A new business is gracing the historic streets of downtown Leavenworth, Kansas. The Pot Rack, owned and operated by Ollie and Kathryn West, opened on September 20, 2008. The Pot Rack is a retail store specializing in kitchen products including tools, small appliances, gourmet foods, cookbooks, bake-ware, cookware, serving pieces, and gifts. In addition, The Pot Rack offers seasonal items that change throughout the year. After overcoming the normal glitches that accompany the launch of a business, The Pot Rack is thriving in Leavenworth. Kathryn says, "Customers have been gracious in their comments and are so excited to have us in town. We often hear comments such as - 'this is great, I don't have to drive to KC now', and 'we've needed this for a long time.'"
Owners Ollie and Kathryn West have looked forward to turning their passion for food into a business for many years. After retiring from busy careers, they returned to Leavenworth, Kansas and embarked on this entrepreneurial project. A sense of history and community spirit imbue the store with life and make it part of a Leavenworth legacy. Leavenworth is filled with an eclectic mix of citizens from all over the world anchored by a lively military community. The city boasts an international taste and cultural mélange unusual for an area with a county population of only 60,000 people.The site of The Pot Rack, the Geiger Building at 626 Cherokee, was first in operation as a business in 1892. The buildings are part of the downtown Historic District of Leavenworth, Kansas.
Through the Leavenworth Main Street program, downtown Leavenworth is getting a face-lift and some much-needed economic stimulation. Leavenworth Main Street was able to direct the Wests to NetWork Kansas, where they received assistance procuring a no-interest loan to renovate their historic building. "We are big supporters of the Main Street program and have learned much through them", says Kathryn.
Leavenworth Main Street sponsored a Holiday Open House for the historic district on Friday, November 7th, bringing hundreds of shoppers through the doors of The Pot Rack and generating more than a few return customers. The partnership between Leavenworth Main Street and businesses like The Pot Rack works to integrate businesses with the community, creating a symbiotic relationship that will not only generate economic growth, but build a stable economic base for Leavenworth.
When planning their business, it was especially important to the Wests to do things right. "One of the considerations we had was how much capital it would take to properly prepare the historic building that we own" says Kathryn, "Having the NetWork Kansas no-interest loan helped out tremendously since we had to re-do everything in the building - plumbing, electrical, roofs, flooring, not to mention purchasing the building."
By utilizing the financing NetWork Kansas gave them access to, the Wests were not only able to renovate a historic property but to begin feeding back into the Kansas economy what they had gotten out of it as their property increases in value and the sales keep ringing up. "We are on our way to returning to the Kansas economy the amount of interest and cost of capital the NetWork Kansas Program provided to us. Future expansion plans are on paper and once our projects are validated we will move to the next stage." Kathryn is optimistic about growth and recommends that other businesses, new and existing, reach out to NetWork Kansas to learn how they can assist.
The Pot Rack is the latest example of the successful synergy of business and community. Kathryn has a few final words, "Thanks for the assistance - and when you're close to Leavenworth, stop by and say hello."
The Pot Rack is located at 626 Cherokee, Leavenworth, Kansas.