Wichita City Council member buys cafe that owner had to sell after scooter accident
Back in August, No Bake Cafe owner Saxon Young seriously injured himself in a scooter accident in Dallas and immediately realized he’d no longer be able to run his business.
Ever since, he’s been looking for a buyer for the edible cookie dough shop, which operates out of the little hut at Clifton Square, 3700 E. Douglas.
Now Young has decided to move back to his native Seattle to continue his physical therapy and to recover from his next surgery, which will repair his rotator cuff.
Just in time, he’s found a buyer.
James Clendenin, well-known because of his role as a member of the Wichita City Council, just purchased the business along with his wife, Amie, who will run the shop.
They have plans to expand the business, which focuses on edible cookie dough, and even hope to move it to a bigger space within the next month or so. They’re already scoping out bigger spots nearby and promise to let me know when they’ve picked one.
“He was going to close it down, so I went to my wife and said, ‘You know, I’m too busy, but this might be an opportunity for you and the girls to have a business at a pretty reasonable price,’” Clendenin said.
Amie will involve the couple’s two daughters, Eden, 14, and Lily, 11, in the business, and they’re extra excited, James said.
The Clendenins officially took over the shop on Tuesday. They plan to keep everything the same for the first month or so, but when they move to a bigger spot, they plan to add other items to the menu like coffee, tea and other things that might complement the cookie dough, including wine. They also want a space with room for indoor seating and restrooms, both of which the current space lacks.
They also plan to begin offering the edible dough wholesale.
Young was just about to announce plans for a new drinks and dessert cafe in downtown Wichita in August when he took a trip to Dallas and wrecked a scooter within the first two hours of arriving.
He ended up in surgery and has been working to recover from his injuries ever since.
The owner of the space at 626 E. Douglas, where he’d planned to open the second cafe, is now looking for a new tenant, Young said.
This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 5:01 AM.
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