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Category Archives: Business
The Artificers Celebrate One Year in Business
Trent and Kate Freeman purchased the building at 8 N. National Ave from Phil Hammons in October of 2020, after a full remodel of the building they hosted the grand opening of their art business on January 28th, 2023.
“In the first year, The Artificers (the name of their art gallery) hosted artists from Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, California, and Georgia,” Kate said. “These Master artists have also taught classes in their medium and brought their talents to share in Fort Scott.”
“The Artificers provide a wide range of fine arts and fine crafts for purchase in our gallery,” she said. “The teaching studio provides a space to learn everything from ceramics, watercolor, weaving, printmaking, fluid art, pen & ink, and more. We also run our studios out of the space and are available for commissioned work.”
“The first year was a year of learning,” she said. “We tried to watch what people loved about our business, doing more of that. We took away things that didn’t seem to be a good fit for the community and listened to our clientele to provide classes and items that they wanted. One of our goals was to fill a gap in art education, as well as give confidence to people who want to experience making art but haven’t had the opportunity to be encouraged in their creativity.”
“We are very excited to expand our offerings in our Bourbon County Clay LLC line,” she said. ” This is a line of limited edition items made from clay that we pull from the ground in Northwest Bourbon County. All items are stamped with our logo and numbered.”
“We are also developing a line of online classes that will be available to purchase through subscription,” she said.
Contact info: theartiicers.com [email protected]
About The Artists
Trent works to create art in mixed media: clay, glass, wood, and metal; Kate works in clay and acrylic painting.
“We had our studio in Kansas City for 22 years,” Trent said in a prior interview. “I’ve been a professional for 28 years. We’ve done everything from gallery to commission to art festivals all over the country. Most of our work is commission now.”
Trent said when Kansas City shut down businesses during the COVID-19 Pandemic, they began coming to their farm, west of Fort Scott.
Trent’s parents, Ed and Jackie Freeman built a house near Bronson and retired there, and so Trent and Kate have been coming here for 20 years, he said. “And we loved the town.”
Eventually, the Freeman’s purchased the building at 8 North National Avenue, on October 2, 2020.
Continue reading The Artificers Celebrate One Year in Business
Cooking Class Offered at HBCAT This Saturday
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team staff is sponsoring a cooking how-to event this Saturday, Feb. 3 from 10 a.m. to noon.
The HBCAT is located at 104 N. National, across from the new Farmers Market Pavilion.
Suzanne Griffin, owner of Twigs and Berries Catering, is the presenter.
” We will learn how to cook on a budget, how to meal plan easily, how to include kids in the kitchen, eliminate food waste, convert leftovers to a new meal, shop our homes first, shop by season and sales, The Bliss point of food taste, which is the combination of certain flavors. ”
She looks forward to the event.
“When I was a young mom and wife I had some great veteran moms, including my own mom, that shared with and I wanted to pass that blessing of help on,” Griffin said. “I… share because cooking is one of my talents, I enjoy it and I have plenty of experience, not because I’ve perfected it. We all have different strengths and by teaching others younger than us, I feel like it builds community. The in-person, face-to-face, heart-to-heart, learning. I hope someone can glean some useful information from Saturday.”
There is no cost for the event.
“There will be a time for learning, worksheets to coach participants through building a monthly meal plan, and handouts to take home,” Griffin said.
“One of the top priorities that our Local Health Equity Action Team coalition, an initiative of HBCAT, has identified in our community there is food insecurity,” said HBCAT Executive Director Rachell Carpenter said. “The educational event taking place on Saturday will help participants learn how to:
*Cook on a budget
*Eliminate food waste and use leftovers made into a new meal.
*Convenience vs Homemade cost and nutrition benefits
*Shop the home freezers first
*Shop by season and sales
*Make meal planning easy
*Include kids in the kitchen
About Twigs and Berries
“I started catering in March 2022 with the hope of bringing in a little extra money while still being able to stay at home,” Griffin said. ” I thought it would be just for a couple of weeks. When we first started we were doing ready-made meals for pickup once a week. Then in 2023 we were almost exclusively catering events only. We do anywhere from 10 – 200 people.”
“My husband, kids, and mom are my main helpers. I also have a high school girl who recently has started helping me.”
Contact information for Twigs and Berries is 479-263-4059 or Facebook-https://www.facebook.
Chamber Coffee Hosted by Riggs Chiropractic
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Amy Sawyer: New Small Business Advisor
Amy Sawyer is the new Small Business Advisor at Pittsburg State University Small Business Development Center
The services she will be providing to the Fort Scott community:
- Start Up – LLC & EIN registration
- Loan & Grant Prep – Business Plan & Cash flow
- Accounting – Quickbooks, Wave Accounting, Etc.
- Sales Tax – Registering & Paying
- Marketing & Sales
- HR/Employees
- Strategic Planning
- Business Protection
- Government Contracting
- Exit Planning
“I started with the Small Business Development Center at Pittsburg State University in October,” Sawyer said. “I have spent the last three months alongside Dacia Clark learning my job duties, as well as learning about Fort Scott and what is important to Fort Scott. There are a lot of exciting things going on here, and I am so happy to be a part of it!”
“The best part of my new job at SBDC is that I get to help people all day long!” she said. ” I get to help people make their dreams come true. There are many services that we offer at the SBDC, and most of them are at no charge to the client. So, please reach out and see if we can help you, in any way. I am happy to visit with you at your business, as well! I look forward to meeting you!”
Her contact info: [email protected] 620-235-4921 or call the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team office.
Hours available in Fort Scott are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9 am-4 pm.
Originally from Winfield, which has the same namesake as Ft. Scott, she noted, Pittsburg has been her home for over 20 years.
“I developed a love for downtown and community service while in high school,” she said in a press release. “Winfield was a Main Street town, and I had the opportunity to work on a project for the organization. My Mother has always been involved in the chamber and business community, so it was natural for me to make those things an important part of my professional career.”
She attended Pittsburg State University and majored in Communications and minored in Business Administration.
After college, she started a career with Names and Numbers telephone directories and worked there for 13 years.
“I had the opportunity to gain experience and grow as a leader,” she said. “I started as a Graphic Designer (I was not the best), but I quickly developed an interest in operations. I was blessed with leaders who saw my fire and intrigue, and they were gracious enough to invest in me. Ultimately, I was named Director of Production at Names and Numbers, and I really enjoyed the big picture and strategic side of the business, as well as the opportunity to grow other leaders.”
“For the last two years, I worked for the United States Senate. In that role, I did community outreach for an 11-county area in Southeast Kansas. This role allowed me to work with business and community leaders across the SEK region.”
She has been an active member of the Pittsburg Area Young Professionals for 10 years and was a past president; served on the Salvation Army Board of Advisors, Pittsburg Downtown Advisory Board (Past Chair), as well as Pittsburg Sunrise Rotary.
In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and spending time at Table Rock Lake.
110 South Main Cafe and Store Will Reopen February 6: New Distillery on the Horizon
The owners of Cohn’s Cafe and 110 South Main Mercantile & Market closed for January 2024 to work on the south half of the building.
“We painted the old banquet hall, removed the old carpet, and we will also replace the ceiling tiles and update the light fixtures,” said Kathy Dancer, owner.
The banquet hall, which was used by the Scottish Rite, is just on the other side of the cafe and is an area that has been closed off to customers in the past.
“The carpet has been removed, the walls have been repainted, and the ceiling has been removed and will be replaced this week,” she said. “The space will not be complete for the February 6th reopening, but it should be complete in early spring once we finish adding heating and air conditioning and complete some plumbing work in that portion of the building. Once HVAC is done, the retail store will move to that area.”
Cohn’s Cafe and the retail store will reopen on Feb 6, with new hours and days.
The businesses will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with the kitchen closing at 2 p.m. each day. They have 11 employees
“We have added about a dozen new product lines to the retail store including Zum, Mountain Goat Soap Company, and Miners + Monroe Grooming,” Dancer said. “These are all Kansas-produced items. We are also restocking and expanding customer favorites such as Rural Pearl Art, Simply Delightful Popcorns, Frontier Soups, Two Southern Ladies, and Bath House Trading.”
“In the cafe, we have added several breakfast items including a breakfast sandwich, a breakfast croissant, and French toast, ” she said. “We will also be serving a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, a specialty burger with a Bourbon maple glaze, and several new desserts including a skillet cookie and chess pies, made from Kress Tea Room recipes. We will still have quiche, crepes, and sandwiches from last year’s menu.”
The Kress Tea Room was a downtown Fort Scott staple for several years.
They are working on a third business in the building.
“We will continue working on the southern half of the building in the evenings and hope to have the micro-distillery licensed and operating by summer,” Dancer said.
Her husband, Tracy will operate the distillery. Tracy Dancer was newly elected to the Fort Scott City Commission.
Two of their children help out with the businesses.
“They work wherever needed in the kitchen, cafe, and store,” she said. “Katelyn, who is a senior at Fort Scott High School, does most of the baking. Her specialty is a scratch-made cheesecake. Andrew helps process new inventory.”
Contact info: phone number: 620-418-6209 or
Facebook: Cohn’s Cafe on Main
Facebook: Cohn’s Cafe on Main
Bowman Purchases Geneva and Son Monument
Dan Bowman purchased the Geneva and Son Monument business in August 2023, from Kenny and RoAnn Blake, who owned the business for 24 years.
The new business is now called Bowman Monument Co. and Bowman has two employees, Emily Selvey, his daughter, and Colten Selvey, his son-in-law.
The products provided by this business are urns (for funeral cremation) memorials (headstones), grave markers, monuments, and benches. The services offered are installation, resetting, and cleaning of headstones.
They recently created a bronze plaque that will be placed on the First Colored Infantry Memorial Mural in downtown Fort Scott.
The location remains the same at 111 Scott Avenue, Fort Scott. The phone number is 620.223.3350, the email address is [email protected].
Business hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday by appointment.
They are currently putting the final touches on a website, Bowman Monuments.com.
D and J Glass Company
In addition, Bowman has housed his other business, D and J Glass at the 111 Scott Avenue site. Formerly the business was on State Street. He has been in the glass business for about eight years, he said.
“I sell new windows and do glass replacement for home and auto, and commercial,” Bowman said.
D and J Glass Company’s phone number is 620.223.1220.
Local Author Tanya Glessner Completes Second Book
Local author, Tanya Glessner, has written her second book Stand Up Eight.
“The book has personal testimonies of everyday people who have experienced a personal relationship with God through trials of adversity,” she said. “Their stories offer hope, encouragement, and inspiration to all believers.”
The book title was taken from a Bible verse: Proverbs 24:16 “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,” she said.
“No matter how many times we fall, we always get back up again.”
One may purchase Stand Up Eight on Amazon:
in paperback for $10 and on Kindle for $7.99.
Here is the link to purchase the book:
To view a prior story on Glessner:
*I plan on taking some books to Hedgehog Ink bookstore … mmid-February” she said. “I also want to mention that Stephen Toal did the cover art.”
About the author:
Tanya Glessner was born in Kansas City.
She operates Crooked Cactus Coffee Roasting Company with her husband from their home in Fort Scott.
She volunteers her time mentoring recovering addicts and men and women imprisoned.
Tanya says she finds joy in serving the Lord and also spending time with her grandchildren.
KS Department of Children and Families Office Building is Being Built at Wall and National Avenue
A new building is being built at the corner of Wall Street and National Avenue for a local Kansas Department of Children and Families office, with a completion date in mid-summer 2024, according to the developer.
The building will be 13,649 square feet and will have the capacity for 40 employees, said the real estate developer Kendall Schoenrock. Schoenrock purchased the building in the summer of 2023.
The State of Kansas released a Request for Proposal for the project and “I answered that request and proposed the downtown site,” he said.” I proposed the site during the RFP process. That location was part of my bid and was selected by the state. We won the bid after proposing the site.”
“This project is very important for the State of Kansas, to retain jobs in Fort Scott,” Schoenrock said. “They could have moved the DCF to another community.”
This is a multi-million dollar investment into downtown Fort Scott, he said.
In addition, it will spur money for retail and restaurants in the downtown area.
“This project will get many people for downtown businesses,” he said. “They will eat downtown, shop downtown, etc.”
The demolition is being done by Skitch’s Hauling and Excavating, Inc.
After demolition, Schoenrock’s team will get to work, putting the building on the south side of the lot, with parking on the north.
“I have rented a house in Fort Scott and will live there for a year,” he said. “I am bringing in my team.”
“Many (local) people helped make this happen,” he said. “Bailey Lyons with Lyons Realty Group, Rob Harrington with Bourbon County Regional Economic Development, and Brad Matkin and Matthew Wells, with the city. And Arnold Scholfield with the Fort Scott Design Review Board provided good, solid feedback for the project.”
“They should be praised,” he said. “Fort Scott has been very supportive. I couldn’t have asked for more support from the city. That’s what is needed to spur development.”
“I have been impressed working with all these people- it’s a team effort,” he said. “They are appreciative of outside money coming to town. I always tried to be a good partner.”
Silverrock Venture is his family business and is based in Junction City. He is a commercial real estate developer.
Recently, he developed and now owns the Flint Hills Medical Home, a 12,375-square-foot medical facility located in Junction City, for the Department of Defense, according to his website.
More can be learned about the owner at his website: kendallschoenrock.com.
Jeff Armstrong: New Realtor in Fort Scott
Jeff Armstrong obtained his real estate license in the fall of 2021. and he joined Front Door Real Estate in August of 2022.
“I look forward to assisting sellers/buyers through the quagmire of home real estate,” he said. “Besides children, home ownership is one of the largest and possibly most stressful financial responsibilities for adults. My purpose as a real estate agent is to work alongside the client to facilitate transactions, clarify areas of uncertainty, listen and identify the client’s needs/wants, and create an atmosphere of trust.”
“There are many high-quality realtors in Fort Scott, so I am constantly reading, listening, and learning to provide the exceptional service clients deserve,” he said.
“My original purpose of getting my license revolved around owning and managing a piece of commercial real estate in town, however, like many short-term goals, I pivoted,” he said.
“I run and operate a pressure washing business (Armstrong Pressure Washing) out of Fort Scott and did some work for Jared (Leek) back in early 2022,” he said. “We were just talking and I mentioned I recently earned my real estate license and he graciously asked if I would have interest in joining Front Door.”
“The wealth of knowledge and expertise at Front Door Real Estate made the decision simple,” he said. “I am spoiled to be a part of such an amazing group of professionals. Real estate transactions do demand a certain level of knowledge and problem-solving, but can be wasted without trust, integrity, and communication. Much like any service profession, real estate is fueled by relationships.”
“Housing markets go up and down, but how we work for our clients supersedes those events and smooths out the rough times and enhances the joyous moments.”
When asked what his community involvement/hobbies/interests are:
“As each day passes, I find that my faith in Jesus Christ becomes more and more important to me and all that I do should be done to glorify His holy name. With kids in middle school and high school, most of my extra time revolves around them and their engagements. I also own and operate my pressure washing business during the spring/summer/fall months.”
“I am supported and encouraged by my gorgeous wife Jamie and blessed with my two children, Kendal and Jax,” he said. “My parents, Steve and Janet, provide me wisdom and encouragement even as an adult.”
Contact Info: 620-224-3036, [email protected], Facebook @jeffarmstrong-realtor, 113 S. Main Street
Bourbon County Community Outlook Conference Is January 31
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