Another sad day for resale shoppers in Wichita

Carrie Rengers
·2 min read
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It’s another sad day for resale shoppers in Wichita.

The extremely popular Economy Corner — many called it the best resale shop in the city — has closed permanently.

In September, Have You Heard? reported that the store was temporarily closing due to safety concerns over structural issues.

The news followed another report that all of Wichita’s DAV stores closed following financial issues.

First Presbyterian Church and Grace Presbyterian Church ran the Economy Corner, and the churches were going to look into what could be done with the building at the northwest corner of Central and Broadway.

A letter to church members this week cited three points behind the decision to close:

The cost to fix the structural issues is prohibitive; insurance isn’t feasible for the current state of the building; and a vacant building is risky to others on the property.

The Economy Corner opened downtown in 1960 following a sale the Presbyterian Women held to raise money. Now, the store is permanently closed.
The Economy Corner opened downtown in 1960 following a sale the Presbyterian Women held to raise money. Now, the store is permanently closed.

The building is going to be demolished.

The store opened in 1960 following a sale the Presbyterian Women held to raise money. The group used items that didn’t sell to start the store.

The ministry won’t continue in another spot because they couldn’t find another site that worked.

“I’m crushed,” said shopper Jami Frazier Tracy.

“I have thought about that place so many times because that was my go-to funky Christmas place every December. . . . I mean, they had everything. They had the neatest, coolest things.”

That included dinnerware, cloth napkins from the 1950s, clothing and paintings among other things.

“I also feel really sorry for the volunteers because I know for a lot of those folks it was a way to give back to the community and be part of something bigger than yourself,” Tracy said.

She said she guesses she can turn to Etsy instead, but “it’s not the same as finding a treasure that makes you feel such joy when you put your hands on it.”

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