Warming Up to Wichita

Maybe this place isn't so bad after all. I've been here about seven months and I'm starting to get the hang of Wichita, learn some of it's traits and characteristics. Sure, it may not have the mountains, forests, beaches, rivers, desert, or hills that I'm used to but once i got past that, it might not be as bad as I originally thought. The cost of living is low, the people are nice, and the town has some of its own unique traits that add a touch of flavor to life.

One of these little treats I've found is a store called "The Spice Merchant" which is a bit of a mis-nomer because they actually specialize in coffees. They buy the beans, roast, and grind the coffee right there in-house (heck, the roaster is in the middle of the store). In addition to the coffee they do also sell a lot of tea, spices (whole and ground), and cooking accouterment. I got off of work early a few months ago and decided to stop on in and just see what they had. What a treat! It was close to closing time so the place was mostly empty and ended up talking to the shop owner. When he found out I was from the Pacific Northwest (arguably the cultural center for coffee in the US), that I was new to town and was looking for specialty stores for ingredient shopping, he gladly volunteered the names of a few stores in the area. Truth be told, the discussion was well over and hour and it was time I was happy to spend with him, learning more about my new home and to hear how his business was doing.

Another example: I just learned about this little nut and candy store called "Nifty Nut House" The store is family-owned and has been for around eighty years. They do their own roasting and have all kinds of nuts and candy for sale. Dry-roasted, unsalted, salted, honey-roasted, caramelized, chocolate-covered (milk and dark) peanuts, cashews, macadamias, walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, coffee beans; they've got it all. (The nerd in me was also impressed at their point-of-sale system. Bluetooth (wireless) carcode readers, custom labelling for each sale like many supremarket meat counters, and MANY LCD panels hanging above the counter to display the transaction. Not something the traditional mom-and-pop store seems be willing to do. Bonus points for running a store in both the 19th and 21st century while retaining the advantage of both. Many other small chops could learn a lot from these guys.) After just one visit, I think I'm going to be stopping in their quite a bit more now. Katie's a nut girl so this has a lot of date potential for us.

These two shops are just wonderful; I love little expressions of local culture that provide a unique expression of what this town has to offer. Said differently, its good to know that Wichita has more to offer than Walmart, Best Buy, and Target. (Though I will say that not having Fred Meyer's around has been the hardest thing to deal with. I miss my clearance racks!) Are these kinds of stores in Boise and Portland? I'm sure there are. The bonus for me though, is that both of these places are a ten-minute bike ride away and that is truly wonderful.