WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2004
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
3A
Let It Ride shop will let go of place downtown
BY STEPHANE FARLEY
sfarely@kansan.com
KANSAN SPORT WINTER
Ginny Weatherman/KANSAN
John Wisnower, owner of Let it Ride, 15 E. 7th St., will be closing his store this Saturday because of low business this past year. Let it Ride skate boards and snowboards and has been in business for nine and a half years.
Another Massachusetts Street store is closing.
Saturday is the last day Let It Ride will be open. John Niswonger, owner, said it was hard to understand why his shop was closing, because it was the only one of its kind in Lawrence
Niswonger bought Let It Ride in Lawrence about six-and-a-half years ago during the summer in 1998.
Let It Ride, 15 E. 7th St., has been in Lawrence for nine and a half years. It carries skateboards, snowboards and accessories for the two, including shoes and clothing.
The store is closing because sales are down, Niswonger said. They've been down for about a year and Niswonger said there were reasons for the decrease.
People are buying more stuff online and through mail order, Niswonger said. He has also seen fewer amateur skateboarders and snowboarders in the store. More kids might be going into mainstream sports, he said.
Niswonger said the skateboarding industry seemed to take a dip in business every five
Drew Dietrich owned Let It Ride in Lawrence before
to six years.
Niswonger the store. Dieteren now owns a Let It Ride, 7309 W. 95 St., in Overland Park.
Business for the skateboarding market was supposed to explode in Lawrence, but
instead. Let It Ride was just breaking even, Dietierich said.
'It just seems that the town
It's been a struggle to stay in business in Lawrence and the struggle just hasn't paid off, Dieterich said.
doesn't support what we offer" Dieterich said.
The Overland Park store has seen the opposite from what Niswonger has seen in Lawrence, Dieterich said. He said he had seen an increase in younger skaters and a decrease in more experienced skaters.
Sometimes there's a change as to what people are interested in and that can dictate how well a business can do, said Maria Martin, director for Downtown Lawrence Inc.
Downtown business, for the most part, is steady, said Martin, who is also the owner of Southwest and More, 727 Massachusetts St. When one business leaves, she said, another takes its place.
Niswonger said he regretted closing the store because local children would meet at the store to hang out. But he was looking forward to leaving the business because the retail business is tricky, he said.
"It's kind of bittersweet," Niswong said.
Owners propose smoking solution
- Edited by Rupal Gor
BY STEPHANE FARLEY
sfarley@kansan.com
KANSAN STAFF WRITER
Last night, seven of them had a solution.
Lawrence business owners have been at city commission meetings before — often with concerns about the smoking ban.
The owners proposed an ordinance already in effect in St. Louis Park, Minn. — one that allows some businesses the right to allow smoking, so long as the air quality in the designated non-smoking areas meets a set standard. The
city would regulate the businesses through random check-ups, according to the written proposal.
"I deeply regret the negative impact this has had on your businesses," city commissioner Dennis Highberger, said to the business owners claiming revenue losses at the meeting. But it might not change his mind on the ban.
Highberger said at this point he still supports the smoking ban, but is willing to talk about the proposed ordinance.
The commissioners might talk about the proposal at the Dec. 13 meeting.
Sue Hack, commissioner,
announced yesterday she would
run for re-election.
"She is someone who helps find common ground for the common good," said David Amber, Lawrence resident, who was at the meeting last night.
The general election will be in March. David Schauner's and David Dunfield's terms will also expire, but they have not announced if they will seek reelection.
International Education Week is this week and goes through Nov. 19.
Various events, including a discussion about Lawrence's relationship with its Japanese sister city, Hiratsuka, are ongoing.
"Stories, Songs and Skits From Not So Far Away" will be held today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.across from the KU Bookstore at the Kansas Union.
SEE SMOKING ON PAGE 5A
The event, a mix of international entertainment, will include University students, faculty and scholars.
Ethnic conflicts influence the world. Tomorrow's lecture from the Marwa Africana lecture series will focus on how Al-Qaeda and the ethnic conflict in Darfur, Sudan has affected the relationship between the African world and the Arabic world, Peter Ukpokodu, chairman and professor African and African-American Studies, said
Ali Mazriul, Albert Schweitzer professor of humanities at Binghamton University in New York, will
CAMPUS
Click and Connect!
Ethnic conflict topic of lecture about Al Qaeda
EduKan is an online consortium involving six accredited community colleges in Kansas. It provides a flexible alternative to help you work around your demanding and rigid schedule.
Are you wanting to earn more credit this semester? If so, there is still time to take a class through EduKan.
www.edukan.org
Yes, You Can With EduKan.
1-877-4EDUKAN
For the intersession, students must be enrolled by Dec. 8 and pay by Dec.10. Financial aid is not available during the intersession and students must pay tuition in full by Dec.10.
Each individual EduKan College is a member of the North Central Association and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission to offer AS, AA, and AGS degrees online.
Enroll Online Today!
www.edukan.org
The lecture is free and open to the public.
present "A Crisis in Afro-Arab Relations? Between Al-Qaeda and Darfur," at 7 p.m. tomorrow at room 110 in Budig hall.
Mazrui is also the director of global studies at Binghamton University. He is the writer and commentator of nine BBC/PBS documentaries in a series titled The Africans.
EduKan is offering a three-week intersession, beginning Dec. 13. The following classes will be offered during the intersession:
"He is well known all over the world," Ukpokodu said.
American Government
Art Appreciation
Cultural Anthropology
General Psychology
Human Relations
Introduction to Business
Introduction to Computer Concepts
With what's going on in the world, this is an opportunity to listen to one of the best scholars on world affairs, he said.
and Applications
Introduction to Mass Media
Introduction to Music
Journalism I
Lifestyle Management
Principles of Macroeconomics
Web Page Design
World Regional Geography
— Nikola Rowe
Faculty: faculty.ku.edu • Staff: staff.ku.edu
4