Coming this summer: A west-Wichita vegetarian cafe that will also include a local makers market
The dining scene for vegetarians and vegans in Wichita keeps improving, and this summer, it will get even better.
Partners Whitney Feltrop and Nicole Mullen are teaming up to open a new business called Sunflour Cafe & Collective, and they’re in the process of remodeling the space at 6120 W. Central that previously housed a tanning salon.
The business will have two parts: a sit-down that offers a plant-forward vegetarian menu of coffee, smoothies, kombucha, breakfast items, pizzas and sandwiches as well as some grab-and-go items, and a collective market space featuring products from local makers like soap, lotion, jewelry, up-cycled clothing, artwork and more.
It’ll be reminiscent of The Coop, an innovative cooperative that opened in Derby in March 2020 selling food items and meals-to-go produced by its members. In fact, Sunflour Cafe & Collective has a tie to The Coop: Feltrop is the operations manager at The Coop and the co-owner of the coffee shop that operates inside that business. Mullen, the owner of CM Goodies, sells her vegan and gluten-free baked goods there as well.
The duo decided a version of The Coop was needed in Wichita as well. While out and about together, they’d frequently hear from people who wanted something like The Coop in west Wichita, said Mullen, who also is the founder of the ICT Veg Fest.
“We said, ‘What are we waiting for?’ We know all these vendors that have fabulous products to offer, and we feel like the community is going to welcome them with open arms,” Mullen said.
Mullen and Feltrop are aiming for a June 7 opening for the business, which will fill about 3,000 square feet. They already have 20 vendors signed up.
The business will also have a space people can rent out for events and parties, and it will have a commercial kitchen that its collective members can use. It’ll also have a dedicated gluten-free kitchen space.
It’ll have free Wi-Fi that people can use while visiting the cafe, and the owners are planning a reading area with a wall of books customers can borrow and enjoy. The cafe will be decorated with plants and artwork that are for sale.
Additionally, the cafe will have self-serve vegan ice cream, which it will use in the cafe to make affogato, an addictive treat that mixes coffee and ice cream.
They’re tentatively planning to be open most days from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
People can keep up with the progress of the business on Facebook and Instagram.
This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 10:50 AM.
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