Caffe Posto spot will be Wine Dive
Coffee and sandwich sales weren't enough to keep Caffe Posto open near Douglas and Oliver, but new owners are hoping wine and food will be a hit.
Jimmy's Egg franchisee Whitney VinZant and some undisclosed partners plan to open Mike's Wine Dive in the former Posto space by March 1.
They're also taking the Hair Connection space next door for a total of 2,650 square feet.
That business, which is still open, is losing its space after 24 years.
"I'm really sad to see Hair Connection go," says James Smits , who owns Aspen Boutique and bought the center three years ago with his wife, Monica .
"There's a lot of people there (who have) become our friends through the years," Smits says. "On the other hand, nobody would sign a lease, and I got tired of operating without a lease there.
"What it did is it left this opportunity open."
No one with Hair Connection could be reached for comment.
VinZant doesn't want to share too many details on Mike's Wine Dive yet, but he says think eclectic.
"We're seeing some very neat concepts in the major markets," he says. "We thought we'd do something creative of our own in Wichita."
So who is Mike?
"Mike's an arbitrary figure," he says.
VinZant likes College Hill because "it's such a tight-knit area."
"We want to be that type of neighborhood restaurant."
He likes the residential density in the area.
"It's terrific."
VinZant and the Smitses are still working out details, but James Smits is confident about the change.
"This brings a lot of excitement to the center that I think will really be invigorating," he says.
The 1,300-square-foot Myoptix Fashion Eyewear space will soon be vacant, too.
"It's a good, attractive little space right between Pink Saloon and Aspen Boutique," Smits says. "I see a lot of women walking between our spaces now, which is exactly what we'd hoped for."
Smits says things are looking good for the center.
"Other than looking a little empty during Christmas, I couldn't be happier."
Epic lawsuit
Hoffmann's Green Industries has filed a lawsuit against Epic Apparel and store owners Corey and Julie Rau .
Barbara and John Hoffmann of Green Acres Market & Deli are the Raus' landlords.
According to the lawsuit, the Raus signed a lease with the Hoffmanns in 2005 to locate next to Green Acres in Bradley Fair .
Then, in 2007, the Raus subleased to Lavish Boutique and moved to a larger space in Bradley Fair.
Lavish closed earlier this year.
The lawsuit says the Raus' original lease doesn't expire until June 2010 and that the Raus have breached that lease agreement by not paying $6,250 a month in rent for August through November.
In addition to back rent and penalties for late payment, the Hoffmanns are asking for more than $20,000 in damages for failure to operate a business on the premises, which they say the lease dictates.
In all, the suit asks for more than $48,000.
Neither the Hoffmanns nor the Raus could be reached for comment.
Frank talk
Let's Be Frank is closed, but partner Brad Standing doesn't consider himself officially evicted.
"They just wrote 'Evicted' on a piece of paper and changed the locks, so I don't think that really counts," he says of his landlord.
He's been in a dispute with his landlord for several months about maintenance of the building at Douglas and Grove.
Standing says he's looking for a new place to open the hot dog shop. He figures it'll take a couple of months but will let us know as soon as he finds something.
You don't say
"We call it the flu chaser."
—Mary Wright of the Old Mill Tasty Shop on her restaurant's famous green chili, which this year is extra spicy
This story was originally published November 17, 2009 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Caffe Posto spot will be Wine Dive."