Longtime popular Wichita boutique to close, but there could be a last-minute save

Following a few failed attempts to sell her K. Lane’s Boutique, owner Diana Schmidt decided to close the longtime store in the center at Kellogg and Tyler.

Suddenly, though, there is interest in keeping it going.

“There’s quite a few things that could happen from this point,” Schmidt said.

Through the years, she said she’s had three different employees who intended to take over the store, but “none of them worked out.”

She also listed the business with a broker for the last six months, but nothing happened.

“Now that we’ve announced it, I have a couple people asking questions — one that might actually be a very good option,” Schmidt said. “I guess anything can happen.”

She’s proceeding with a going-out-of-business sale, however.

“You know how when you’re done, you’re done,” Schmidt said. “It’s just time for me to retire.”

She said she wants to be clear she’s not closing because she has to.

“I wanted to be sure I closed on my terms . . . while business is good and things are good,” Schmidt said.

She said she didn’t want something like a pandemic to come along “and me not have a choice.”

Schmidt named K. Lane’s after the middle names of her daughters, “neither of which want to own a clothing store.”

She first started the business 31 years ago in Anthony and then opened a second store in Wichita in 2005.

In 2016, Schmidt opened the Paisley Parrot Fashion Truck by K. Lane’s, which also is for sale.

The Anthony store closed in 2017.

The last day for the Wichita store is scheduled for May 20.

Schmidt said she wants people to know “how much we appreciate all our customers who are crying when they come in the store. It’s been so hard.”

“I knew that we had customers who would be sad, but I didn’t know they would cry real tears,” she said. “We are definitely many people’s happy place, and I’m finding that out more than I thought.”