Downtown building that was once home to an antique mall to become a coffee shop
A high-profile Wichita building that once housed a downtown antique mall will reopen at the beginning of 2026 as a sleek coffee house.
Wichita entrepreneur Mohammed Sudais Ruknuddin says he will start construction this week on the 2,500 square-foot ground-floor space at 105 S. Emporia, where until 2018 A Legacy Antiques operated. The space, which is on the southwest corner of Douglas and Emporia, will become the new home of a coffee shop he’s dreamed about opening for years, he said.
It will be called Coquetry Maison, which is French for “flirty house.” The shop should be ready for a soft opening in late December followed by a grand opening in mid-January, he said.
Coquetry Maison will serve espresso-based coffee drinks as well as Middle Eastern coffees, he said. It’ll also offer gelato, pastries and sandwiches.
Something unique about the shop, Ruknuddin said, is that it will be open late. Though many independent coffee shops in Wichita close between 6 and 7 p.m., Ruknuddin said he may keep his open as late as 10 or 11 p.m. daily, he said.
“I want people to not feel like it’s just my shop,” he said. “I want them to feel like home: It’s our home, basically. It belongs to Wichita. . . . That’s why I chose this location. It’s in the heart of Wichita.”
Ruknuddin, who said he used to flip cars and manage a convenience store, said that he’s been planning and researching the coffee shop for six years and had been looking for the spot.
“When I saw this location, I saw my coffee shop,” he said.
He’s already replaced the wood floors in the space, which is long, narrow and filled with natural light steaming in from floor-to-ceiling windows. The front part of the space will have lounge seating, and the middle part will have modern tables and chairs, Ruknuddin said.
He’ll add bench seating along the windows, where he hopes local students will sit and study. The coffee bar and cash register will be in the back of the space.
A mockup of his design plan shows lots of plant life and rattan chandeliers. The dining room should have seating for about 60.
The new shop will incorporate “11:11” into its identity. For those into numerology, 11:11 is a moment of “divine synchronization,” and many believe that people who glance at the clock when it’s 11:11 should make a wish.
“Every day, all day is 11:11 at Coquetry Maison: Just come here and wish for things,” Ruknuddinh said. “My plan is to make people’s wishes come true...”
A Legacy Antiques used all three levels of the building at Douglas and Emporia for three decades until owner Diana Watson closed it more than seven years ago. Since 2022, the building has been owned by investment firm Cochener Garvey Capital Partners, which remodeled it to use as office space for its companies Netability and Keycentrix. The coffee shop’s entrance will be off of Emporia.
The building, which went up around 1916, has a ghost sign facing Emporia that says “Oak Tanned Leather Soles.” The building was home in the 1920s to a department store called Coombs, which sold clothing and shoes, and in the 1930s to Sears-Roebuck.
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Downtown building that was once home to an antique mall to become a coffee shop."
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