photo by: Red Door Home Store

Offerings at the Red Door Home Store in Overland Park is shown.

News and notes from around town:

A red door is coming to downtown Lawrence, and that likely means a green light for those who like to fill their home with designer décor.

Red Door Home Store is opening its first Lawrence location next month, after years of serving the home décor markets in Topeka and Overland Park. Look for the store to open Sept. 1 at 645 Massachusetts Street, which is the former home of Winfield House, which was a longtime Lawrence-based home furnishing store.

Red Door is coming to Lawrence as a “pop-up” shop, but the store’s leader told me the company is clearly evaluating the market for a more permanent presence.

“We will test the market and see how it goes,” Jesse Borjon, member and president of Red Door, said of the new location on Mass Street. “There is the option to be in the space longer term.”

There’s also a history of the company breaking into new markets that way. The company got its start in Topeka in 2015, but ended up selling that location to a former employee in 2023. That sale came, in part, because Red Door had built a thriving business in the Johnson County market. That business started with a pop up store in Leawood in 2020, and by 2022 it had turned into a permanent location in Overland Park.

The Johnson County business has found success by offering everything from tabletop décor to the actual table. The other thing it offers: Customization.

A big part of the store’s business is its custom fabrics and its upholstery services. You might, for instance, find the perfect style of sofa but wish that it came in a red to match your drapes. Is there a way to turn that sofa red?

“Absolutely,” Borjon said. “We do that.”

Even though the Lawrence store is open as a temporary location, those type of custom services will be offered at the Mass Street location. A professional designer who will travel to a client’s home also will be part of the Lawrence offerings.

Offering that higher end option likely is an important strategy to try to combat trends toward online shopping for home décor, which the owners of Winfield House told the Journal-World had become a real challenge as they closed their store in August 2025 after 30 years in business.

But the fact that a quality home décor store lasted 30 years in Lawrence gave Borjon a sense of optimism that it was a service Lawrence residents could be interested in once again. He said he’s eager to bring the store’s curatated approach to home décor. He shops at three markets across the country to accumulate unique items, and the store takes an approach of creating new inventory for each new season.

When the store opens Sept. 1, it will be stocked with its Fall Collection. However, shortly thereafter it will be stocked with its Holiday Collection, which will be in stock through Dec. 31, which is the scheduled ending date for the Lawrence pop-up location. Or, as the store’s history has shown, it might just be the beginning of its new Lawrence chapter.

“We do think our brand will be a good fit for the community and will fill a need,” Borjon said.

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photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A new clubhouse facility at The Rustick Golf & Fare facility along Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence is shown on Aug. 15, 2026.

In terms of filling a need, go stand by a local golf course — if you dare — and determine whether there is a need for any improved golf swings.

A business along Kansas Highway 10 — one years in the making — is betting the answer is yes. I’m talking about golf course and driving range development that you likely have been seeing work on for the last two years if you are regular K-10 commuter.

The facility — called The Rustick Golf & Fare — is now open at the K-10 and County Route 1057 interchange between Lawrence and Eudora. I briefly checked out the facility on Saturday, but plan to report more on after taking a more formal tour with the operator in the coming days.

The complex, though, is much more advanced than the former Twin Oaks Golf business that operated at the same location for years. The Rustick has installed Trackman computer technology in a number of its driving range bays. That means there is a television monitor next to the bay, which allows the user to partake in specific practice routines. That could involve using the screen to select a specific target on the range, and then measuring how close your ball actually comes to that target. (Most of the time the reading is in feet, but I did get one that would only commit to the ball being located somewhere in Douglas County.) Other options include hitting driving range shots to match up with a particular scenario on a simulated course.

The high-tech features extend to the inside of the new clubhouse building, which replaced a small structure that previously was on the site. Indoors there are full golf simulators that patrons can rent, plus several indoor/outdoor driving range bays that a similar to what you might expect at a Top Golf facility.

Like a Top Golf facility, the driving range is equipped to operate at night. Part of the approved development plan for The Rustick included the addition of a number of large lights that allow for the driving range to operate well into the night. In addition to the driving range, the small nine-hole golf course that existed on the site — but has been completely rebuilt — also is lighted and available for nighttime play.

Lastly, the biggest change actually might be that the facility is no longer just about golf. The site now is home to a full service restaurant with a bar. That’s the part of the facility I learned the least about during my stop on Saturday, but I’ll plan to report back more fully in the coming days.

The entire facility has been a longtime in the making. I began reporting on the early phases of the project in 2022 after Johnson County businessman Brandon Yates purchased the site from the former Twin Oaks owners.

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Lastly, various business filings at Lawrence City Hall give some clues about other projects around town. Some of you may have noticed that a “coming soon” sign for a new Italian restaurant in the shopping center near 33rd and Iowa Streets that houses Jason’s Deli, among other businesses.

The sign has been up for months that Palermos Italian Restaurant is coming to 3140 Iowa Street, which is a storefront a couple of doors down from Jason’s Deli. Now, there are indications that Palermos may be inching closer to reality. The restaurant recently filed for a sign permit from City Hall, which is one of the last steps towards opening a business in the city. I don’t have much information on the pending restaurant’s offerings, but I’ll let you know if I hear more.

Also, look for aname change for one of the city’s urgent care clinics. A City Hall sign permit has been filed for Xpress Wellness at 3511 Clinton Parkway Place to become Integrity Urgent Care clinic next month. In doing a little research, a post on the company’s website confirms the change is coming Sept. 1. Xpress Wellness and Integrity are owned by the same company, so this is largely a change in branding, although the announcement said some new virtual care options will be added to its offerings as part of the change.