Fairchild Interiors and Design to open at the Waterfront

Tuesday3:13 p.m.

WICHITA — Jan Colvin’s design career is, in a way, coming full circle.

Colvin started in the business by dressing windows for a shop in Augusta when she was 14.

She eventually went to the University of Kansas for interior design and went on to have a more than 20-year career in the business, including the last eight in Denver with Fairchild Interiors and Design.

Now, she’s returned to the Wichita area and is continuing her Fairchild Interiors, this time with retail space at the Waterfront at 13th and Webb.

“I have always wanted to have a shop,” Colvin says.

Fairchild will open in 4,200 square feet next to GM Clothes Horse shortly after Thanksgiving. (Colvin temporarily is in some space next to Doc Green’s to receive supplies.)

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Retail, Waterfront | Comments (0)

West-side Chill closes; east-side location makes adjustments

Oct. 29, 20095:12 p.m.

WICHITA — The west-side Chill Gelato & Coffee near 21st and Maize has closed.

“It was just not enough business,” says Sudha Tokala, who owns the east-side Chill at the Waterfront.

A friend of Tokala’s opened the west-side Chill in December. Once summer ended, Tokala says business dropped off dramatically.

Her Chill isn’t in danger of closing, but Tokala is adding food back on her menu and changing the name to Chill Gelato, Coffee & Deli in an effort to get more business.

She used to have sandwiches on the menu, but her gelato business was so good, she couldn’t keep up with both.

So she began concentrating on only gelato and coffee.

“Back when the economy was fine, that was more than enough,” Tokala says.

Then the economy tanked.

“I guess that’s the first thing people cut is the coffees,” Tokala says.

Look for sandwiches and soups on her menu in about two weeks.

“I’m hoping that will help me . . . through the winter.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Restaurants, Waterfront | Comments (3)

CA’s Men’s Fine Grooming opens in Leawood

Oct. 16, 20094:37 p.m.

WICHITA — CA’s owner Erik Leschuk has opened the new CA’s Men’s Fine Grooming in Leawood, a project where Tatro had been the point person until his resignation from the company this summer.

Tatro and Leschuk founded their Waterfront store in late 2004 and early on started making expansion plans.

The new store has been open for three weeks at Park Place near the Sprint campus.

“We’re looking to have . . . 500 to 600 members in Kansas City in the next year or two,” Leschuk says.

He says there are almost 50 members now along with great walk-in traffic.

“The location is just perfect for walk-ins,” Leschuk says of all the nearby businesses.

In Wichita, membership stands at 410, with about 60 percent of the business being walk-ins.

“The model is membership-based, of course,” Leschuk says.

He’d hoped to have 500 members in Wichita by now. But in such a trying economy, Leschuk says just holding steady is something.

“So we feel like we’re winning.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Retail, Waterfront | Comments (0)

Butter Bean Boutique to open at the Waterfront

Sept. 18, 200911:17 a.m.

WICHITA — Michelle Campbell planned to open a new children’s boutique in Topeka, but then her husband landed a job with Don Hattan Chevrolet.

Marshall Campbell is the new general sales manager for the dealership.

So Michelle Campbell now plans to open her Butter Bean Boutique in Wichita at the Waterfront at 13th and Webb.

It will be in not quite 1,500 square feet between Specs and Gentry Ltd.

“The Waterfront people in general have been super, super nice and helpful,” Campbell says.

She likes that the location is close to her house and has so many restaurants.

Her shop, which she plans to open in late October or early November, will sell children’s clothing up to tween sizes.

She’ll also offer “just some little things for moms — any lady really,” such as what she calls “funky chunky” necklaces.

Butter Bean also will sell “tons of toys,” Campbell says.

“I’m hoping to get that Christmas traffic.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Retail, Waterfront | Comments (5)

Craig Tatro is out as an owner in CA’s Men’s Fine Grooming

July 15, 20093:19 p.m.

tatroWICHITA — The “Craig” in Craig Allen’s Men’s Fine Grooming is gone.

Craig Tatro, who founded the business with Erik Leschuk at the Waterfront in late 2004, has resigned.

Even before he left, he and Leschuk changed the name to CA’s Men’s Fine Grooming.

“Craig has stepped down from CA’s and is going to pursue some other things,” Leschuk says.

That means he no longer has an ownership, either.

“It would be fair to say as of this week he’s no longer associated or tied to CA’s,” Leschuk says.

Tatro couldn’t be reached for comment.

“Sometimes you get to a point where things gotta change,” Leschuk says, “and we got to that point, and we thought this was the best remedy to do so.”

Tatro also is out of the future CA’s in Leawood near the Sprint campus.

“We have a couple of pieces to put into place to open,” Leschuk says.

Tatro had been the point person on the project. Leschuk says he’s trying to catch up on it now.

“We’re kind of holding off on an opening date because I’m kind of a one-man band here,” he says.

The business will open, though, Leschuk says.

He says the Wichita business is going well, with about 400 members and 900 different clients who come to the salon a month.

“It’s been well received,” Leschuk says, though he adds that it’s “taken a little while.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Salons, Waterfront | Comments (2)

Kansas City Sabor is on hold; chef Jason-Paul Febres to return to east-side Sabor

June 26, 200911:24 a.m.

WICHITA — A Kansas City Sabor isn’t going to happen anytime soon, but Melad Stephan still hopes to one day have a restaurant there.

In February, Stephan told Have You Heard? he was considering space near where the new CA’s Men’s Fine Grooming is opening in Leawood (not far from the Sprint Nextel Corp. campus).

“We thought we were set for that,” Stephan says.

But someone else leased it first.

“They moved a lot quicker on it than I did,” Stephan says.

He’s still looking at other spaces there, but Stephan isn’t in a rush because of the economy.

“Right now I just want to hold a little bit till things maybe change around a little bit,” he says.

jasonBack in Wichita, chef Jason-Paul Febres is returning to the east-side Sabor at the Waterfront.

In February, Febres and Stephan parted ways, with Febres proclaiming he would start a new restaurant and Stephan saying Febres needed to grow up.

“This time around is under different circumstances,” Stephan says. “He promised me he grew up.”

And Stephan says he could really use Febres.

“He’s a perfect fit for that restaurant with his personality and his talent.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Restaurants, Uncategorized, Waterfront | Comments (5)

Kate Lane to close at the Waterfront

June 4, 200911:21 a.m.

After not quite five years at the Waterfront, the women’s clothing shop Kate Lane is closing at the end of this month.

Owner Diana Lane is retiring and her partner, daughter-in-law Lindsey Kate Lane, is having a baby.

Kate Lane often has been confused with K Lane’s at 600 S. Tyler, but the two stores are unaffiliated, and K Lane’s is not closing.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Retail, Waterfront | Comments (2)

Delano Bakery eyes Central & Oliver Dillons

April 1, 20097:55 a.m.

delano-bakery-4x61

College Hill residents have been hoping for a new grocery store to replace the former Dillons at Central and Oliver. That may not happen, but the next best thing could.

Owners of the more than 17-year-old Delano Bakery, which sells its bread at Dillons and to area restaurants, are eyeing the space for their first retail outlet.

Brant Dumford (pictured right), who owns the business with his father, Kelly (left), and brother, Cy (center), says the holdup is the landlord is worried how the bakery could affect Sugar Sisters Bakery & Cafe next door. delano

But Dumford says his business is strictly about making and selling bread while Sugar Sisters is a restaurant.

“We like to stay with the custom artisan specialty breads, and we don’t want to push anybody out of business anyway,” he says.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Retail | Comments (3)