WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

Plans filed for renovation of Lawrence's Target store; a bigger Starbucks seems like a possibility

Get ready for a big renovation at Lawrence’s SuperTarget store. Work is expected to begin next month, but what’s going to change at the south Iowa Street retailer is a bit unclear. A smaller grocery department, though, appears to be a possibility, based on plans filed with Lawrence City Hall. There are also some other signs, less concrete at the moment, that a larger Starbucks may be coming to the store. ...

New report claims Lawrence is now one of the best beer cities in America

There has been talk in some circles that Lawrence is the beer capital of Kansas. Now, there is evidence that goes beyond the fact that the pile of discarded beer bottles in your garage is roughly the size of the Statehouse dome. A national website lists Lawrence as one of the 50 best beer cities in America. The financial website SmartAsset has studied 350 cities across the U.S. to determine the “best cities ...

A big, historic building on Massachusetts Street is going on the market after 40-plus years of family ownership

If entering the J.Lynn Bridal store in downtown Lawrence causes you to feel a bit like a hustler or a shark, don’t be alarmed (although I wouldn’t recommend writing those thoughts into the wedding vows.) The building at 731 Massachusetts St. was a pool hall for almost 30 years, after all. The building and its next-door twin at 729 Massachusetts St. also have been a makeshift post office, a dry goods store, ...

New west Lawrence doughnut shop features made-to-order menu

Maybe you too have learned what a snow day during holiday baking season is good for: about 20 pounds. Doughnuts, though, weren’t on my list of treats I was making and eating, but, of course, I didn’t have the benefit of a doughnut-making robot. A new west Lawrence doughnut shop, however, does. Humble Donut Co. recently has opened inside the Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt shop near Sixth Street and Wakarusa ...

How a summer garden turned into a new downtown soap store; Gap announces Lawrence closing date

I can tell you from personal experience that if you get close enough to a pig, you gain greater appreciation for a bar of soap. So, maybe there is some symbolic synergy with the Bourgeois Pig’s new next-door neighbor in downtown Lawrence — a handmade soap company. Bodytruth Soap Apothecary opened recently at 10 E. Ninth St. in the spot that used to house Z’s Divine Espresso before it moved to its ...

Lawrence's overall economy shows growth in 2018, but there are fewer dollars than in many university towns

New figures from the federal government show Douglas County has a significantly smaller economy than many other counties that are dominated by major universities. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released new figures Thursday that for the first time show the gross domestic product of every county in America. The numbers showed Douglas County turned in a kind of middle-of-the pack performance in Kansas. ...