WSU grad plans Delano art shop

During her pursuit of a master's degree in fine arts — she graduated from Wichita State University in May —Emily Brookover discovered a business opportunity.

So now she's going to open Bluebird Arthouse in the former Kellogg-Buck Furniture space at 914 W. Douglas in Delano to sell art supplies and offer an outlet for artists.

"We have a real need for it here," Brookover says.

When she was in school, she says, "There was no place to go for materials or support or a place to ask questions."

There are three components to Brookover's business.

First, the store is an art materials retailer.

"That will be our No 1 priority," Brookover says.

She says local craft stores offer only student-grade supplies.

"We're going to be carrying brands and lines that you can't get at Michaels and Hobby Lobby ."

Among lines she plans to carry are Golden for acrylic paint and Gamblin for oil paint.

Brookover will offer supplies for a range of disciplines, including drawing, sculpture, ceramics and print-making.

She'll also rent studio space for artists, and she'll offer classes and demonstrations.

"I'm not just an art supplier," Brookover says. "I want to be a place for artists to come and mingle and talk and be inspired."

She plans to offer classes that aren't currently available here.

"I'm not interested in competing with our amazing art centers here in town."

Delano is Brookover's top choice of places to locate.

"Delano is just a fun, creative area, and I feel like it's up-and-coming," she says.

"It's a huge space. We've got about (14,000) square feet to work with.... There's tons of room to grow."

Don Ablah of Classic Real Estate and Cristi Howell of J.P. Weigand & Sons are finalizing the details on the lease.

Brookover has spent a long time studying what Wichitans might need in an art store.

"It's just taken a lot of research."

Consultant Jill Miller of Creative Solutions helped her through the process.

"It was the best decision I ever made," Brookover says of hiring Miller. "She was just phenomenal. Tremendous help."

Brookover was approved for an SBA loan late last week.

She anticipates it will take about four to six weeks — maybe a tad longer — to open.

So what about that birdhouse name?

"A lot of my work in the past couple of years (has) involved birds of different sorts," Brookover says.

"I kind of turned into the bird lady."

You don't say

"I've thought of you as a mother figure. I don't mean that disrespectfully. I love my mother."

—Outgoing interim City Council member Roger Smith's comment to fellow council member Sue Schlapp , who also served her last day on Tuesday

"When I got around to my turn, I said, 'Sue — and I truly mean this from my heart — you've truly been like a grandmother to me.' "

—City Council member Jeff Longwell's joking response to Smith's sincere comment

"I take it as a badge of honor.... I can think of a lot worse things to be remembered as."

—Schlapp, a grandmother of 14, whose new job is senior constituent liaison for the Department of Commerce

This story was originally published April 13, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "WSU grad plans Delano art shop ."