Realtor group begins to worry about Lawrence's growth policies; home sales forecast to decline slightly in 2020

Don’t expect Lawrence’s real estate market to regain its bounce in 2020, a Wichita State economist told Lawrence Realtors on Thursday. A slight decline is more likely for the number of home sales next year. Stanley Longhofer, director of the WSU Center for Real Estate, is forecasting that home sales in 2020 will be down about 3.5% from this year’s totals. Longhofer is projecting 2019 will finish with ...

Old liquor store on Massachusetts Street set to become jiujitsu studio

After spending 3 1/2 years in a motor home as a “nomad jiujitsu instructor,” maybe it is not surprising that Robert Riley ended up at a Lawrence liquor store. But no, this is not one of those types of stories. Riley actually is turning the old liquor store building into a jiujitsu studio, with the help of a business partner who also has his own story of a winding journey. Riley and business partner Charlie ...

Mexican restaurant Tortas Jalisco reopens; plans also filed for a laundromat and a pawn shop

A longtime Mexican restaurant is back from a nine-month break, and it has reopened in a spot that may remind you of its beginnings. Tortas Jalisco has opened in the back room of Empire Bar & Billiards near Ninth and Iowa streets. Being in a pool hall is a new experience for Tortas, but operating a restaurant in a small space isn’t. If you remember, Tortas Jalisco got its start in the corner of a gas ...

Photo: 4 inducted into Lawrence Business Hall of Fame

With both funk and vintage, antique shop opens in East Lawrence

The hoopla in Washington, D.C. is about an impeachment inquiry. The Hoopla in East Lawrence is, oddly, about paper dolls of Richard Nixon. If you are confused, I can’t really explain presidential paper dolls, but I can tell you that Hoopla is the name of a new East Lawrence boutique. Indeed, Hoopla, 840 Connecticut St., is a vintage furniture and antique shop that specializes in items from the 1950s, 1960s ...

Another all-you-can-eat buffet waves the white flag; an update on old Montana Mike's space

When it comes to all-you-can-eat buffets, a question hangs over such establishments: What will break first, my belt or the will of the buffet owner? For one of Lawrence’s largest buffets, it looks like it is the latter. The CiCi’s pizza restaurant, and its buffet, at 23rd and Iowa streets seemingly has closed. While there is no sign on the door, the restaurant was locked up on Thursday. A peek through the ...