Delano retailer says west-side store is ‘maiden voyage outside of the . . . flagship’

When All Things Barbecue owner Don Cary opened a warehouse in the former Cherry Orchard Furniture space on the west side in 2020, he said he planned to hold periodic warehouse sales, such as for scratched and dented furniture.

Now, he’s planning a lot more than that. Cary is opening a second All Things Barbecue store in the 32,000-square-foot building at 5215 W. Central, just east of I-235.

“We’ll call this our maiden voyage outside of the . . . flagship,” he said.

The other store is at 818 W. Douglas in Delano. Both stores will carry the same items, though each will have different areas of emphasis.

“We’ll probably be deeper in some of our smokers and grills on West Central,” Cary said.

In Delano, there will be more of a focus on outdoor kitchens and patio furniture, though there also will be displays of each on West Central as well.

Usually when Wichita businesses open two stores in the city, one is on the east side and one is west.

Cary acknowledged that his two stores are “super close.” By his estimation, they’re about eight minutes away, or maybe double that during morning and evening commutes.

He said there are a lot of positives to turning the West Central space into a retail site.

For one, Cary said, “You’re not competing for parking.”

He said it’s also easy to get in and out, and there is a good car count in both directions.

“We just made a decision that we’re going to turn that into kind of an easy access for the west side (and) north side.”

The building still will have space for outbound shipping and deliveries from there.

Cary also is adding a demonstration kitchen along with refrigeration and freezers for items such as specialty meats.

A new pantry will be a particular focal point. There will be the store’s traditional sauces and rubs, but there will be other items as well, such as all the ingredients to make what Cary called a “true Neapolitan-style pizza.”

He said he’s expanding into flours, grains, rice and gourmet beans.

Cary said that may sound funny, but he said there’s a huge difference between standard beans and gourmet ones.

The goal, he said, is to have a curated selection for shoppers. The ability “to shop and do complete meals is kind of where we’re heading.”

Cary plans some soft openings on Saturdays leading up to what he hopes will be an official opening on Aug. 28 if everything comes together as planned.

“Some things need to go well for that to happen.”

The West Central store has a digital billboard out front. Cary said to keep an eye on that for opening updates.