Woman plans downtown market plus cafe in Wichita
Downtown dwellers have called for more grocery options in their area, and Charolett Knapic is answering.
Knapic, who owns Echo Landscapes , plans to open Beautiful Day Market & Cafe in 6,000 square feet downtown in November.
She's not saying precisely where until she finalizes the lease. Cristi Howell at J.P. Weigand & Sons is assisting her.
Jill Miller of Creative Solutions is helping Knapic with her business plan, which is centered on locally grown and organic food.
Knapic grew up working at her grandparents' Kingman restaurant, McQueen's Cafe and Servateria . That didn't inspire her to want her own restaurant, though.
"Not at all," Knapic says. "I thought I would never go back to it."
The healthful side of the business is what's attracting her.
"I want a place that makes you feel good."
She got the idea because she was not feeling well. Knapic says stress from her business caused her to have a physical breakdown.
"About five years ago I had a big health failure."
Living a more natural, healthy life is what got her back on track and allowed her to find balance, she says.
"I learned a big lesson."
Knapic wants to share that lesson.
In addition to having the market and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner until 7 p.m. in the 40-seat restaurant, Knapic wants to offer classes on how to cook in healthy ways.
For instance, kale might be in season, Knapic says, but, "Maybe nobody knows what to do with kale."
Creating healthy-yet-delicious dishes will be her chef's challenge, she says.
In addition to focusing on local growers — for vegetables, fresh eggs, chicken and toxin-free meat — Knapic may eventually operate her own greenhouse as well.
Miller compares eating a locally grown tomato to one shipped in from elsewhere.
"It's getting closer to the earth and eating foods that are fresh," she says. "We're really focused on the produce, like a farmers market-type concept."
Knapic considered locating in Delano but Braum's has a market there, and there's a Dillons not too far away on West Street.
The only store selling groceries downtown is Ray Sales Co. at 206 S. Emporia.
It sells "a little bit of this and that," as one person at the store once put it, but the store mainly services nearby buildings and people who ride buses at the nearby station.
In addition to having lots of fresh produce, Beautiful Day will carry a lot of grocery staples, though not necessarily a huge selection within each area. For instance, the store will sell cereal, but probably only a handful of varieties.
Knapic hopes to offer packages where customers can pick up a bag of food that includes a healthy breakfast, lunch and snack.
Beautiful Day will either have a drive-through or curb-side pickup.
"How cool would it be if you could call your groceries in and just go pick them up?" Miller says. "I'm getting goose bumps just talking about it."
Miller calls it her goose-bump test for clients.
"When I'm talking to clients, the more goose bumps I get, the more I know this is going to rock."
KU is No. 1
Usually college rankings are all about how good a school is for students.
Glassdoor.com, which examines careers and companies, has a new study that will be published on its site Friday that takes a look at what colleges are like for the people who work there.
The University of Kansas is the No. 1 place to work in the ranking of more than 100 large schools nationally.
H. David Wilson, dean of the KU School of Medicine-Wichita , isn't surprised.
"I can tell you the people that work here are really a happy bunch," he says. "We come to work because of the camaraderie, because of the support of the university and because of the mission."
He says there is minimal turnover.
"People know that they could probably make more money working somewhere else," Wilson says.
There are intangibles that trump dollars, though.
"People feel like we're doing something important."
Attic space
Who couldn't use a little more attic space?
Kirby Melugin opened his 2 Attics Antique Mall & Estate Liquidation Services in Park City in April 2010 and already is expanding.
He's able to expand near 61st and Hydraulic since the Park City Public Library relocated.
When renovation is complete, 2 Attics will have 9,000 square feet, which will make room for another 30 vendors. Melugin said he already has 70 percent of the new space leased.
"It would be nice to get back to a waiting list," he says.
A waiting list for vendors was common before he had the expanded space.
Melugin says it helps that Park City is known for its antiques.
"It's a feel-good activity," he says of collecting and decorating.
There's no room left to expand where he is, but Melugin says that's OK.
"I'll be good for a while."
You don't say
"The intent is to start building soon."
—Mike Boyd , who says Chick-fil-A is now accepting bids from contractors to build one of its restaurants at property he co-owns at Central and Rock Road
This story was originally published August 11, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Woman plans downtown market plus cafe in Wichita."