Wichita Jazz Festival office to open at Clifton Square

May 7, 20122:33 p.m.

WICHITA — Clifton Square at 3700 E. Douglas is going to be the new home of the Wichita Jazz Festival office.

Executive director Craig Owens has been running the 41-year-old group from his office at Wichita State University where he’s director of the jazz studies program and teaches jazz guitar.

“It’s just important for the festival to have its own office,” Owens says. “It’s just the next natural step in the development of our organization.”

The group, which has a weeklong festival every April and educational activities throughout the year, also is adding staff for the new office.

Clifton Square developer Jo Zakas says the Wichita Jazz Festival will help her celebrate the center’s 40th birthday this fall.

“I would like to have a citywide community jazz day at Clifton Square,” she says. “We’ll just make it an all-day thing.”

Zakas says she’s surprised Clifton Square has been around so long. Then she rethinks it.

“I knew we’d be here this long. I’m just surprised it came so quickly.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Clifton Square, Real estate | Comments (0)

Sandra Denneler’s pinata cookies attract attention from thousands, including Pee-wee Herman and the Huffington Post

May 2, 20125:34 p.m.

WICHITA — She’s not going to quit her day job just yet, but Wichita State University art director Sandra Denneler is getting a lot of attention for some pinata cookies she created.

It was Cinco de Mayo 2011 when she first made the now-famous cookies. The year before, Denneler had made mini taco cookies that co-workers loved. She wanted to top them, so she created three-in-one pinata cookies. The middle cookie is hollow and spills mini M&Ms when broken.

Sometime in the last year, someone pinned Denneler’s recipe on Pinterest, and word spread.

More recently, the SheKnows food blog asked Denneler to create a tutorial on how to make the cookies.

So far, more than 40,000 people have “liked” it on Facebook, and more than 188,000 have pinned it on Pinterest.

“It was kind of weird because all these other blogs started posting it,” Denneler says.

The Huffington Post called this week and wanted to feature the recipe as well.

Even Pee-wee Herman commented on it on Facebook and Twitter.

“Oh, god, I was thrilled and excited and just laughing out loud because I thought of all people in the world, I never thought Pee-wee Herman would be a fan of mine,” Denneler says.

Her favorite comment came from one of his fans, though.

Denneler says the fan wrote, “Martha has finally been upstaged.”

“I was like, ‘Yes!’”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , Filed under Advertising, Facebook, Internet, Twitter | Comments (0)

You don’t say

April 26, 20124:05 p.m.

“I notice as I get closer to retirement, they keep saying he will make short comments or brief comments.”

– Wichita State University president Don Beggs after being introduced at Thursday’s Cooperative Education breakfast

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Wichita State University, You don't say | Comments (0)

Wichita Vending buys Wichita Canteen, becomes Compass Group franchisee

April 13, 20125:00 a.m.

WICHITA — The more than 50-year-old Wichita Canteen has sold to the 19-year-old Wichita Vending.

“Basically, it’s a merger as I see it,” says Wichita Vending owner and president Joe Hemmelgarn.

Wichita Canteen had been a franchise of North Carolina-based Compass Group. Now, Wichita Vending is.

Hemmelgarn says not much will change.

“We just get to use some of the corporate purchasing power,” he says.

Wichita Vending and Wichita Canteen both have offered a range of food services and vending.

“They’re much larger in the food service business,” Hemmelgarn says of Wichita Canteen.

The company offers food management, including the operation of cafeterias at businesses such as Cessna Aircraft; concession services, including those at Wichita State University and Century II; and inmate commissaries.

That’s what led Hemmelgarn to approach the company, which had been owned by the Grady family since 1959, with an offer. Food service also is what he wants to put an emphasis on now.

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

You don’t say

March 22, 20122:26 p.m.

“Who is in charge of their public relations??? Do they owe each of us more free sandwiches because of this?”

– Wichita State University political science professor Kenneth Ciboski, joking on Facebook about a coupon for free food from the new Chick-fil-A in “Witchita”

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Second Odd Balls Yarn Shop to open at Chisholm Trail Shopping Center and Outlet Mall; more to come

Feb. 22, 20121:50 p.m.

WICHITA — A year after opening her first store, Tracie Anderson is taking the next step in her plan to grow her Odd Balls Yarn Shop by opening a second store at Chisholm Trail Shopping Center and Outlet Mall in Newton.

Anderson opened her first Odd Balls in March in 4,000 square feet at Brittany Center at 21st and Woodlawn to sell high-end knitting and crochet supplies, luxury fibers, weaving looms, spinning wheels and needlepoint supplies, among other things. She also offers about 80 related classes at any given time.

This March, Anderson is opening in 3,000 square feet at Chisholm Trail next to Charlotte’s Bargain Fabric & Stitchery.

She says she did market research first.

“The traffic out there’s phenomenal.”

Anderson already is thinking of a third Wichita-area Odd Balls for next March.

“That’s pretty aggressive, but that’s our goal.”

Her bigger goal is to franchise her business and help others with their dreams of having similar shops.

She’s working with the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Wichita State University.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , Filed under Brittany Center, Chisholm Trail, New business, Newton, Real estate, Retail | Comments Off

Duct Tape & Glitter design studio opens

Feb. 20, 20122:35 p.m.

WICHITA — All that glitters is not gold. Sometimes it’s duct tape.

Broadcast designer Justin McClure, who owns JustinMcClure.tv, has created Duct Tape & Glitter, a new graphic design and illustration studio.

The name is a “fun play on us being able to be reliable and multipurpose but pretty also,” says Dominic Flask, one of three people who will be running the studio.

McClure owns the studio, which is located at his Delano office at 575 W. Douglas, but Flask says he, Luke Bott and Roger Strunk will operate Duct Tape & Glitter.

“We’re our own thing, but because Justin has clients that want more than motion and graphic work, we’re also able to offer that for him,” Flask says.

Duct Tape & Glitter will have its own clients as well.

Flask says the studio will offer branding, illustration, print, interactive, packaging and mobile design.

“We can handle about anything,” he says. “We like to bring a collaborative approach.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , Filed under Advertising, Delano, New business | Comments Off

Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group to do real estate forecasts at Wichita Area Outlook Conference

Feb. 15, 20122:56 p.m.

WICHITA — After a decade of doing commercial real estate forecasts every January, Grubb & Ellis/Martens Commercial Group is now going to partner with Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research to do the forecasts each fall.

Steve Martens’ company will be a major sponsor of the Wichita Area Outlook Conference and provide an exclusive commercial real estate forecast at the conference.

“We feel it is a stronger avenue for us to reach customers and clients with relevant commercial real estate information,” Martens says.

It’s a bigger one, too, since CEDBR director Jeremy Hill is expanding the conference’s reach.

“It’ll give us statewide coverage,” Martens says.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , Filed under Economy, Real estate, Wichita State University | Comments Off

Keller Williams Hometown Partners broker takes over sale of commercial lots in Maize’s Wyn-Wood development

Jan. 25, 20126:23 p.m.

WICHITA — With the economy looking up, there’s going to be a renewed effort to sell the last 12 commercial lots at the Wyn-Wood development at 37th North and Maize Road in Maize.

“We’ve had interest, and we need somebody to harness it, go after it and get something built,” says LewJene Schneider, who started the development with her sister and brother-in-law, Leslye and Gerald Woodard.

That somebody is Thomas Lassley of Keller Williams Hometown Partners.

Lassley recently sold two lots at Wyn-Wood to the Assemblies of God Kansas District Council on behalf of Curt McNay of Caber Associates Architects and Caber Construction.

Lassley says McNay approached Schneider and the Woodards about using Lassley to “see if we can get these lots sold for you.”

“Curt’s a big help,” Lassley says. “He gets a lot of calls from people wanting to build out there.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Filed under Maize, Real estate, Wyn-Wood | Comments Off

Pita Pit is returning to Rock Road

Jan. 3, 20126:42 p.m.

WICHITA — Pita Pit is returning to Wichita under new ownership.

“This is kind of a mid-life crisis for me,” says Cammy Onek, an El Dorado resident who has been in education and coaching for years.

She and her husband, Chad, are opening a Pita Pit in the former Froz space in Occidental Management’s Northrock Retail Center at 3242 N. Rock Road.

Another franchisee previously had a Pita Pit at 320 N. Rock Road.

The Oneks were considering becoming franchisees when they learned Pita Pit is based in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where Cammy Onek has relatives and visited every year growing up.

“For me, that was one of those a-ha moments,” she says.

What initially attracted her, Onek says, is that Pita Pit is healthy fast food.

“What really caught me is it’s just a new way to eat.”

There are meat and veggie pitas, breakfast pitas and soups and salads.

“We want you to feel better when you walk out the door than when you walk in,” Onek says.

The Oneks are partners in the business with Tim and Michelle Aberson and Lowell and Marti Aberson.

“Pretty much it will be my baby to be in there day in and day out,” Onek says.

She plans to approach it as she would being a coach or a principal, meaning she’ll be there every day and be visible.

“That’s how I’m going to make it or break it.”

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Filed under East side, Restaurants | Comments Off