Fun and Games, a fixture in downtown Lawrence for nearly three decades, is moving its costumes, novelties and other products to a new home along 23rd Street.
Owner Kyle Billings expects the new shop to open Aug. 1 in the Southern Hills Center, 1601 W. 23rd St. The store moved from 816 Mass. to the top floor of the Lawrence Antique Mall, 830 Mass., about two years ago.
"The location has worked for us, but we thought we could do better if we were in a more visible spot," Billings said.
He didn't find a new place downtown to meet the shop's needs.
"There's not anything that we can afford downtown," he said.
The new location will be about 6,700 square feet, compared to the current store's 5,000 square feet. With the relocation, Billings plans to expand the mainstay of his business: costumes. He also will add women's shoes to the costume offerings.
Comments
krissypoetry 9 years, 2 months ago
we might be loosing two, there is a for lease sign on the antique mall window is it just for the fun and games space or does anyone know if the antique mall is headed out too?
Kookamooka 9 years, 2 months ago
There never seems to be a shortage of idealistic entrepreneurs waiting to give their luck a try on Mass Street. It's a tough market. But retail is tough everywhere right now. Even Supertarget has reduced it's inventory for Fall. Try to find what you need. It isn't easy in a town that has mini versions of the big box retailers that market specifically to frat boys and sorority girls. God I hate shopping in Lawrence!
Sigmund 9 years, 2 months ago
Mass Street landlords are charging way too much for their retail space and the local merchant exodus will continue until they begin to lower rents, That will be hard considering many landlords were convinced to refinance at much higher values and pocketed cash. Problem is those lenders are unwilling to reduce payments on those loans and the city promptly raised their property valuations and taxes. I don't begrudge them making a profit but I'll be damned if I want to bail them out now.
The downtown landlords want the Lawrence taxpayers to bail them out with grants for 75% of their fire sprinklers, property tax rebates, advertising dollars and more. Honestly, I'm done with them. I'm taking my business to non-downtown merchants who aren't collecting corporate welfare to cover for their speculation. and over extending their mortgages. http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/apr... http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/jun...
Funny, it's always "Our Downtown" when the bills are due but when they deposit the rent checks it's always in their bank account!
jonas 9 years, 2 months ago
"gl0ck0wnr (Anonymous) says:
i blame t3h walmarts!!'
Do you have any skill with photoshop? Cuz if you put that caption on either of these photos, it would be the funniest thing in the world, I think. I'd do it myself, but I have no photoshop skills to speak of.
http://a272.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/122/l_5186f4275b29a122c4835f79a1a83a9f.jpg
http://a834.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/74/l_da3dd0d93e33d02edb5afdc57dc94771.jpg
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