Owner of restaurants in Derby, Wichita facing $1.7 million bank lawsuit, tax warrants
A local developer whose mission for the past decade has been trying to develop Derby’s K-15 corridor — and who recently closed his Wichita coffee shop for good — is being sued by his lender, who is seeking to foreclose on four commercial properties.
KS State Bank filed the suit March 9 in Sedgwick County District Court against Brant Dumford and his Brody Holdings LLC. Dumford owns Layali Mediterranean Restaurant and The Coop coffee shop in Derby and recently closed The Coop coffee shop Wichita, which operated out of a three-story, 1909 house at 2812 E. Douglas.
The suit says that Dumford has defaulted on loans at four commercial properties— two in Derby and two in Wichita. The bank is seeking foreclosure on the properties and the principal amount owed — which totals $1.7 million— plus accrued interest and fees, including late fees.
Dumford made two appointments last week to meet with The Eagle but did not show up to either. Via text, he later said that he’d been advised by counsel “not to comment on matters currently in litigation.” He directed inquiries to his attorney, Michael Priddle, who did not return a call from The Eagle.
The four commercial properties listed in the suit are the Layali building at 236 W. Greenway in Derby; The Coop building in Wichita; a building at 659 N. Market in Wichita where Dumford had opened a co-working space called The Colony in 2023; and a building at 711 N. Baltimore in Derby, which Dumford told The Derby Informer in 2025 he was turning into a steakhouse and brewery. The 4,500 square-foot building, which previously was home to a wholesale beauty supply store, is currently listed for lease.
Court records show that Dumford is facing other lawsuits as well. One was filed on Feb. 23 by Pave the Way of Wichita for $203,868.27 worth of unpaid paving work done at properties in Derby. Another was filed by Kingdom Capital Partners, a private debt fund specializing in residential investment property lending, which seeks foreclosure on two residential properties — one in Derby and one in Wichita — and is asking for a judgment of $120,492.59.
Court records also show that Dumford was ordered in January to pay Forward Financing LLC, a small business lender, an arbitration award of $62,225.52 plus prejudgment interest of $10,849.10 and 12% interest from Nov. 1 until the amount was paid in full.
Additionally, Dumford is facing several tax warrants, the most recent of which was filed March 6.
Dumford said recently that he closed The Coop in Wichita, which he opened in 2023, because it wasn’t making any money. He said he was looking for another coffee shop to take the building over.
The Coop in Derby also has been closed for more than a month, but Dumford said he planned to reopen it in May, around the same time he hoped to open a long-promised breakfast restaurant called The Hen House, at 120 N. Baltimore in Derby.
Layali has been open since September 2024. Dumford also previously announced plans to add a shipping container mall called Derby Market Square at Market and K-15 in Derby. It was to include 5,000 square feet of retail space plus a craft cocktail bar and a creamery.
This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 10:48 AM.
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