Editor's note: This is the third story in a series examining the past, present and future of Eudora as the city drafts its next comprehensive plan that will serve as a guide for development for the next 20 years.
BY LUCIE KRISMAN
After opening a dance studio in Eudora several years ago, Rachel Weitekamp has kept classes small at Sunflower State Dance so she can better get to know and form relationships with her students.
It’s opportunities like these that make Weitekamp think about how owning a business in a smaller town has been “an awesome experience.”
“Becoming a business owner and then developing that kind of education as to what it takes to be a business owner, it’s been a learning curve to learning or working with a smaller town,” she said. “I didn’t grow up here and I’m not from a small town, but then there’s also lots of great benefits as well.”
Sunflower State Dance is one of the local businesses that has opened in Eudora in the nearly two decades since the city adopted its last comprehensive plan aimed at providing a road map for development in the city.
As the city works on its next plan, several business owners and members of the Eudora Chamber of Commerce told the Eudora Times about their experiences and what they hope for the future of the city.
Staying local
Chamber Past President Jeremiah Holcomb said the industry that has changed the most in Eudora in the past two decades is food and beverage, pointing to the addition of Zeb’s Coffeehouse and the recent closing of Wakarusa Brewery as examples.
“Those are the things that you notice, what’s the revolving door and what has been able to sustain itself,” Holcomb said.
Overall, local business leaders say one of the ongoing challenges of operating in a small town is convincing residents of the importance of shopping local.
Holcomb said with Eudora’s proximity to other cities, many residents are willing to take their dollars elsewhere. He said a higher percentage of online retail and the fact that many businesses in Eudora typically serve niche markets contribute to this as well.
“I think that really we need to get more businesses that are going to have a higher percentage of our community utilizing them,” Holcomb said. “When the community recognizes the value of keeping its tax dollars from retail in the community, that’s when the business community and the residential community that keeps our commerce here sees the bigger wins.”
Weitekamp said residents might be incentivized to shop local if they form relationships with business owners and ask about other products that Eudora businesses could carry.
“There’s a lot of great businesses here that maybe they aren’t selling the service or product that you’re looking for, but I’m sure they would be happy to if they knew that there are people looking for it,” Weitekamp said. “Then also you’re saving money by not having to drive to other communities to purchase something.”
Weitekamp hopes to see growth and continued support of local businesses in the coming years.
“I think it’s really important to support your local community because those are the people that are going to be supporting your schools, your kid’s Little League team, things like that. And you don’t want the resources that you already have to end up closing down or leaving,” she said.
Ami Bruce of the Chamber said the addition and development of the Nottingham Center will help add to Eudora’s retail and help put the city on the map.
“It’s obviously going to help with our tax dollars and also just visibility and what we offer to our citizens and our community,” Bruce said. “Hopefully whatever comes in there is more variety, not only to our community but to people who visit.”
Aside from the new addition of retail closer to K-10 with the Nottingham Center, Bruce said the city will benefit from the revitalization of downtown.
“As our downtown continues to be restored, it’s going to add charm and draw to Eudora,” Bruce said. “There’s no secret that downtown is charming. It just needs some TLC to be put into it. I think any business that goes into downtown right now is going to be received well.”
Kathy Weld of Zeb’s Coffeehouse said the goal of a vibrant downtown is an important reminder that Eudora already has something valuable in its downtown, aside from the new things coming.
“There’s this growing trend toward these little downtown spaces,” she said. “It’s so cool to be in these hundred-year-old buildings. Let’s not let them go to waste.”
Since opening Zeb’s in 2018, Weld said she's noticed customers want to know that business owners in town are involved members of the community.
“Being connected in the community, I think, is really important in a town of this size,” Weld said. “People want to know that you have roots here, that you’re not just coming in to try to make a buck off of this little town, that we’re invested in this community and we care about the community because we live here.”
Balancing growth and heritage
Going forward, Weld also hopes to see more expansion and variety in what is offered to consumers in Eudora.
“The more variety of businesses, the more people are ready to keep their dollars local,” she said. “When somebody can have a meal, get a cup of coffee, go shopping and everything all in one area, then everybody benefits.”
She has also noticed a trend of younger business owners in Eudora and hopes that can grow.
“I think that’s a good thing in the community to have younger folks starting businesses that have the energy to build them and sustain them to a point that they can last,” she said.
Holcomb said moving forward, he hopes both revamping downtown and looking at growth near K-10 can be prioritized, not just one or the other.
“We can’t neglect that we’ve got roots as a small community, as most communities do, and we’ve got to protect our heritage as well,” Holcomb said. “But at the same time, we’ve got to do it the progressive way. We’ve got to live in the world of ‘and’.”
In addition to improving Eudora’s downtown with more restaurants and destinations, GW Weld, the Chamber’s current president, hopes to see more commercial space for new businesses that might want to arrive in the future.
“The big challenge in Eudora is that there’s not a lot of commercial space for people to have businesses and so getting some of these buildings utilized better is going to make a big difference,” he said. “I’d like to see Eudora be a place where if people are good at what they do and are dedicated to it, they can find the space to operate and be successful.”
As Eudora plans for its future, Larry Minkler, owner of Free State Guns and Tactical Weapons, also hopes to see expansion in retail space and restaurant options, as well as more stoplights on major streets to help with businesses on 20th Street and Church Street.
“Most of Eudora needs more retail space in it,” Minkler said. “20th and Church Street are very busy, especially during the school rush, and it’s very difficult for people to navigate.”
To better serve the business community, GW Weld said the Chamber is undergoing changes to give certain roles within the organization more responsibility.
“We’ve been kind of rebuilding the Chamber a little bit in order to make more of an impact on the community,” he said. “Especially in a small town, it’s really important for our businesses to work together.”
Holcomb said the organization has done well to bring leaders in business together to learn from each other.
“What we do collectively is always going to be greater than what we can do individually,” Holcomb said. “The needs that I can see as one individual are not the same as what we can see in a big way.”
For Bruce, the businesses are part of what makes Eudora special, and she is excited to see them continue to thrive in the decades ahead.
“Our business owners are incredibly generous to our schools and our community,” Bruce said. “That just builds a better Eudora to have thriving businesses. I think Eudora is something very special, and there’s a lot of great organizations right now that are working to showcase that or to bring it to life.”
In our upcoming stories, The Eudora Times visits with residents and with area youth to hear their thoughts on the future of the city. Check back next Sunday for the latest story in our series.
Miss our first story in the series? Find it here.
Miss our second story in the series? Find it here.
Reach reporter Lucie Krisman at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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