Almost 20-year-old Wichita business to move across from the Crown Uptown Theatre

For the first time in about four decades, there isn’t going to be a dance store at the Village of Carriage Parkway any longer.

This fall, Attitudes Dancewear, Etc. will be moving to the former Heart’s Desire space near Douglas and Hillside.

Remodeling at Carriage Parkway was going to necessitate Attitudes moving within the center.

“We just kind of had the opportunity to just make sure that’s where we want to stay,” owner Beth Misek said.

The decision wasn’t easy.

Misek said there are a number of great reasons to move, but she grew up going to Carriage Parkway for her dance attire.

“It is a little bittersweet to leave that area.”

The longtime Footlights store had been in Carriage Parkway before Attitudes.

“I shopped there as a dancer growing up,” Misek said. “In high school, that was my first job.”

Her mom worked there, too, to help pay for supplies such as pointe shoes, which Misek said are quite expensive.

When she was older, Misek returned to Footlights to manage it.

Eventually, the owners decided to close, and she said, “I just opened Attitudes in the same exact spot.”

That was 19 years ago.

“We just love outfitting the dance community,” Misek said. “We’re kind of a one-stop shop for all things dance.”

That includes shoes and attire for ballet, tap, jazz and ballroom dance. Misek said shoes are a specialty for the store since it’s an important service to make sure they fit properly.

She said the store has Wichita customers and ones from surrounding towns.

“There’s a lot . . . from out of town that shop with us, thankfully.”

Misek said the dance community has grown in Wichita, too.

The majority of dance studios are on the east side, but Misek said a lot of dancers live west as well. Now, the store will be just a bit further west and close to Kellogg.

The new space is at 3210 E. Douglas across from the Crown Uptown Theatre.

Jake Ramstack of InSite Real Estate Group handled the deal.

“It’s a little bit easier to get there from all the access points,” Misek said, calling it a “great little area.”

The timing isn’t the best, however.

“We are smack dab in the middle of our busiest time of the year,” she said.

The store will remain open at Carriage Parkway until the new store is ready.

Misek said she has a period between late October and early November “before ‘Nutcracker’ season hits” to make the move.

“We hope our new shop will be ready in that little window.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2023 at 4:47 AM.