Wichita store closes after almost 30 years, but owner hopes someone might revive it

Two years after selling his Rug Studio at the northwest corner of Maple and Ridge Road, Philip Holmes said the buyer abandoned the business.

The buyer couldn’t be reached for comment.

“Things were going well, and then they weren’t,” Holmes said. “Under our agreement, the inventory goes back to me.”

However, he has some other things going on and said he isn’t prepared to work a retail store again.

“I’ve been able to help some clients,” Holmes said. “Not having the retail location, it’s not as convenient, but we make it work.”

He said he’d like to find someone to continue the business or incorporate the inventory into an existing business.

Holmes said he has a lot of vendor contacts and accounts to share along with the inventory.

The store, which opened in 1994, moved to the west side from its former home in the Shops at Tallgrass near 21st and Rock Road in 2019.

“I’d been doing it for almost 30 years,” Holmes said. “I’m just not ready to return to that.”

This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 4:47 AM.