Towne East Square, most of NewMarket Square close early due to potential threats

UPDATED — Tuesday afternoon was a time of confusion and bewilderment among shoppers across Wichita as stores shut early when word of potential protests and riots spread around the city.

Area Target stores caught shoppers and employees by surprise by closing at 4 p.m.

“We just found out an hour ago,” an employee said.

“So much for my prescription,” said one shopper.

Monday night, the store closed at 7 p.m., hours before its typical closing.

A substantial number of the shops and restaurants at NewMarket Square closed early as well. An employee of one store said there were specific threats on social media that something would happen at 21st and Maize Road, where the center is located.

By late Tuesday afternoon, officials at Towne East Square decided to close the mall early. There are now barricades at mall entrances that prohibit entrance onto the mall’s parking lots.

“We, out of an abundance of caution, have made the decision to close at 5:30 tonight,” said general manager Stephanie Satrape.

Earlier in the day, she had said the mall would not close early, but some stores might.

“We are letting the retailers make those decisions individually,” she said at that time.

“Towne East is working closely with the Wichita Police Department to monitor and address all situations going on.”

Satrape said Towne East will reopen at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and be open until 7 p.m., which is the typical time the mall has been operating since reopening after the coronavirus shutdown.

No one with Von Maur would comment on what’s happening at that store, which is one of the Towne East anchors, but Satrape confirmed that the department chain has been placing boards over the glass door entrances around the store at night.

Businesses on the perimeter of Towne East, such as Old Chicago and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, were open Tuesday evening.

Protests across the United States have called for an end to police violence and justice for George Floyd, a Minnesota man who died after being pinned to the ground with a police officer’s knee on his neck for several minutes. The officer has been fired and charged with murder.

Some demonstrations have turned violent. Others have ended with massive property damage and looting.

In Wichita, most of the protests have been peaceful, though one that began Monday night ended with Wichita police declaring it an unlawful assembly after gunshots rang out. Using tear gas and other weapons, police forced out the remaining protesters, who fought back by throwing rocks and other weapons.

Bradley Fair developer George Laham could be seen at the property at 21st and Rock Road as stores and restaurants, such as Victoria’s Secret and Il Vicino, began closing early Tuesday evening.

Laham didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Some Bradley Fair businesses remained open — and packed. That includes Red Rock Canyon and Jason’s Deli.

At NewMarket Square, it was up to stores if or when they wanted to close, according to an official who did not want to be named.

Closing times ranged through the center. The earliest seemed to be 3:30 p.m.

“No trespassing” signs blanketed store windows.

At Best Buy, there was a sign that said, “Our store is closed due to an emergency.”

No one with Slawson Cos., the NewMarket Square developer, could be reached for comment.

The Walmart at the center had a full parking lot as other stores around it closed. An employee said the store would close at 8:30 p.m., which is earlier than normal, although it’s been that way due to COVID-19. The employee did not think the store would close earlier because of any other reason.

“They haven’t said anything to us.”

However, within an hour or so, the store closed and placed pallets of mulch around its doors as a barricade to the entrances.

At NewMarket Square and Bradley Fair, it’s difficult to tell if some stores are closed because of potential protests or if some remain closed because of the coronavirus.

Numerous stores across Maize Road from NewMarket Square, such as Lowe’s, remained open as NewMarket’s parking lots emptied.

At 21st and Amidon, not far from where protests have broken out the previous two nights at 21st and Arkansas, the Speedy Cash doors and windows also were boarded. The store also closed early.

Some stores, such as Target, had signs at their entrances that there would be normal hours on Wednesday. However, it appears that the situation is fluid and has the potential to change daily.

Target did not respond to specific questions about Wichita.

No one at Walmart’s corporate headquarters answered a request for comment.

As the day went on, reports kept coming of more places closing early. That appears to include one of the places that has stayed especially busy throughout the coronavirus pandemic: Chick-fil-A at Central and Rock Road.

Contributing: Denise Neil of The Eagle

This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 6:31 PM.