Category: local-trends

One of the city’s largest property renovation projects is approaching the finish line. Over a year after Wichita Furniture, Inc. announced an ambitious project to reimagine the former Kmart at 4200 W. Kellogg into its second Wichita Furniture & Mattress location, company vice president Jordan Storey confirmed to the WBJ that it will have a soft opening April … Continue reading “WEST KELLOGG Wichita Furniture & Mattress renovation is nearing completion”

2022 has been a tumultuous year for the CRE industry and more volatility is expected in 2023. Below are the Top Ten CRE Predictions for 2023. Short-term interest rates will increase by at least 1.0% The Federal Reserve will continue to increase the federal funds rate even after the latest .50% increase at the Fed … Continue reading “Top Ten CRE Predictions for 2023”

Wichita-based Oliver’s Sports has come a long way since it opened in a 250 square-foot space in 1996. Twenty-six years — and several moves and expansions — later, the sports memorabilia and card business is onto its next chapter. Vince Oliver, owner of the business alongside his wife Leanne, recently purchased the former Companion Animal … Continue reading “Long-time Wichita sports memorabilia biz moving west, converting animal hospital”

Fidelity Bank’s new RISE Car Park at 320 S. Market is about to add a new tenant — a unique business with an “Instagram-able” vibe that is part trendy plant shop, part entertainment venue and part educational facility. In May, Heather Giesen plans to relocate her GROW Giesen Plant Shop, which she’s been operating as a startup in … Continue reading “Unique business — a trendy plant shop with a martini bar — is opening in downtown Wichita”

Gov. Laura Kelly’s new $750 million highway improvement plan calls for $166 million in upgrades to Kellogg freeway in east Wichita. Kelly announced the highway modernization and expansion Wednesday, less than a month after Kellogg construction ceased for the first time in 30 years. The next phase of Kellogg construction will address a bottleneck from … Continue reading “More Kellogg construction on the horizon? Here’s where state plans to spend $166M on it”

Stan Longhofer’s 22 years as the leader of the Wichita State University Center for Real Estate has been recognized with a lifetime achievement award from the Kansas Chapter of Certified Commercial Investment Members. The Kansas CCIM chapter normally works with the WSU Center for Real Estate on the annual award, so this one took Longhofer … Continue reading “WSU’s Longhofer receives lifetime achievement award”

A well-known wedding venue in the Wichita area is up for sale. The owners of Stone Hill Barn in Augusta — a 40-acre property that includes the event venue, an open-air chapel and a three-bedroom home — plan to sell both the real estate and the business itself through an online auction put on by McCurdy … Continue reading “A popular wedding venue outside Wichita will sell in online auction”

There’s been much speculation as to what’s under construction at 13th and McLean near Riverside and Indian Hills. For everyone who guessed that the buildings are duplexes, you’re right. Bob Armstrong’s RJ Castle Custom Homes and his Armstrong Plumbing are building six two-story duplexes for a total of 12 rentable units. There was speculation that … Continue reading “Finally, an answer to what’s under construction at 13th and McLean”

Spencer’s, the retail specialty gift store known for being a staple in malls across America, will open a third Wichita location at NewMarket Square. The Spencer’s will be in the small storefront between Versona and Best Buy, the space that had previously been occupied by White Dress bridal shop until it closed in May 2019. … Continue reading “Spencer’s, a mall staple, will open in NewMarket Square”

After closing its Towne East Square location in late 2020, Noodles & Co. is reopening a second restaurant in Wichita, but this time it’s going west. The Colorado-based chain of noodle restaurants has signed a lease for the northern end-cap space at a new retail strip center that was just built at the northwest corner … Continue reading “Noodles & Co. plans to open a second Wichita location on the west side”

The Orlando, Fla.-based real estate investment trust that sold its west-side All Star Sports earlier this month has also sold the east-side All Star Adventures. According to county and state business records, National Retail Properties (NYSE: NNN) has sold the 23-acre amusement park at 1010 N. Webb Road to Equisset LLC, a local real estate finance company owned … Continue reading “All Star Adventures in east Wichita also sells to new – but different – owners”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is now an investor in a franchise group that plans to open more than two dozen Whataburger locations. At least one of them will be in Wichita, Kansas. The burger chain said in a news release that it plans to expand in the region through KMO Burger, a new … Continue reading “Whataburger confirms expansion plans include Wichita”