A Wichita coffee shop is closing, and the big old house it operates from is for sale
Just as a new Dutch Bros coffee shop in Wichita opens, a longtime locally owned coffee shop downtown has announced that it’s about to close.
Common Grounds, a coffee house that Randy Ecker and Diana Lizarraga opened inside a 2,800-square-foot, three-story house at 2812 E. Douglas back in 2012, will be open for another week and a half then will close, the owners said on Monday.
Lizarraga, who along with Ecker also owns a treatment center for recovering addicts called Seventh Direction, said that the recent increase in fentanyl overdoses in Wichita has made them feel like they needed to return their full-time focus to treatment. The duo originally opened Common Grounds as a safe space for recovering addicts to gather, though over the years, it’s also been widely used by members of the community at large.
“With so many overdoses, the need for the substance abuse counseling seems to have increased,” said Lizarraga, who added that the owners often used the finished attic space of the 1909 house for 12-step meetings.
.jpg "Photo (1).jpg")
Common Grounds’ last day will be July 14. In the meantime, Ecker and Lizarraga have listed the house that holds the coffee shop for sale, and the real estate listing is circulating on social media. It shows a number of photos from inside the four-bedroom, two bath house, which has large windows, woodwork that’s been painted white, a coffee bar, a big front porch, and a backyard that’s been turned into a parking lot.
The house is listed for $212,000, and although it’s zoned “light commercial,” it can continue operating as a retail business or be converted into a family home, the listing says.
“The spacious rooms could easily be converted into a private practice, art studio or gallery, or office space rentals,” it says.
The owners, though, are hoping that someone will buy the house and the business and continue to operate the space as a coffee house. Their realtor, Platinum Realty is handling the sale, and Lizarraga said she’s heard that some people are considering the coffee shop route.
The shop, which served espresso drinks, smoothies, sandwiches, soups and pastries, had become popular over the years with students, professionals, people gathering for church meetings, even a group of knitters, Lizarraga said. She and Ecker are open to selling the equipment and furnishings in the house separately.
“We’re hoping somebody will take it over and keep it as a coffee house and continue what we started,” she said.
Until its final day, Common Grounds will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., though it stays open until 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
This story was originally published July 3, 2023 at 2:45 PM.
.jpg)