Wichita’s Bradley Fair is getting a variety of new stores in the next few weeks

Bradley Fair at 21st and Rock Road is going to be home to three new stores in the coming weeks.

Grate Fill, which will be just north of HomeGrown, will have a soft opening Nov. 1 and a grand opening Nov. 6. This makes the second Grate Fill for Wichita. The first, which is all about sustainable and zero-waste products, opened last year in the Douglas Design District at 1807 E. Douglas.

Pedego Wichita, an electric bike shop, is moving from its Douglas Design District space at 1811 E. Douglas to the south end of Bradley Fair not far from the Redbud Trail that’s popular with bikers.

As the center previously announced, Lululemon also is opening there in the space where Jason’s Deli used to be. It will be closing its store at the Waterfront. A store employee confirmed the Bradley Fair Lululemon is opening Oct. 20 but couldn’t say more.

Both Pedego Wichita and Grate Fill are capitalizing on popular national and international trends.

Pedego

The California-based Pedego has about 200 stores, mostly in the United States and Canada.

Russell and Jeanne Groves and Abby and Jim McClary opened their dealership in November.

“All of Pedego’s products are electric bikes and accessories,” Russell Groves said.

The bikes have pedal assist and twist throttle similar to a motorcycle handle.

Groves, 67, said he’s happy to sell to anyone, but “Pedego bikes were designed for baby boomers.”

They’re designed for people who may have been a bicyclist at some point but maybe not for decades. . . . These bikes allow you to ride at whatever level of ability you have.”

He said he’s seen how the bikes can help people, such as a customer who had polio, which resulted in her legs being different lengths. Groves said she now has mobility.

The bikes can be used without power, too.

“The motors will basically take you up (a) hill with as much or as little exertion that you want to put into it,” Groves said.

The bikes, which are limited to 20 miles an hour, are legally classified as bicycles and can go anywhere traditional bikes can.

“I have a wide variety of styles ranging from some fairly sporty fat tire bikes to cruisers — the kind of thing you would get on and go for an easy 10-, 20- or 30-miles ride, and I’m not exaggerating.”

The bikes, which range from $2,300 to more than $5,000, can go 20 to 60 miles on one charge. There’s a gauge that shows how much charge is left. If the charge runs out, Groves said, “You can still pedal home.”

Depending on how much charge is left, it can take anywhere from two to four hours to charge using a standard wall plug charger.

Groves said he doesn’t think it hurts business that Kansas isn’t a hilly place.

“It’s not just simply about climbing hills. It’s about being able to ride even if you don’t have the physical ability to do a lot of riding,” he said. “The Douglas store was a really good proving ground . . . to see how a product like that would work in Wichita, and it has worked very well.”

Customers can test the bikes on a stationary stand.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to feel comfortable,” Groves said.

The store also offers rentals for $20 an hour.

Pedego’s motto is, “Hello fun.”

“Our unofficial other slogan is, “Oh, wow,’ because that’s pretty much what we hear when somebody gets on one of these bikes and rides it for the first time,” Groves said.

The Douglas store is now closed, and Groves said he hopes to open at Bradley Fair in early November.

“I’m really looking forward to people coming and getting a look at these bikes,” Groves said.

Grate Fill

Maddie Brown said she’s looking forward to east-siders hopefully discovering her Grate Fill business for the first time.

She said Grate Fill is “an all natural, eco-friendly refill shop” that sells nontoxic household cleaners and bath and body supplies.

Customers can bring in their own bottles, which they need to weigh at home first, or buy glass bottles in the store to fill from bulk supplies.

In addition to the refill products, Grate Fill also sells bamboo straws, reusable bags and plantable cards.

“Just a lot of really cool little gooodies,” Brown said.

The idea is everything is zero waste.

She said refill stores have been popping up all over the world, particularly in Europe and Canada, but the trend has been a little slower across the United States.

“Honestly, I just think its such a great concept to provide nontoxic products that are also eliminating single-use plastic,” Brown said. “I would just love to see it become people’s norm and easily accessible to our entire community.”

The store also will sell locally made items.

“Just different, really cool stuff,” Brown said.

That includes pottery, handmade bows from vintage fabrics, handmade jewelry and paintings as well.

Grate Fill also hosts events at the Douglas store and will at Bradley Fair as well.

Through yoga, candle-making and art galleries, Brown said she hopes to unite people who have a passion for a sustainable culture.

“Obviously, the zero-waste journey can be a little bit daunting,” Brown said.

“One thing that’s super important to us is just building . . . the sustainable community in Wichita.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2021 at 1:46 PM.