Bradley Fair soon will be home to a new retail store with ties to a Lawrence favorite

The president of one of Kansas’ oldest retail businesses is going to open one of Wichita’s newest stores.

Many Wichitans who visit Lawrence shop at Weaver’s, which bills itself as the “longest continually operating department store west of the Mississippi.”

Now, Weaver’s president Brady Flannery and his wife, Molly, a Wichita native whose maiden name was Maloney, are opening W 1857 at Bradley Fair.

Flannery said the W can stand for Wichita or Weaver’s or even another word.

“We’re kind of leaving that open to interpretation.”

He said the 1857 stands for the year Weaver’s opened.

Initially, W 1857 will focus on menswear.

“We noticed that need,” Flannery said.

He said Weaver’s reimagined its menswear section “to great reception.”

“Many of those good customers are in Wichita as well.”

Also, Flannery said, “Bradley Fair has so many strong options for women.”

The 3,000-square-foot store will be in the one-time Trio’s space next to HomeGrown.

Flannery said W 1857 will be a “reimagined concept that we think Wichita deserves and would appreciate.”

Even before the pandemic, Flannery said the way men dress was beginning to change, and a lot of what a man wears needs to be able to transition from a work environment to more casual and family outings.

“We . . . want to embrace all that life is from morning to night.”

There will be casual items and more elegant pieces from brands such as Vuori, Faherty, Peter Millar and johnnie-O.

“It’s really going to fill a niche that, frankly, the city of Wichita is kind of missing,” said Bradley Fair general manager Abbey Way.

Flannery also said it’s “time for a reimagined approach to retail.”

He said it’s necessary if a brick-and-mortar business is going to compete with online.

“We have to offer that freshness.”

Flannery said service is a particular focus for his businesses, and he hopes to make friends — not just customers.

It’s the shoppers who will dictate what the store may become, Flannery said.

“We want it . . . to be able to grow into anything . . . the community and the customer might want.”

Flannery said there will be trunk shows and pop-ups that may include items for women, children or even homes.

He said he wants to leverage the store’s relationship to Weaver’s for some of that.

“Weaver’s in Lawrence is just a proud Kansas store, and we have customers all over the state and all over the region, and many good customers and friends in Wichita.”

Flannery, whose grandfather was from Wichita, said he and his family spend a lot of time in Wichita “and have a love and appreciation for that community.”

The store will open in April.

Flannery said he’s not thinking about where else another W 1857 could open.

“Right now the focus for us is just on Wichita.”

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 4:47 AM.