Kansas.com: Carrie Rengers

Firm hopes to be part of vibrant downtown

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

When Gene Foster of Foster Design learned he was losing his space at Brittany Center at 21st and Woodlawn because of InfoSync Service's upcoming expansion, his first thought was that he would move farther east.

But he didn't like the prices.

"We couldn't really justify building a Taj Mahal for our corporate headquarters when we could have just as nice (of a) facility downtown," Foster says.

Looking for tickets? Don't call the bank

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

If you want tickets to any of the upcoming shows at Intrust Bank Arena , don't call Intrust Bank . That may seem obvious, but apparently it's not to everyone.

"You heard that I was Ticketmaster or something?" says Diane Iseman , vice president of corporate communications.

It's true, she says.

Caffe Posto spot will be Wine Dive

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

Coffee and sandwich sales weren't enough to keep Caffe Posto open near Douglas and Oliver, but new owners are hoping wine and food will be a hit.

Jimmy's Egg franchisee Whitney VinZant and some undisclosed partners plan to open Mike's Wine Dive in the former Posto space by March 1.

They're also taking the Hair Connection space next door for a total of 2,650 square feet.

Corporate Caterers looking to expand

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:06 CST

Ben Arnold is looking to expand his Corporate Caterers of Wichita . "Our main goal was just to build a building," he says.

But with the current state of commercial lending, he says, "There's absolutely no way."

Arnold now has 8,700 square feet at Douglas and West Street.

Butler expands to clean up in St. Louis

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:30 CST

The Butler is now serving customers in St. Louis.

Adam McCollough started TB Enterprises of Wichita , which does business as the Butler, in 2000. The company does plumbing, water damage restoration, roofing and remodeling.

McCollough has been expanding to such places as Dallas, Fort Worth, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Tulsa almost every year since. As of this month, the Butler is now in St. Louis, too.

Bridal store moves, but remains on Douglas

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:07 CST

Accent Bridal & Tux is moving, but it will remain on Douglas. In fact, each of the store's three moves have always been to space on Douglas.

"Douglas is our address, I guess," says Tricia Bell , who owns the business with her brother-in-law, Scott , and mother-in-law, Vivian .

Bell's daughter-in-law, Audra , also works there.

Chelsea's hasn't signed a new lease

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

The future of Olive Tree Bistro and Chelsea's Bar and Grill isn't the only thing up in the air for Latour Management .

There are reports that Walter Morris Cos. , Latour's landlord for Piccadilly Market & Grill at Central and Rock Road, is now showing the space to other possible tenants.

Latour president Joumana Toubia says that's true. But she adds, "I want you to know that Piccadilly is a viable option for us."

Play It Again to expand in new spot

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:04 CST

The west-side Play It Again Sports is moving to the Westlink Shopping Center, at Central and Tyler Road, in early February.

That's a mile from the store's current location, at 13th and Tyler Road.

"We're just going to a little bigger spot," says owner Scott Martin , who is unaffiliated with the east-side Play It Again.

Security 1st Title is now largest in Kansas

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:02 CST

Last month, Have You Heard? reported that after three decades, Craig Burns left First American Title and had plans to open a new company.

He's now formed Security 1st Title and, with partners, has purchased First American operations in six metropolitan Wichita counties.

Burns says that creates the largest title insurance company in Kansas.

Borders to close last Walden in Wichita

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:07 CST

Wichita's last Waldenbooks is closing. The Waldenbooks at Towne West Square is one of 200 stores Borders Group plans to close in its Waldenbooks and Borders Express segment, which includes outlet stores.

"We think it's a good strategy for our overall business," says spokeswoman Mary Davis .

Borders Group, which is based in Ann Arbor, Mich., is the nation's second-largest bookstore chain.

Caffe Posto tells clients thanks and goodbye

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:54 CST

A challenging economy and increased competition is forcing Caffe Posto to close less than two years after opening near Douglas and Oliver.

"The economy is the biggest part," co-owner Kay Conklin says.

She and her husband, Cory , and Jacob Liquor Exchange wine director Jamie Stratton opened Caffe Posto in March 2008.

Olive Tree, Chelsea's leaving Comotara

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:03 CST

The Olive Tree Bistro , its banquet room and Chelsea's Bar and Grill are being evicted from Comotara Center at 29th and Rock Road.

"We filed an eviction petition... a week ago," says Jeff Kennedy of Martin Pringle . "They're not paying their rent."

Kennedy represents the landlords, who are mostly California investors.

Former church to be performing arts center

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:04 CST

When last we checked with Janet and Grant Rine , they'd decided not to move their Old Town Architectural Salvage to the former Immanuel Baptist Church at 147 S. Hillside.

They bought the former church and adjacent school in April but decided to put plans on hold for a while.

Now, they're moving forward by trying to get commercial zoning for what likely will be called the Rine Center for Performing Arts .

Schwan is expanding the size of its house

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:03 CDT

House of Schwan , the Anheuser-Busch InBev distributor for Wichita, is expanding.

The company is breaking ground in December on a 31,000-square-foot addition to its 58,000-square-foot building at 3636 N. Comotara, where it's been since the early 1980s.

Operations manager Mike Daniel says the reason for expansion is all the new product lines House of Schwan now carries.

Cinnamon's Deli to join eateries at 29th, Maize

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:08 CDT

A third restaurant is joining Five Guys Burgers and Fries and Long John Silver's Freshside Grille in front of Lowe's near 29th North and Maize Road.

Cinnamon's Deli will open in 2,400 square feet next to Five Guys, which will anchor the south end of the strip center there.

Long John Silver's will anchor the north end.

Barrier's bankruptcy forces asset liquidation

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:04 CDT

Barrier's , which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday, is moving ahead with a liquidation sale starting Monday and will close after the sale ends in early January.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Dale Somers approved the sale during a Wednesday hearing.

"We're here today because of the unfortunate and untimely death of Jay Barrier ," bankruptcy attorney Ed Nazar said during the hearing.

Hereford House to open in Terradyne

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:04 CDT

Restaurateur Mike Issa and the owners of Terradyne Country Club confirm it: Hereford House is going to open there.

"The deal is going forward," Issa says.

The restaurant likely will open in the first week of December.

Fines in two of the charges in Tatro case

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 00:05 CDT

Neither Craig Tatro nor his attorney are talking, but there's been some action in the misdemeanor charges filed against him.

Tatro, a former owner in CA's Men's Fine Grooming —previously known as Craig Allen's Men's Fine Grooming — at the Waterfront was charged with two counts of unlawful use of a financial card and two counts of temporary deprivation of property. The charges stem from the alleged use of a customer's credit card at a nearby store.

According to municipal court records, here's what has happened so far:

Woods by Design in Old Town is closing

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:05 CDT

After fourteen years in business in Old Town , Andy's Woods By Design is closing.

"We have some health issues in the family that we need to address, so that takes priority," says Carol Anderson , who owns the business with her husband, Andy .

They have a lot to look forward to, though.

Cox sues phone book firm over numbers

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:05 CDT

Cox Communications Kansas has filed a lawsuit against User-Friendly Phone Book in Sedgwick County District Court .

Cox spokeswoman Sarah Kauffman says the basis of the suit goes back to 2008 when User-Friendly published the addresses and phone numbers of customers who didn't want them listed.

"At the time, we made attempts asking User-Friendly... to take action to remedy the mistakes that they made," Kauffman says. "We did not get a response from them at that time."