The store that made sure Wichita ‘feels like a city’ is now leaving

After almost two months of avoiding the topic, Williams-Sonoma in Bradley Fair has confirmed it is closing.

“We will be closing our Wichita store January 21st,” the store’s Facebook page said Tuesday night. “We apologize for any inconvenience and invite you to visit or call our stores nearby.”

In mid-November, a manager at the store said she could neither confirm nor deny information about a possible closure.

For the better part of six weeks, a representative of the San Francisco-based chain didn’t return requests for comment.

The store is known for culinary items, such as high-end cookware, accessories and gourmet goods.

When the store opened in late 1997, The Wichita Eagle quoted one person who said Wichita now “feels like a city.”

“Others say adding a Williams-Sonoma to the retail market is ‘a step in the right direction’ to making Wichita a full-fledged city that could be ranked with the likes of Oklahoma City or Kansas City, Mo.,’ ” The Eagle reported at the time.

For years, though, speculation was the store was not going to last.

Finally, it seems that has proven true.

The Williams-Sonoma website directs shoppers to its stores in Utica Square in Tulsa and Towne Center in Leawood.

Though the chain did not respond to The Eagle, the Facebook page said, “THANK YOU for being our guests throughout the years!”

This story was originally published January 3, 2024 at 12:48 AM.