By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
WILSON—After 37 years of being a quirky stop on Interstate 70 where you can find popcorn, wine, Kansas books, T-shirts or handpainted limestone, Kansas Originals is facing closure.
Kansas Originals owns its building, but not the land on which it sits. The land was owned by Service Oil Company, but has been purchased by a new owner. The new owner has decided to develop the location as a truck stop and is insisting that the Kansas Originals building be demolished or moved.
Although the store could be relocated, Marge Lawson, co-founder of the nonprofit that created Kansas Originals, said the store is doomed without easy access to I-70.
"Through tumultuous months, with serveral owners, and waiting for two years through a maze of what might be and assurances from local agencies that we are safe, we received legal notice that we must move out and move or tear our building down by Nov. 30 of this year," Kansas Originals said in a letter to the Hays Post.
The letter continued, "It is heartbreaking and unimaginable because we didn't just buy this place and business, we built it with years of total dedication—no 40-hour weeks but 50 and 60 hours, late nights and weekends. We served our artists, craftsmen, travelers and the general public by staying open 362 days a year."
Kansas Originals is not your average souvenir shop off the interstate. It's not kich.
The Post Rock Opportunities Foundation, which is the nonprofit that supports Kansas Originals, shared the history behind the trading post on the Plains.
Thirty-seven years ago, a dedicated group of people from five counties banded together and formed the Post Rock Opportunities Foundation.
"Led by a pastor who wouldn't give up, and movers and shakers from throughout the area working countless hours, Kansas Originals Market & Gallery became a reality," the letter said. "Our mission is to provide marketplaces for the work of Kansas artists, craftsmen and food producers, especially those who are 62 or over, low-income, disabled, minorities or women in business."
The Presbyterian Church provided a $50,000 grant from its One Great House of Sharing to construct the building. Other donors and volunteers followed the church's lead.
Kansas Originals opened on July 27, 1991, during the Wilson Czech Festival.
By 1993, the building was full. The foundation used a grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce and a loan from the Northcentral Regional Planning Commission to double the size of the building.
According to the foundation, more than 1,000 corporations, businesses, and individuals have supported the nonprofit through grants, sponsorships and monetary donations.
"Our artists and craftsmen donate to the cause by giving artwork for fundraisers," the letter said.
The Smoky Hill Foundation, Merrill Foundation, Kansas Arts Commission and Dane G. Hansen Foundation are among the Kansas Originals' supporters.
"It was because of the selfless acts of so many who put us before their interests that we were able to succeed. Kansas Originals Market & Gallery and the Post Rock Opportunties Foundation were never created to make any one person or group of people wealthy, it was created to sustain a group of people that would not have had the opportunity for success that Kansas Originals provided," the letter said.
Kansas Originals has been a point of curiosity for people from around the world. A map at the store is packed with push pins marking the homes of visitors from all 50 states and more than 50 countries.
Volunteers says visitors love to take photos with the "The Wizard of Oz" characters and Rusty Rojo, the Orginals' 7-foot chicken.
"The foundation has showcased the work of over 1,960 artists, craftsmen, food producers and authors. It has been our pride and our joy and our honor to serve the talented Kansans and to enable them to have their art, crafts and food products spread across the United States from our spot on the prairie," the letter said.
Some of the Hays area products that have been featured in the store include Popt Popcorn from Hays, Pat's Beef Jerky from Liebenthal, and Patsy's D's Barbecue Sauce from Russell.
One of the most dedicated artists and devoted representatives has been a part of the foundation since it was organized. She served on the board of directors and still brings in paintings and photo albums to sell. She will be 99 in August.
"A comment by the son of one of our many elderly craftspeople, who stopped by the other day to pick up her remaining items after she passed away, tugged at my heart when he told us, 'You gave her a purpose in life. She had a place to come, and she loved coming here,'" the letter said.
The foundation also wanted to honor the memory of Pastor Tom Henstock, who worked tirelessly to keep the dream of Kansas Originals alive and made a significant financial donation upon his passing.
"We were so excited that we were going to be able to make improvements to our building, but instead our future has become uncertain and bleak," the letter said.
The Kansas Originals volunteers fear the sale of the property on which their building sits means the end of the store.
"Without a miracle or intervention from people who care, our dedicated staff will lose their employment," the letter said. "The attractions and businesses in Wilson and Lucas and throughout the region that we so vigorously promote to our millions of travelers will no longer receive that support, and many of our Kansas artists, craftsmen and food producers will no longer have a place to sell their work.
"The Tourist Information Center and Kansas Wine Room will be gone. All the history, creating income for the elderly, low-income, disabled and women in business, is scheduled to come to a crashing end."
"We don't want our story to end. We welcome any suggestions, ideas or solutions anyone might have to keep the Post Rock Opportunites and Kansas Originals alive and thriving," the Kansas Originals volunteers and staff said in their letter.
For more information or to send suggestions, email [email protected] or call 785-658-2602.
You can also find more on the Kansas Originals website and follow the store on Facebook.
Kansas Originals is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays and is at 233 Highway 232, Wilson, KS, 67490.
Look for the big red and blue Kansas Originals sign.