Near-Wichita town aiming for a Eureka Springs vibe with infusion of restaurants, shopping
The owner of a successful restaurant in Augusta is about to open a second restaurant there — and he’ll follow it with a third and a fourth.
Shane Scott, whose Sugar Shane’s Cafe has become a popular dining destination during its almost six years in business at 430 State St. in Augusta, will officially open a new restaurant called The Mustard Seed on Tuesday, March 23.
The restaurant, which Scott describes as a “daytime sandwich shop,” is at 502 State St. in downtown Augusta, in a spot that previously held Brick Street Flower Company. It has room for 27 diners and serves a menu of cold sandwiches, panini sandwiches and specialty sandwiches like a Monte Cristo, a Cuban and a Philly Cheese Steak. Its hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Scott said he’s open to adding evening hours if things go well.
Scott said that the addition of The Mustard Seed is about more than expanding his restaurant portfolio, though. It’s a step toward a bigger plan that he and a group of business and community leaders have to turn downtown Augusta into a shopping and dining destination that they hope will “get our neighbors in Wichita to come spend the day in Augusta, if not the weekend.”
The informal group, which refers to itself as “The Board,” consists of four Augusta business owners who have teamed up with Downtown Augusta Inc. to develop the plan, which would have downtown Augusta add six new “unique dining experiences, “ six new shopping destinations and six new entertainment venues that stay open after 6 p.m. on weekends. They hope to have it all completed within four years, and they plan for all the businesses to be on Augusta’s main downtown street, State Street, or on side streets leading into State Street.
Their vision, Scott said, is to make Augusta “like Eureka Springs without the Ozarks.” Augusta has a population of about about 9,400 and sits 20 miles east of Wichita.
“We’ve been working on it for over a year, and it’s starting to come together, starting to get some momentum,” he said.
Scott said he’s trying to lead by example by opening The Mustard Seed, and he’s also working with some partners on plans for two more restaurants: a breakfast place that he hopes to have open this fall and a brick oven pizzeria that would open sometime next year. He’s also thinking about opening a speakeasy, and The Board is working with building owners to develop more downtown loft living.
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Scott and his wife, Tonya, are also working on a new downtown consignment boutique called Marketplace 67010. It is set to open in June at 601 State St. and will feature a flower studio, pottery, a large selection of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, women’s clothing and shoes. It’ll also have an espresso bar that sells cheesecake.
“We’re trying to take the lead and hope that it gets contagious,” he said.
This story was originally published March 16, 2021 at 11:01 AM.
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