Classic Wichita market Larcher’s will be revived in College Hill, but 3 old homes must go
The owners of a popular College Hill restaurant and shopping center have big plans to open another business — a specialty market that would revive a famous name from Wichita’s past.
But to be able to do so, the partners say, they’re going to have to erase a bit of Wichita past, too.
Partners and brothers Ryan Francisco and Anthony Francisco, who purchased Happiness Plaza at 3555 E. Douglas in 2019 and opened restaurant The Belmont in the center later that year with Tory DeMarce, say they are planning to open a specialty market that would also serve coffee, breakfast and lunch in the almost 2,000 square feet that’s vacant on the center’s east end. The space’s previous tenant was Carolyn Sayre’s Fine Jewelry, which relocated to 4730 E. Douglas in 2019.
The market, which will feature local meats, produce, coffee and other products, will be named Larcher’s and will serve as a tribute to the business started by Frank Larcher, who was the great-grandfather of Ryan Francisco’s wife, Lacy. Frank Larcher opened Larcher’s at Erie and Central in 1922, having bought it as a gift for his wife, Rose. He paid $400.
Larcher’s moved a block east to 2929 E. Central in 1929, and the store remained popular until it closed in 1989. By that time, it had evolved into a specialty market where local foodies would shop for fresh-sliced meats and hard-to-find ingredients like cactus leaf, caviar and Chinese cabbage. (Food for Thought later took over the building, but it’s been vacant since 2013.)
The partners are excited about the new market, which they said will carry almost all locally sourced products. The Larcher family still has the old Larcher’s sign, which they plan to put on the building, as well as its old meat slicer, once used by a famous butcher named Ambrose Simpson. It will also be part of the new store.
But to open the market, they have to have more parking, the owners said, and their plan to get it — tearing down three 100-year-old homes — has made some College Hill neighbors unhappy.
Three houses will go
When the Francisco’s bought Happiness Plaza in 2020, the home at 123 S. Clifton, which dates back to 1923, was part of the package. Recently, they acquired two more homes: a two-story home with a wrap-around porch at 125 S. Clifton that was built around 1925, and a smaller house at 3344 E. Oakland, built around 1907.
The three houses all sit directly behind Happiness Plaza.
Now, the owners plan to demolish the houses and build a parking lot, and they are asking the city to rezone the property behind the plaza all the way to Oakland, which is the next east-west street to the south. They’ll present their plans to the District 1 Advisory Board on Oct. 4 then will have a public hearing with the Metropolitan Planning Commission on Oct. 7. After that, the Wichita City Council will vote on the zoning.
The partners, who attended the most recent meeting of the College Hill Neighborhood Association to share their plans, say they won’t be building a rectangular asphalt parking lot that will stick out in the residential area behind Happiness Plaza. They’ve hired an architect and come up with plans for a bean-shaped parking lot with about 26 spaces — less than the 40 the property could hold with a more traditional parking lot design.
Their goal is to make the lot look more like a park and to include lots of landscaping, a seating area and a walking path.
“We actually gave up some of the functionality because we felt like we had to have a balance and fit into the neighborhood,” DeMarce said. “We lost a little parking, and it will cost more money, but it’s a better design and a better fit.”
The new lot would provide spaces not only for the new Larcher’s customers but also for people visiting The Belmont and its sister business, Frost, which is on the Franciscos’ property just west of The Belmont. Between the existing lot in front of Frost and the hair salon to The Belmont’s east and the tiny lot that sits just outside The Belmont’s entry, the plaza has about 56 parking spaces, the partners said. And that’s not nearly enough, especially on busy weekends. Many customers have been parking on residential streets and upsetting The Belmont’s neighbors.
Preserving the neighborhood
Last week, College Hill Neighborhood Association President Trish Hileman posted on the group’s Facebook page about the plans for Happiness Plaza.
She was at the meeting where the plaza’s owners presented their plans, and she praised the way they approached the group.
“We’ve been clear: We really appreciate them being so forward and honest and communicative,” she said. “But as a neighborhood association, we’ve also been up front about the fact that we don’t like tearing down homes. We’re a neighborhood. We have to have houses to live in a neighborhood.”
Hileman said she proposed some alternatives to DeMarce that wouldn’t involve tearing down the homes, including the idea of a valet service or partnering with nearby churches to use their lots after hours. He was receptive to her ideas but she didn’t hear back, she said.
In the end, she’s torn about the plans, as are other neighbors in the area, she said. Many people have said they’d welcome the new lot, which should help clear cars that are congesting the residential streets around The Belmont. Many are also excited about the idea of having a specialty market and coffee bar so nearby.
Others are outraged by the idea of losing the three century-old houses and see the plan as shortsighted.
“As a neighborhood, we’re always having to think 50 or 100 years down the road and plan for the long term,” Hileman said. “A parking lot has a lot better chance of becoming derelict 50 years from now when the people who now own Happiness Plaza don’t anymore. It could become rundown and an eyesore, more so than a house that’s being lived in.”
Hileman said she posted about the plan and listed information about the planning commission hearing just to keep residents informed.
She said she can see both sides of the argument.
“There isn’t a right side and a wrong side here,” she said. “But you need to be aware of what’s going on in your environment.”
DeMarce and the Franciscos said they anticipated some push back on demolishing the houses. College Hill residents are passionate about protecting their neighborhood.
But so are they, the owners said. They even had a sign made that greets people walking toward Happiness Plaza from the neighborhood behind it that reads: “The Belmont is proud to be part of College Hill. Please respect our neighborhood.”
That’s also why they went to the extra effort and expense to make sure the lot would fit in and not be an eyesore to nearby residents.
“College Hill is always super passionate about any change,” DeMarce said. “We knew it needed to be brought with care and with thought put into the design.”
Though they’ve heard complaints and concerns, they said, many neighbors have been supportive. Proximity to The Belmont is something some have used as a selling point for their houses.
“We see a lot of houses that do go up for sale, and the listings say, ‘Walking distance to The Belmont,’” De Marce said. “We’ve had an overwhelming amount of support too, and a lot of people say they love what we’ve done for the neighborhood.“
An ode to the past
The Belmont, which opened in June of 2020, was an instant hit with the College Hill neighborhood, and crowds were drawn by its mid-century modern design and its retractable doors on three sides, which allows the dining room to become “open air” during seasonable weather.
The Francisco brothers bought Happiness Plaza from Brad and Mark White, whose parents, Joyce and Dean, built and opened the plaza in 1968. The center’s flagship for years was Dean’s Designs, a popular flower and gift shop.
The new owners are obsessed with the building’s past and have 1960s era photographs from its early days enlarged and hanging in the restaurant. Last summer, they repurposed a former flower shop space in the corner of the plaza to use as a waiting area for the restaurant. It’s filled with a bar and various seating sets, but the owners kept the retro pink carpet and old staircase that give the space a throwback flair. They call it The Flower Shop, and people who get breakfast and lunch from the new Larcher’s will also be able to utilize its seating.
The Francisco brothers’ property also includes the two old houses-turned-businesses directly to The Belmont’s west.
The new Larcher’s market, which will offer an espresso bar along with eggs, sandwiches, salads and fresh-squeezed juices, will fit in nicely with the vibe they’ve started at Happiness Plaza, the owners said.
“Our goal is to kind of bring back the Larcher’s name by really making a cool neighborhood spot where you can go get some specialty grocery items and that will be open for breakfast and lunch,” said Ryan Francisco. “It will be one of those things that really complements what we’ve done there with The Belmont.”
This story was originally published September 24, 2021 at 5:01 AM.
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