Category Archives: Business

Business, Fort Scott

Downtown Business Expands: The Beauty Lounge Girls

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Aubrey Zillner, left, and Tuker Ross. Submitted photo.
Tuker Ross, 22, started her business, The Skin Lounge, in April 2021 at 4 S. Main Street in downtown Fort Scott.
The Beauty Lounge Girls will be opening in February and the windows are covered during the remodel/expansion of the business. Submitted photo.
Ross began her business after graduating from Entourage Institute of Beauty in Lenexa and has expanded her knowledge by gaining extra certifications in brows, lash extensions, full body waxing, and spray tanning, she said.
Her business is next door to the Sunshine Boutique which is owned by her grandparents, Georgia and Donnie Brown.
Ross decided to remodel and expand The Skin Lounge in December of 2021.
Ross has always had a passion for wanting to help others, she said. “Everything we do and everything we create is based on what we believe,” she said. “That helping others look beautiful is nice, but helping them believe they’re beautiful is life-changing!”
The Skin Lounge has expanded the business and changed its name with the addition of a full-time hairstylist.
The new venture is called The Beauty Lounge Girls.
Ross and her business partner, Aubrey Zillner, 24, have been friends since middle school and later rekindled their friendship.
Both are Fort Scott High School graduates, Zillner in 2016 and Ross in 2017.
Zillner will be working at The Beauty Lounge Girls as the full-time hairstylist. She graduated from cosmetology school at Fort Scott Community College in 2018 and has been working behind the chair since, Ross said.
Both women are very excited for their new adventure and look forward to serving the community, Ross said.
The Beauty Lounge will now be offering facials, lashes, brows, waxing, spray tans, hair cuts (for women, men, and kids), highlights, perms, deep conditioning treatments, and more.
They will also have a full retail bar where they customize for each of their client’s skincare, haircare, and/or body care products and services.
The hours of operation will be Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The spa side is by appointment only.
Zillner will be by appointment or accept walk-ins for any hair service, if available.
“The Beauty Lounge will be having their grand re-opening on February 3, 2022, from 4-8 p.m.,” Ross said.  Be sure to mark your calendars! There will be goodie bags, door prizes, snacks, and exclusive deals! We want everyone to have a place they can go to and feel safe and let loose and have a good time and be your true authentic self. This is a judgment-free space. We are a trendy and inviting spa studio, dedicated to helping people love who they are!” Ross said.
Contact info:  (620) 322-0561 or thebeautyloungeks@gmail.com
The Beauty Lounge Girls on Facebook
@thebeautyloungegirls on Instagram
The Hair Lounge on Facebook (Aubrey’s!)
@yourhairgirl.aubs on Instagram
Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Diann Tucker Featured in Top Agent Magazine

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Diann Tucker. Submitted photo.

Diann Tucker was Featured in the January, 2022, edition of Top Agent Magazine

Fort Scott, KS: Diann Tucker of Stewart Realty Co. was featured in the January 2022 edition of Top Agent Magazine. Top Agent Magazine is the premier real estate magazine featuring the foremost real estate agents, mortgage professionals, and affiliates in the USA, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Top Agent Magazine features the top producing and most accomplished professionals in the real estate industry, offering an in-depth look at their careers and providing a blueprint for their success.

To be considered for a feature in Top Agent Magazine all professionals must go through a nomination and interview process. ALL Candidates are then evaluated based upon production, professionalism, as well as industry and community involvement. It is considered a privilege to be nominated as it speaks to a certain success level all real estate agents strive for. Top Agent has set itself apart as a trusted source of real estate information and inspiration. Diann Tucker is a stellar example of the kind of prominent leaders of real estate we are proud to feature in Top Agent Magazine.

 

The online magazine can be viewed at https://topagentmagazine.com/top-agent-magazine-nationwide-and-international-edition/

 

“It is an honor to have been nominated and featured as a “Top Agent” in the real estate industry. I am humbled that my clients have reached out in such a way to have me recognized. I hope to continue to make real estate dreams come true.” For more information about Diann Tucker, please call 620-223-6700 or 620-224-7054, email stewart_realty10@yahoo.com, or visit www.stewartrealty.org.

 

Stewart Realty Co., 1707 S. National Avenue. From its Facebook page.

Business, Fort Scott

Country Cupboard Building Purchased by Ed Townly

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Ed and Susan Townly with their daughters from left Cheyanne Griffin, Dani Townly, and Ella Townly. The family is pictured in the  11 N. Main storefront before the holidays.

Ed Townly has purchased the County Cupboard Store, 12 N. Main from the Renard family on Dec. 28, 2021.

Last month, Townly, from Olathe, had purchased the Books and Grannie’s Book Store, just across the street at 11 N. Main.

Barb Albright, a realtor with H & H Agency, handled both the acquisitions.

Townly said that he doesn’t have definite plans for that store, nor the newly purchased one as yet.

The Townly’s have two businesses in the K.C. area and a daughter still in school, but they are looking forward to moving to Fort Scott, when their youngest daughter graduates, and she is currently in the eighth grade, he said in a prior interview.

The County Cupboard store was owned by Judy and John Renard for decades and was an anchor business in the historic downtown area, selling home decor, jewelry, clothing, cards, old fashion candy, and other accessories.

John died in 2019 and Judy in 2021.

Judy Renard, owner of the County Cupboard.

History of the Building

The building at 12-14 North Main was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Dept. of Interior, National Park Service, in 2009. The building is approximately 5,000 square feet on the first floor and 2,000 square feet on the second, according to Barb Albright, the realtor.

It is part of the Fort Scott Downtown Historic District comprised of 9.5 blocks with irregular boundaries, according to the application for registration.

To view the property’s  National Register Application:
Bourbon_FortScottDowntownHistoricDistrictNR.pdf (kshs.org)

12-14 N. Main Street building was Liepman’s Clothing House, from 1895 until 1930, according to the application.

“Reportedly, this was not the Liepman family’s first business location in Fort Scott and this was not their first building on this property,” according to the national registration application. “In 1895, the family decided to build a more substantial building. In 1909 the property was recorded as the Liepman Block with M. Leipman & Brother (brothers Morres and Joseph Leipman), clothing occupying the storefront. Liepman’s Clothing Store operated until circa 1930.

By 1938, the A & P Grocery was located at this address.”

A marker on the outside of the building at 12 S. Main. Taken from Waymaker website.

Following the A & P Grocery store, it was a western clothing shop then the Renards purchased it in the 1980s.

“This is a rectangular two-story brick commercial building with a flat roof and parapet,” according to the national registration application. “It has a recessed central entrance flanked by display windows. The three-bay second-floor facade is well preserved with a smooth-cut stone belt course under the windows, ornamented pilasters between the window bays, and an ornamented belt course above the window bays. Central paired windows are flanked by a bank of three windows. The windows have 111 double-hung sashes with transoms. There is a brick panel at the eave with the name, “Liepman’s Clothing House,” spelled out in raised letters. A corbelled and molded brick cornice ornaments the parapet. Reportedly, the original display windows and entrance were altered about 1938. There is a shed-roofed shingled awning supported on posts. Aluminum storm windows have been installed on the second-floor windows.”

To view prior features on the buildings:

New Owners of Historic Downtown Fort Scott Building

Country Cupboard To Close For Good, Until Then Saturdays Only

 

Business, Fort Scott

Upper Cut Salon: New Shop That Gives Back to Community

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Tanya Glessner. Submitted photo.
 Tanya Glessner is the owner and stylist of Upper Cut Salon, Fort Scott, which opened for business on November 12, 2021.
Glessner has been a stylist for 16 years.
“I chose this career because I grew up in a salon watching and helping my mom, Laura Brown,  in her salon,” Glessner said. “I always loved how her clients became family and no matter what was going on in their lives they always walked away looking and feeling good because of her talent and company. Now I get to share this experience with my clients. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Glessner operates her business in her home.
Upper Cut Salon interior. Submitted photo.
“Having the salon in my home also has the benefit of privacy and comfort for all my clients without the hustle and bustle of a typical salon,” she said. “It’s one-on-one and personal. I also have the benefit of flexible hours. So there’s no set work schedule. I schedule appointments based on my client’s needs every day of the week. I also make house calls for the elderly and those who aren’t able to leave their home.”
“Every Tuesday I offer $10 haircuts for everyone,” she said. “And every day I offer $10 haircuts for EMS, firefighters, veterans, law enforcement officers, and anyone currently in the military with proof. It’s my way of giving back to those in the frontline of our community.”
Upper Cut Salon services and prices. Submitted photo.
Submitted photo.
“And for those who follow the salon on Facebook I always have something new going on each month,” she said.
The shop is located at 408 Jefferson Street, Fort Scott,  and can be reached at  620-224-6704.
Business, COVID-19, Fort Scott, Government, Health Care, Housing

Positive Events in Fort Scott: Mayor Jones

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Fort Scott Mayor Josh Jones.

Fort Scott Mayor Josh Jones said many positive events happened in the community this past year, and the city is poised for some promising events in the new year.

“A lot of things done in 2021 laid the groundwork for 2022 and we expect a lot of 2021 things to be executed in 2022,” Jones said.

The following is what Jones provided fortscott.biz as accomplishments.

In 2021, the Fort Scott City Commission:

1. Refinanced city bonds saving $15,500 per year over the next five years.
2. Passed a half-cent sales tax with 90% of revenue going towards streets and 10% going towards parks. This money will start coming in, in 2022.
3. Started an in-house safety training program saving the city $15,000 per year.
4. Utilized the Firstsource Building for  Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department’s giving mass vaccines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. Put out Requests for Qualifications for a new city attorney leading to the city commission hiring a city attorney saving the city approximately $200,000 a year.
6. Approved to enter into a cost-sharing venture with the Bourbon County Commission for joint purchase of materials and equipment.
7. Approved a conditional use permit for an area south of town to allow a micro-meat processing plant to build a facility,  which will create about 30 jobs.
8. Implemented the SeeClickFix app, which allows citizens to report road problems and code nuisances.
9. Started semi-monthly roller skating sessions at Buck Run Community Center for an added amenity for the community.
10. Moved city-county emergency dispatch to the Bourbon County Courthouse.
11. Improved the beach area at Lake Fort Scott.
12. Sold the Firstsource Building for $315,000.
13. Sold four Lake Fort Scott lots for approximately $500,000.
14. Entered into a shared services agreement with Bourbon County for information technology services, saving approximately $30,000 per year.
15. Used $200,000 of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for a feasibility study for re-use of the former Mercy Hospital Building as a hospital.
16. Reworked and finalized setting up the Fort Scott Land Bank which focuses on the conversion of vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, or otherwise underused properties into productive use.
17. Approved $2,000 bonuses for all emergency services workers that work for the city.
18. Entered into an agreement with Bourbon County REDI (Regional Economic Development, Inc.) to provide economic development services for the City of Fort Scott,  saving approximately $100,000 a year.
19. Repaired over one mile of city sewer lines.
20. Entered into an agreement with the Kansas Department of Transportation for traffic signal upgrades in 2022 on Highway 69.
21. Was awarded a $50,000 grant from T-Mobile Internet for upgrades to the Skubitz Plaza area on the north end of historic downtown Fort Scott.

 

Business, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Selling Table Tent Ads

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It’s time for Table Tents!
Business card ad spaces are limited – sign up for yours now. Reach thousands of potential customers for only $50!
Sample Table Tent shown below…
January/February table tents are in production now. Hundreds of these are displayed in hotels, stores, fast-food & sit-down restaurants all over Fort Scott for the entire months of January and February.
Have a special event coming up? Promote your event with a business-card ad for only$50!
Want more exposure for your business? This is your chance to reach thousands of customers at a super-affordable cost.
If you would like to place a business-card sized ad, email communications@fortscott.com
or call Suzette at 620-223-3566.
Also, please send us your events to list for January/February!
If you are interested in adding an event that you are having in January or February onto our table tents, please email me the details by January 6th.
_________________
*Must be a Chamber member to place an ad.
*Any events may be listed on the table tents,
whether for a Chamber member business or organization, or not. However, if space is limited, Chamber member events take priority.
Thank you!
Business, Fort Scott

Hare & Crow Barbershop Hosts Open House Dec. 31-Jan.1

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Hare & Crow Barbershop, 118 S. Main. Submitted photo.

Matt Park has received his barbershop license this week for Hare & Crow at 118 S. Main.

“We’re planning to host an open house this weekend as a way to ring in the New Year,” Park said. “We will be open on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.”

Included in the open house for the business, there will be door prizes, light snacks, and beverages.

Visitors will also be entered to win a gift bag of items stocked on his mercantile shelf in the shop.

“We still have a few more finishing touches to wrap up, but we wanted to get the doors open and invite our neighbors to come see the progress,” Park said.

Hare & Crow is a modern barbershop with a traditional aesthetic and atmosphere.

Hare & Crow Barbershop, an interior view. Submitted photo.

Park offers haircuts, straight razor shaves-complete with hot lather and steam towels, beard and mustache trims, facials and shampoos.

The shop will be a comfortable space with a lounge feel for those waiting for their turn in the chair, Park said in a prior interview.

He envisions it to be a place to hang out, have a cup of coffee or a soft drink, chew the fat with friends and neighbors-whether you need a haircut or not—and loafers are more than welcome, he said.

 Park is the owner and barber.
Matt Park. Submitted photos.
Contact information:
PHONE: (620)705-9287
E-MAIL: matt@hareandcrow.com
SOCIAL: @hareandcrow

To view a prior feature:

New Barbershop Opens Soon At 118 S. Main

 

 

 

Bourbon County, Business, Entertainment, Fort Scott

Travel Service Agency in Fort Scott: AnchorBay Travel Shoppe

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Judy Cassidy, owner of AnchorBay Travel Service. Submitted photo.

 

Judy Cassidy is the owner of AnchorBay Travel Shoppe.

She describes the business as a family-owned, faith-based full-service travel agency specializing in cruises, groups, and all-inclusive vacations.

“I operate out of my home office so I mostly do free consultations over the phone if anyone is interested in making travel arrangements,” Cassidy said. “Or (we can) meet in a public place for coffee/tea.”

Cassidy attended Fort Scott High School, got married and moved away, then moved back to Fort Scott in October 2021.

She pursued a hospitality career and lived in Nashville, Denver, and Kansas City in those years away.

The idea of the business started years ago in a church she was attending.

“My original passion for this agency started when I was very involved in my church in Denver,” according to a press release.  “I already had the travel bug and wanderlust appetite for travel but I wanted to do something fun and eventful for church groups.”

She then began planning cruise groups for churches: for their singles groups, women’s/men’s retreats, and for trips to the Holy Land.

She began her diverse career in travel and hospitality after having gained an unexpected jumpstart into the industry when she found herself managing a hotel at the age of 18, she said.

She then worked as a human resources generalist for one of the largest travel agencies at the time in Kansas City.

“Completely passionately in love with traveling, (I) continued expanding my career in upper-management and consultative roles in information technology, hotel/resort operations, sales, marketing and revenue management along with managing (my) travel agency,” according to the press release. “The travel agency was kept at a manageable part-time level while (I) continued with my hospitality career.”

Cassidy is now full-time in Fort Scott, since October 2021, with her agency AnchorBay Travel Shoppe.

The logo for AnchorBay Travel Shoppe. Taken from Facebook.

She has been partnering with a travel agency to get re-certified and help with re-branding, Cassidy said.

“We haven’t officially launched, we are getting ready to do that at the end of January 2022,” she said. “But I am available to do some travel arrangements now.”

“I am the main person in the business, I have a couple of travel advisors that work by commission,” she said.

Her mission is to “passionately inspire, educate, and fulfill dreams – one client, one destination, one travel experience at a time,” according to the press release.

She believes traveling is the gateway to a broader understanding of vast cultures and destinations yet to be explored.

“We are a full-service agency with a special niche for groups,” according to the press release.  “Whether it be faith-based cruises, business/incentive seminars at sea, or annual affinity groups. We look forward to crafting the vacation experience of your dreams.”

“And because Covid also changed the dynamics of traveling, and continues to change daily, we have the tools to stay on top of the latest news, rules and protocols,” she said.

“If something goes wrong on your trip, we work on your behalf and will go to bat for you– no matter who is at fault — and try to get your vacation back on track.”

“We have access to a variety of tools that the average consumer is not able to use or doesn’t know about,” she said. “We can sometimes get you a better seat on an airplane, add amenities at hotels, room upgrades, event tickets, and plan activities for you.”

Contact information: 620.644.9696  or https://anchorbaytravel.com/

 
Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Female Entrepreneurs Dare to Dream

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The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team is sponsoring a Dare to Dream seminar on January 5, starting at 104 N. National Avenue for women entrepreneurs. It starts at 5 p.m.
“Our goal is to connect up-and-coming female entrepreneurs with local women who can mentor them,” HBCAT CEO Jody Hoener said. “We want to inspire these ladies to take on their dreams to become business owners themselves!  The HBCAT wants to provide opportunities to help our community build wealth and income, to come out of poverty, and to take control of their destiny.”
Jody Hoener. Submitted photo.
“This has been a series of four events that have been incredibly well attended and successful,” she said.  “Women are coming and asking questions of the panel and speakers.  They are talking to each other at their tables, networking, and building each other up”.
A dinner, catered by Drywood Creek Cafe,  and a networking time will begin the evening from 5-5:30 p.m.
The Keynote Speaker will be Kristi Banwart.
Kristi Banwart. Submitted photo.
Banwart will speak about how her hobby of making little girl hair bows for her daughter turned into a multi-million-dollar business in 15 years, Hoener said.  “Not only did she build regional and national relationships–but international relationships to help her business grow.”
The agenda also includes a  short panel speaker session which will include Rebecca Williams with The Butcher Block, Angela Simon with Bids and Dibs, and Katie Casper with Union State Bank.

 “They will each discuss a component of business relationships with its supplier, customer, or professional relationships–they are all instrumental in helping build any business,” Hoener said.

 

Rebecca Williams. Submitted photo.
Angie Simon. Submitted photo.
Katie Casper. Submitted photo.
“We will then have open question and answer so the attendees can ask questions to the speakers,  The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce staff, HBCAT staff, or Pittsburg State University’s Small Business Development Center staff,” Hoener said.
There is free childcare available if registered prior to the event.
The support for the seminar is grant funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to Healthy Kansas.
Art, Business, Fort Scott

Kids Art Camp Offered Next Week

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Judy Earp. Submitted photo.

Judy Earp lived 40 years in California and moved to Fort Scott in December 2019 because she fell in love with a Victorian home here.

She originally was from Lamar, MO, and looked there and in Nevada for just the right home to accommodate all of her Victorian furniture in her decision to return to the Mid-West.

When Earp found the house at 702 S. National Avenue, she found a space for an art studio.

“My art studio is in the basement,” she said.

During her California years, in her free time (she was a computer programmer and also sold real estate), she took art classes of all sorts, at Monterrey Peninsula Community College.

“The labs and all the equipment were fantastic (for all the art classes she took),” she said.

She started offering painting classes in Fort Scott in 2020 and found that the play area just outside her studio was perfect for the kid’s art classes she wanted to instruct.

The children need breaks sometimes, she said, and the space is perfect for that.

Next week she is offering a Winter Art Party for children ages five and up.

“Our next camp is from December 27 through December 31,” she said. “It has a winter theme. The cost is $125 for the entire week. I also offer two art parties for the kids on No School Days, one for USD 234 and one for St. Mary’s. These take place at my studio at 702 S. National. The cost is $25.”

No School Days are when students are not in class for one day, for teacher in-service, etc.

“My main goal is to share the joy of creating art with people of all ages and that we should all have fun while doing so,” Earp said.

“I offer different art events geared for different age groups,” she said. “During the summer and winter and spring breaks, I offer an art camp that is a week-long and we create five  different paintings, all with a common theme.”

She also provides private art parties.

“Paint and Sip Parties are adult, also private parties,” she said. “I do women’s church groups.”

This past summer Earp offered a beach week, a red, white, and blue week and a farm week.

Judy Earp’s students during beach week in 2021. Submitted photo.

“I offer family-friendly art parties also, with paintings that are suitable for all ages,” she said. “We just had one at Papa Don’s this past Saturday. The cost is also $25.”

Students of the Family Paint and Pizza Art Party on Dec. 18, at Papa Don’s Pizza. Submitted photo.

“I also offer Paint & Sip Parties,” she said. “I will have two in January at Dry Wood Creek Cafe. We will be painting a Highland Cow. Both parties sold out within a few hours.”

Submitted photo.

“All parties include everything you need to complete and take home a painting,” she said.  “I draw the picture on the canvas for you, supply the paint, brushes, easels and aprons. I also guide the artists every step of the way.”

Judy Howser and a friend show their art from a Fall Pathway Art Party in September. Submitted photo.

The best way for people to know immediately when a new class, camp or party is offered is to Like and follow Happy Snappy Art on Facebook, she said.

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Fink’s Pool Company: All Things Swimming Pool

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Submitted photo. Brady, Emily, and Wesley Fink.
Brady and Emily Fink started a new business, Fink’s Pool Company, last month to provide swimming pool service, cleaning, and maintenance for Fort Scott and the surrounding communities.

The business also provides new construction of swimming pools.

“We realized there is a large demand for this business in our area and even further,” Emily said.
“We are currently the only two (employees) as we don’t have employees yet,” she said. “Brady and I will be tag-teaming most stuff in the field (service and new construction) while I also do most of the communication with customers and anything on the phone or social media.”
“Brady was a helicopter mechanic for four years when he served in the U.S. Navy at North Island Naval Base (California),” Emily said. “He then was a plumber for three years and for the past year he has been working and learning under The Pool Guy out of Nevada (MO).”
He is a 2012 graduate of Fort Scott High School.
Even though winter is not usually the season when people think about their swimming pools, the Fink’s wanted to get the word out for people to start planning.
They will be offering service, repair, and new construction in the southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri areas starting in 2022.
For more information call or text 620.215.0306.
A new pool cover that the  Fink’s placed on a property this fall., which requires drilling concrete and placement. Submitted photo.