square-foot store at 1618 Ohio St. to 719 W. 7th Ave., which is near U.S. 54 and Lulu Street.

The new store will be a Walmart Supercenter with 120,000 square feet.

In addition to having more general merchandise, Irsik says the store will have more food as well, including a bakery, deli and fresh produce section. There also will be an expanded garden center.

Walmart currently employs 75 people at its Augusta store. The new one will have about 135 workers.

Look for the new store to open in early summer 2013.

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

Numbersandletters.com also vies to Get on the Shelf at Walmart

March 8, 20125:45 p.m.

WICHITA — Homecooked Shortcuts isn’t the only Wichita company that has entered Walmart’s Get on the Shelf competition, which could land its microwave vegetable bag on the store’s shelves.

Numbersandletters.com also submitted a video to tout its reflective house numbers.

Joni Barthelman’s family started the company, which her son, Eli, now owns.

“Lo and behold, people started writing, ‘Where have you been? … We’ve been looking for you,’” Joni Barthelman says of the product’s immediate popularity.

She says the numbers are larger and more attractive than most on the market. They’re reflective “so emergency services can see you at 3 o’clock in the morning.”

Barthelman says she’s not concerned about winning the Walmart competition.

“What we’re looking for most is the exposure,” she says. “Obviously, we think the exposure will be huge.”

To see the company’s video, click here.

 

 

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Contests | Comments Off

To Get on the Shelf at Walmart is a Homecooked Shortcuts dream

Feb. 28, 201211:16 a.m.

WICHITA — Landing a spot on a Walmart shelf is a big deal for most manufacturers, which is why Wichitans Steve and Suzy Spatz have entered the chain’s Get on the Shelf competition.

“The Walmart competition is just a very unique opportunity,” Steve Spatz says.

The top winners of the contest, in which almost 4,000 participants have submitted videos of their work, will have their products featured at Walmart.

Spatz and his wife started Homecooked Shortcuts last year to sell the Corn-n-Tater Microwave Cooking Bag.

“It’s a simple, easy-to-use product,” Spatz says.

The bags can be used to cook vegetables such as corn and potatoes in the microwave.

“It makes it taste like it just came out of the oven instead of a microwave,” Spatz says.

Suzy Spatz made the products for years as gifts for family and friends.

“Momentum has just been growing and growing,” Steve Spatz says.

Read More »

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Uncategorized | Comments Off