As we reported last month, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas has been looking for a corporate presence in downtown Lawrence, and the company has now confirmed it has signed a deal to buy one of the larger buildings in downtown. But before you get ideas of hundreds of new employees for downtown, ...
My workout attire of a hoodie pulled tight around my head sometimes causes people to confuse me with Rocky. (In fairness, it may just be because after five minutes on the elliptical, I also only speak in monosyllables.) Regardless, if you too like the idea of breaking a big sweat while working ...
Last week I ran into a city employee who was taking down Christmas lights from downtown street trees. He told me that meant warmer weather was on the way. As I remove snow from my socks, I now believe that fellow has a great future as a groundhog. But maybe the snow has reminded you of ...
While a lot has changed in the business of selling cars since 1969, one constant in Lawrence has been Jack Ellena. That changed on Friday, as the oldest car dealership in Lawrence announced it had been sold and was changing names. Its new namesake, though, is the one it has been staring at ...
Stop me if you have heard this one. A chemist and a lawyer walk into a bar ... and then they decide to open one. More specifically, they decide to open a brewpub and become the newest player in a growing craft beer scene in Lawrence. Black Stag Brewery opened this week at 623 Massachusetts ...
People say I’m not a tech wizard, but I plan to use an iPhone to clear the snow from my driveway. (Once I bury my son’s phone, I’m pretty sure he’ll pick up a snow shovel.) While that maybe doesn’t meet the definition of high-tech, plans for the renovation of a Lawrence McDonald’s ...
The 153,000 square-foot building on the eastern edge of Lawrence currently stores patience. When you construct a large industrial building without a tenant, you had better be well-stocked in that attribute. Leaders gathered Wednesday afternoon for an open house at the first building ...
Rick Sells knows some folks like to unwind by hitting a bucket of 50 golf balls. He also knows there is an increasing number who find their relaxation by squeezing off 50 rounds of ammunition into a target. While that growing audience of gun enthusiasts is one reason Sells has spent more than ...
A shopping center is getting torn down, businesses are on the move, and an old barbecue joint will be offering up new lessons. All this is to say, I’ve got updates on a trio of 23rd Street businesses that soon will have new homes. • As we reported last month, plans have been filed to tear ...
The basement of the Ernst & Son Hardware building in downtown long had the reputation as a massive storage vault, housing everything from covered wagon parts to things that weren't even useful anymore. Well, that big storage space has helped seal a deal for new retail life at the building. ...
Pergolas have always confused me. I build a patio with a leaky roof, and people call me an awful carpenter. You build a pergola, and people praise you as an artistic landscaper. Whatever the case may be, a disputed pergola oddly has opened up a new set of opportunities for a pair of Lawrence ...
On almost any given day, I tell myself that the workplace needs more mashed potatoes. (Yes, you really shouldn’t open my bottom file drawer.) A Lawrence company that has been bringing mashed potatoes and other delights to area offices is in expansion mode. Poorboy Burrito Co. has opened at ...
A long vacant property near the entrance of the SuperTarget retail area in south Lawrence is set to be filled. But don’t look for an exciting new retailer or restaurant. Instead, look for a dentist office with a twist. The twist: This dental practice will be part of a large national chain. ...
Perhaps the Thanksgiving turkey was laced with optimism. (I’m going to blame optimism on breaking my elastic waistband.) Whatever the case, the latest numbers indicate Lawrence retailers benefited from shoppers in a buying mood during the critical Black Friday holiday shopping period. The ...
When I’m not in the mood for ice cream, I’m usually in the mood for raw tuna. Fortunately, I’m always in the mood for ice cream. But some of you may not be, and a west Lawrence ice cream shop is branching out by serving its take on poke bowls, which is becoming one of the food trends of ...
Not even a potbelly stove was enough to stave off a cool-down in business along what used to be one of Lawrence’s busiest commercial corridors. In other words, there is news of another business closing along 23rd Street: Potbelly Sandwich Shop. The general manager of the restaurant at 1618 ...
Regrettably, the new 1856 Bar & Grill in downtown Lawrence isn’t an excuse for me to wear my spurs and other fancy western attire after all. The place — located in the former home of the Italian restaurant Genovese — isn’t some sort of themed restaurant. But for fans of the former ...
The new number in the Lawrence housing market is $200,000. While Lawrence housing prices have been causing people to wring their hands for years, statistically speaking, the odds were in your favor of finding a home in town for well below $200,000. A new report shows a dramatic increase in home ...
I’m sure glad my household doesn’t measure debt levels on a per capita basis. (If it did, the obvious solution would be to have another child.) The state of Kansas, though, does measure its debt on a per capita basis, and the state’s new treasurer is waving a red flag that Kansas may have ...
The Castle Tea Room has long hosted odd things. (I still don’t know what I’m supposed to use that tiny fork for.) Soon, though, it may host a whole new type of oddity — aspiring technology entrepreneurs. A new nonprofit called Launch Lawrence has formed and announced a goal of raising ...