Business

Posted on Tue, Nov. 10, 2009

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Play It Again to expand in new spot

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.

The new space actually is much bigger, but not all of it will be retail space.

The current store is 3,100 square feet.

The retail portion at the new store will be 4,000 square feet. There also will be 5,400 square feet for batting cages, which Play It Again doesn't currently have.

The addition of the cages is partly to attract more people to the shop, which sells new and used sporting equipment.

Martin doesn't want anyone to think he's making this move because his business is booming.

"It's been tough out there for a while," he says. "It really has."

Jumping in

For its first six years in business, Perfection Pools built and serviced pools along with servicing spas.

But the business has never had a retail component — until now.

"We're just now opening up a retail store," owner Danny Lang says.

The store will open Wednesday behind Sea Dreams and in front of Office This on East Harry.

Lang says he always planned a retail store, and the timing finally seems right.

"We've already got an existing client base, and I just want to be able to offer them a better service," Lang says.

He'll sell pool and spa equipment, chemicals, pumps, filters and parts. Customers can bring in water for analysis. And Lang now will begin selling Bullfrog hot tubs.

"Now I have a product to sell through the winter," he says.

Lang likes the location for all the traffic that comes by.

At 2,500 square feet, the store isn't huge, but that could change.

"This is probably my two-year plan," Lang says.

Still floating

Sea Dreams, which has been in its current location four of its 10 years in business, is more than $76,000 behind in state taxes.

"I've been trying to work it out with them for about two years now," owner Lynne Penny says.

She thinks she's finally come to an arrangement.

Her 10,000-square-foot store is a large space to keep operating, but Penny says that's her plan.

"I'm going to try."

You don't say

"I still love it, but my staff absolutely despises it. ... They get so worn out."

—Florist J.R. Koontz on how he and some of his employees feel about Christmas by the time it rolls around after months of celebrating it in his store

Got a hot tip or quirky story? Call Carrie Rengers at 316-268-6340 or e-mail crengers@wichitaeagle.com.