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Category Archives: Business
New Owners of Historic Downtown Fort Scott Building
Ed Townley, Olathe, has purchased the former Books and Grannies store at 11 N. Main, in Fort Scott’s Historic Downtown.
“I bought it with ideas in mind, but that is ever-changing,” Townley said. “At the current moment, I may finish remodeling and rent it out for a few years.”
Local realtor, Barb Albright with H and H Agency, handled the sale of the building to the family.
“I bought rental houses and recently sold those and I always wanted a business downtown,” he said.
“I have lifelong friends from Fort Scott,” he said. “Jerome Mitzner and Brian Love, along with Al Metcalf.”
He and his wife, Susan, own an independent insurance adjuster business, he said.
“We have a side business of antiques in Johnson County,” Townley said.
They are looking forward to moving to Fort Scott, although at this point it won’t be until his youngest daughter graduates, and she is currently in the eighth grade, he said.
The overwhelming amount of books in the former bookstore were consolidated and sold to a company.
“The fastest and easiest way to liquidate the books was to have a company do it,” he said.
Then he had a clean slate to see what he purchased.
What he purchased at 11 N. Main was 1700 square feet with doors to both Main Street and Skubitiz Plaza.
“The front and back doors are appealing,” he said.
Townley has repainted the original ceiling tiles, is working on new flooring and a restroom will be added.
The family worked on a Christmas display on November 6 to spruce up the storefront for the upcoming annual holiday shopping event on November 11-13, sponsored by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce and businesses.
“We did a vintage Christmas display, to give (the storefront) a little personality,” Townley said.
Following the completion of work on the first floor, the family has the upstairs to renovate.
There is an apartment on the second floor that is the whole length of the store and the family has a goal of making that into a living space, he said.
Heartland awards $5,000 to Bourbon County Fair Association for building improvements
Fair participants and others using the buildings at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds will soon benefit from improvements to roofing and HVAC systems made possible in part by a grant from Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative.
Heartland recently awarded Bourbon County Fair Association a $5,000 grant through its Concern for Community program.
“I often say that we’re not in the business of selling electricity, we’re in the business of powering rural lifestyles,” said Mark Scheibe, Heartland CEO. “Part of that is supporting the communities our consumer-members live in and around. This grant program is a great way to do just that.”
The Concern for Community program provides grants of up to $5,000 for capital improvement projects throughout the Heartland service area, which covers parts of 12 counties in eastern Kansas.
As a non-profit, member-owned cooperative, Heartland issues capital credits to members each year, but sometimes those capital credits go unclaimed. Because those monies were intended to be returned to the communities from which they came, Heartland’s Board of Directors decided to use those unclaimed funds for community grants and started the Concern for Community program in 2019.
Nine applications out of 25 received were approved for funding by the Heartland board. In total, Heartland distributed around $36,000 in Concern for Community grants this year.
Annual Holiday Open House Nov. 11-13
3-Day Holiday Open House Kick-Off : November 11, 5-8pm
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces the Annual Holiday Open House Shopping Event will take place November 11th to 13th in the Downtown Historic District and other participating locations.
Many retailers will be open Thursday evening, November 11th from 5 to 8pm for a special shopping kick-off with the Holiday Open House continuing on Friday and Saturday during normal business hours. In honor of Veterans Day and our local veterans, participating stores will be making a donation to Wreaths Across America from Thursday evening’s sales.
Dolly the Trolley will provide complimentary transportation between shopping locations Thursday from 5 to 8pm for those wishing to shop and ride.
Participating retailers include the following location: Angela Dawn’s Boutique, Barbed Wire & Roses Vintage Market, Bartlesmeyer Jewelry, Bids & Dibs, Courtland Hotel & Spa – Flying P Ranch, Hedgehog.INK!, Hole In the Wall Liquor, Iron Star Antiques & Such, Laree + Co, Main Street Gallery & Gifts, Papa Don’s (vendors), Sekan’s Occasion Shop, Shirt Shack, Sunshine Boutique, and Varia ~ Quality Resale Clothing Store.
More details will be posted on the Chamber website www.fortscott.com and social media. Contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce for more at 620-223-3566.
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Lyons Realty Adds New Employee: Ryan Edgecomb
Ryan Edgecomb, 46, is a new real estate agent for Lyons Realty Group.
“I will assist clients with buying and selling real estate,” he said. “I plan to use my agriculture background to specialize in hunting and agriculture properties.”
“I have been involved in ag-related careers my entire life including livestock feed and equipment sales as well as agriculture education,” he said.
He started this month.
He pursued this career because he has a strong interest in property and land values, he said.
“After Kylie and I got married, we started watching real estate and looking for a house to buy,” he said. ” We also kept our eyes open for some small acreage suitable to build a house. We successfully found 20 acres and built our dream home. Furthermore, I have always been intrigued by the real estate and land trends in our area. This has prompted me to pursue this position.”
Edgecomb has been involved in the agricultural community.
“I am very active in Kansas Farm Bureau by serving a leadership role on the county level and representing District 3 on the state beef advisory committee,” he said. “I have also served on many local ag advisory boards, extension boards, and participated in numerous community service projects.”
Edgecomb attended Kansas State University for both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
“My wife, Kylie, and I live on a small farm in rural Crawford County. We raise a small herd of commercial Angus and balancer cattle,” he said.
Country Cupboard To Close For Good, Until Then Saturdays Only
Once an anchor store in Fort Scott Historic Downtown, Country Cupboard staff is opening the store at 12 N. Main on Saturdays only until the end of the year in a liquidation sale, according to employees.
Home decor, jewelry, clothing, cards, old fashion candy were among the offerings of the store, as well as Kansas State University accessories.
“Judy (Renard, the owner) was a true K-State fan,” a 20-year employee Sheila Blubaugh, said.
“We had the latest trends in merchandise,” Blubaugh, said. “Judy had a good ability to pick out something that was going to be popular. People came from lots of places, to shop here.”
“Judy was good at, if somebody wanted something we didn’t have, she would try to get it for them,” Marie Wiley, an almost 30-year employee, said. “She was a good boss, as well.”
Judy’s husband, John, had a shoe repair business inside the shop.
John died in December 2019, and Judy died this year in September.
In the last few years, the shop has been opened only rarely, as Judy had been ill.
Since the Good Ol Days Event this year in June, the shop has been open on Saturdays, Wiley said.
Now until the end of the year, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, shoppers can purchase antiques, store displays, former consignment items, and store merchandise that is for sale.
All are included in the liquidation sale.
“We have boxes of old consignment items,” Wiley said. “Some are being given away.”
The Renard family has listed the business property with real estate agent, Crystal Mason, Blubaugh said.
The family is comprised of Renard’s four children, Jim, Dallas, TX; Ron, Marshall, MO; David, Mapleton, and Dee Anne Miller, Fort Scott.
The building has two stories and a basement, Wiley said.
History of the business
Judy Renard started her business as the Calico Cottage, in a different building on Main Street, Blubaugh said.
“The shop featured handmade items, sold on consignment,” Blubaugh said.
Then Judy and John purchased the current location at 12 N. Main, about 40 years ago, Wiley said.
The building was originally a men’s clothing store, then A & P Grocery Store and then a men’s Western shop-when the Renard’s bought it, Wiley said.
The Artificers Are Coming
Kate and Trent Freeman, Edwardsville, purchased a building at 8 North National Avenue, Fort Scott, on October 2, 2020, and will soon open their new business there, called The Artificers.
“The definition of artificers is fine artists and craftsmen,” Kate said.
The business will be an art gallery, a teaching studio workshop space, and a studio space for both Kate and Trent, who are artists by profession.
“We have a network of artists that we will pull from to come in and display and teach watercolor, collage, airbrush artists… from all over the country,” she said.
There will be classes and workshops.
A possible opening will be late winter, 2021, or early spring, 2022, Trent said.
“Artificers is a group, including Trent and I and anyone we invite in,” she said. “You can expect quality work.”
Trent received a degree in fine art from Emporia State University; Kate “just does art”, she said, and added, “I do the marketing for the business.”
The business will take commissioned art and have art for sale.
Trent works to create art in mixed media: clay, glass, wood, metal; Kate works in clay and acrylic painting.
“We had our studio in Kansas City for 22 years,” Trent said. “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.”
“We love the atmosphere here,” Kate said. “It feels like home here. I feel there is a revival about to happen in the town and it feels good.”
The artists had a setback in July 2021, when the building next door to the north, between The Artificers and Sharkey’s Pub & Grub Restaurant, collapsed.
“That set us back three months,” Trent said.
Also, the pandemic has kept contractors busy and the Freemans are in line for plumbing, electrical, etc.
Trent is doing most of the repurposing of the inside of the former Hammond Real Estate building himself, and last Saturday was framing up some rooms on the inside.
“The front one-third of the building will be a gallery space,” Kate said. “The next one-third will have a small kitchenette and be a teaching studio workshop and have classes in all art genres. The back one-third will be our studio space for creating.”
“The City of Fort Scott is contracting Mid Continental Restoration for some facia and the entire north side (of the building) will be cleaned and sealed,” Trent said. “They have been good to us.”
The Freeman’s will eventually live on the second floor of the building when the business’s first floor is complete, Kate said.
They are not in a hurry, because their daughter is a senior in high school and they don’t want to move until she leaves for the University of Arkansas next fall.
Accompanying them in the move will be their Red Healer dog, Ivy, Kate said, and Ivy was enjoying the sun from a south-facing window in the gallery on Saturday. There will be many more days in that spot.
For more information: 8 North National-The Artificers Facebook page or https://tefreemanstudio.com/
Evergy Announces Third Quarter 2021 Results
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Grants Available for Economic Stability and Rural Food Systems
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Inc. (HBCAT) has developed three grant programs, funded by the Patterson Family Foundation, for minority, women-owned or low-income start-up businesses, restaurants and food retail, and farmers/ranchers. Tools and technical assistance to increase the chance of a sustainable business model will be provided, free of cost, by a team of support organizations at the Action Team’s Center for Economic Growth (Center).
The Center’s team is made of Dacia Clark, Assistant Director with Pittsburg State Small Business Development Center (PSU SBDC), Lindsay Madison, President and CEO Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, Jody Hoener, President and CEO HBCAT, Rachel Carpenter, Program Coordinator HBCAT, and Christina Abbott, Southeast KANSASWORKS. Together the collaboration is offering a one-stop-shop to community members seeking to build financial stability.
Each grant program will have separate eligibility criteria.
All three grant programs will require the applicant to be an official client of the PSU SBDC at the Center, develop a plan and financial projections.
Food retail/restaurant and farmer/rancher grants will be required to submit documentation of a wholesale relationship.
“One goal with this funding is to support our local farmers and ranchers,” Jody Hoener, HBCAT, “We want to be able to eat food grown locally or meat raised in Bourbon County in our schools, restaurants, and stores.”
In addition, the Center is seeking to support individuals who have dreams of building their own business but don’t know where to start.
“Many of our clients have innovative ideas and develop solid business plans, they just need a little extra financial support to kickstart their business,” Dacia Clark, PSU SBDC.
Like many rural communities, Bourbon County has seen inadequate levels of venture or capital injection and historically no programming available to focus on employment, mentoring, business planning or other wealth-building strategies. The Center is addressing this need.
Individuals interested in applying for one of the three programs are encouraged to reach out to Rachel Carpenter at [email protected].
Find us on social media! On Facebook, Instagram and Twitter #healthybbco
Background of The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team:
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team is a Blue Cross Blue Shield Pathways to Healthy Kansas Community. Its mission is to increase access to healthy food and physical activity, promote commercial tobacco cessation, enhance quality of life and encourage economic growth. The problems of health inequity and social injustice are complex in nature and inextricably linked to key economic indicators. A healthy workforce is a prerequisite for
economic success in any industry and in all cities.
Contact information:
Jody Hoener, President and CEO
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc
620-215-5725
[email protected]
Rachel Carpenter
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc
620-215-2562
[email protected]
Mary Hunt, Interim Operations Director
Southeast KANSASWorks
Desk: 620-232-1222
Cell: 620-670-0006
Website: www.sekworks.org
Dacia Clark, Assistant Director, PSU SBDC
[email protected]
785-445-2537
Lindsay Madison, President and CEO
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce
[email protected]
(620) 223-3566
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions
participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any
program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs).
Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form.
To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: [email protected].
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
b. Exceptions to Including the Full USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
Marsha’s Deli Name Changed to Lancaster’s Great Plains Deli
The signs on the local restaurant will remain the same, Marsha’s Great Plans Deli, but the owners have changed.
Owner Marsha Lancaster died on September 19, 2021, and on October 13, her siblings became the owners of her decades-running restaurant.
The restaurant will be called Lancaster’s Great Plain Deli.
Debbie Baxley, Tom Lancaster, and Don Lancaster all of Fort Scott and Carolyn Washburn, Alaska, Marsha’s brothers, and sisters, are the new owners.
“We are going to keep the signs that say Marsha’s Deli, but the business will be called Lancaster Great Plains Deli,” Baxley said.
“The last time we saw her (before she died), she said she wanted us to keep it going,” she said.
Baxley and her daughter, Shelly Rowe, are the restaurant managers.
Changes
They have recently created a new menu, dropping some options that didn’t have enough sales.
The family raised the price of their meats.
“Our prices went up on the meat price,” Baxley said. “All of our providers of meat by the pound raised their prices.”
“Marsha hadn’t raised prices in years,” she said.
“An example, like roast beef it is $7.75 per pound when we buy it but we were selling it for $6,” Rowe said. “But now it has gone up again and we are paying a little over $10.”
Family Deaths and the Pandemic
They were closed for three weeks following Marsha’s death, and the death of another family member soon after.
Since then they have been working on the paperwork involved in the new business and grieving their losses, Baxley said.
“All the people that work here have been with Marsha for over 20 years,” Rowe said.
They have had difficulty finding more employees, as many businesses have during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Baxley said.
The pandemic protocols of wiping down menus after each use, along with cleaning the chairs, after each use, etc. have increased the labor involved in running a restaurant, Baxley said.
The family has been using a walk-up order window since the pandemic began, Baxley said.
As of today, November 1, people will be able to come in and order, but won’t be able to sit and eat the food as the restaurant, Rowe said.
“We didn’t want people to stand in the cold outside to order,” Baxley said.
They currently have six employees. Martha’s three siblings in Fort Scott, along with Rowe, help out as needed, Rowe said.
“We are a tight-knit family, if we need help, we can call on others,” Rowe said.
Rebounding
Rowe said the re-opening of the restaurant on Oct. 13, following the death of Marsha was very busy.
“The first three days we re-opened, we ran out of bread, we were so busy,” Rowe said. “Everybody was so glad to have us back. It made us feel good the community is happy, wanting us to keep it going.”
Locally known for the size of their sandwiches
“Our big sandwiches are what we are known for,” Rowe said. “The meats on the sandwiches are stacked.”
“If you don’t get full, it’s your fault,” Baxley said.
The most asked for sandwich is #25, The Marsha, Rowe said. The sandwich includes turkey, ham, salami with cheddar cheese. “That was her favorite and everybody loved it.”
Marsha named all her sandwiches after family members.
History
Marsha Lancaster took over the business called the Great Plains Deli in 2002. “She worked here before she owned it,” Rowe said. “She put her name in front of it.”
The hours of operation are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information or to place an order: 620.223.6432.
Lancaster’s Great Plains Deli delivers to homes and businesses.
New Barbershop Opens Soon At 118 S. Main
Hare & Crow is the name of a new barbershop soon to be opened at 118 S. Main.
Matt Park is the owner and soon-to-be barber.
“I recently graduated from Headlines Barber Academy in Kansas City,” Park said. “I have a couple of exams to take and hope to have my license within the next few weeks. We’re putting the finishing touches on the shop as we speak. If all goes to plan, we should be able to open by the end of November.”
Park has put together a link to a community survey he created.
“I’m hoping to get some insight on pricing, hours and services so we can serve our community well,” Park said.
The survey: https://hareandcrow.com/survey
“Hare & Crow is a modern barbershop with a traditional aesthetic and atmosphere,” Park said. “We offer haircuts, straight razor shaves complete with hot lather and steam towels, beard and mustache trims, facials and shampoos.”
“We also plan to sell some retail items,” he said. “Mostly related to men’s hair and grooming, but we will also carry other items such as locally roasted coffee, craft chocolates, and handmade wood and leather goods from local and regional makers.”
“Our shop will be a comfortable and inviting space with a lounge feel for those waiting for their turn in the chair,” he said. “It will be a place to hang out, have a cup of coffee or a pop, chew the fat with friends and neighbors whether you need a haircut or not—loafers are more than welcome.”
“This is a family business,” he said. “My wife and I bought the building in July of 2020 and we live in the apartment above the shop with our four kids.”
Park can be reached by phone at (620)705-9287 or by email at [email protected].
Chamber After-Hours on Nov. 4 at Landmark Bank
Chamber After-hours hosted by the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces an After-hours event hosted by the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation will take place Thursday, November 4, 2021 from 5:15 to 6:30pm at Landmark National Bank, 200 S. Main Street.
The mission of the Community Foundation is to “Honor the Past, Impact the Future” by creating a giving and granting environment which addresses the immediate and long-term charitable needs of our community. The After-hours event will feature grant presentations to the 2021 award recipients. Light refreshments will be served.
Any individual or organization can donate to the foundation in the form of monetary gifts, transfer of real estate, investments, or a memorial. Contributions are placed in an endowed fund which is a permanent pool of resources of which only the interest is used in granting each year. The goal of the endowed funds is to exist in perpetuity so that the needs of the greater Bourbon County area are met both now and in the future.
Contact Community Foundation Chairman Carla Farmer at 620-224-6500 or the Chamber at 620-223-3566 for more information.