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 .
"It's a slow, painful process," Janet Rine says.
"It just takes time to jump through all the hoops and get everybody on the same page," she says. "Sometimes it's just difficult to be progressive."
Kathy Page-Hauptman and Ann-Marie Rogers will book and produce shows that Rine says will create "a niche that's not being met in Wichita."
Part of the hold-up is that the city doesn't think the Rines have enough parking for what they want to do.
Janet Rine says they're willing to keep their event numbers down if that's what it takes to get the zoning.
She expects the process could take six months and then it would be another six months to finish readying the space.
"The longer they delay, the more we're delayed," Rine says.
The Rines are already buying new kitchen equipment for bistro-style service during the shows.
They've also hired an architect to redesign the theater space and overhaul the sound and lighting.
Rine is not spending much time at her Caffe Moderne restaurant in Old Town these days.
Ben George is now executive chef and general manager.
Rine says she's impressed with his energy and talent.
Last month, George added breakfast.
"It is so good," Rine says.
And, in a few weeks, George will add a dinner menu that expands beyond the sandwiches and salads that the restaurant has for lunch.
With George at the restaurant, Rine says she's free to focus on the future performance center.
"We're jazzed."
Premium testing
Nationally, Cox is looking to offer customers new services for their land lines, but before moving ahead with potential upgrades the company is asking 300 Wichitans what they think.
Wichita is a test market for Cox Premium Communications , which includes advanced phone features such as the ability to transfer calls between wireless and home phones.
Potentially, customers also could choose whether they want their land lines to ring at home or would prefer calls to come through their wireless phones.
"They chose Wichita, Kansas... to ask customers, 'Hey, do you like this? Does this work well for you?' " says Cox Communications Kansas spokeswoman Sarah Kauffman .
She says Wichita is "very well suited for the trial."
That includes operationally.
"We raise our hand every time there is a new technology," Kauffman says of testing products.
In other markets, Cox is testing its wireless phones.
Kauffman says Cox could start wireless service here by late 2010.
Tweet of the week
"Is there anything QuikTrip cannot do??"
—A tweet on Twitter from Douglas and Main creator Bobby Rozzell (@bobbyrozzell) after he saw news of a woman who gave birth in the parking lot of QuikTrip at Harry and Webb
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