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Over the River...
...and through the stereotypes. North Lawrence offers more than strip joints. Come find artisan shops, community and a different place to meet God.
By Neil Mulka Jayplay writer
LEFT: There's more to North Lawrence than beer and titties. This city within a city boasts a tight sense of community and quirk artisans, such as the metal workers at Celestial Ironworks, 619 N. Second St.
On the other side of the brown santorum-like waters of the Kansas River, North Lawrence sits in mystery. Famous for bars and strip joints, the rest of North Lawrence remains largely unknown to KU students. When North Lawrence is mentioned, images of blight and urban wasteland fill students' minds.
BELOW LEFT: Feather your nest with yard art from DK's Statsy, at 1628 State Highway 40.
Photos: Jeff Brandsted
Don't let the virtually empty outlet mall and the "low-to-moderate income" neighborhood status fool you. North Lawrence can be cool if given the chance.
Lawn ornaments of metal, dressers that are red
Some college students acquire lawn ornaments in a not-so legal-fashion — in the dead of the night after a few Bud Lights. Trophies of drunken adventure adorn houses all over the "student ghetto." However, those who'd rather take the route that won't lead to county jail can select their favorite animal, religious icon or fairy tale creature from DK's Statuary, 1628 State Highway 40, northeast of Lawrence Municipal Airport. DK's Statuary has hundreds of lawn ornaments lined up in rows on the business' wooden porch and driveway, like a munchkin army from a fantasy movie.
Another North Lawrence business that leaves its products to the elements is Celestial Ironworks. Opened in 1995
by Kelvin and Katheryn Schartz, Celestial Ironworks, 619 N. Second St., makes steel artwork and outdoor decorations ranging from birdbaths to giant sculptures with price tags from $20 to more than $1,000. Starting out in Kelvin
A small town inside a large one
According a 2001 Lawrence Journal-World article, about 2,100 people live in North Lawrence, 75 percent of whom own their own home. Star Straf, North Lawrence resident, bought her three-bedroom house six years ago for $100,000. Straf chose to live in North Lawrence because it's close to downtown and the Interstate 70 turnpike. Straf says her home would cost about 25 percent more if it were
Shartz's garage, the business has grown into a location that has a workshop and a public gallery displaying the artisan's works. Katheryn Shartz says the North Lawrence location suits the couple's business because it's quieter than the rest of the city and is full of quirky people who might buy their products.
south of the Kansas River. Ted Boyle, who has lived in North Lawrence for forty years, says that as more people move to North Lawrence, housing prices increase, but today they are still relatively low. Boyle, president of the North Lawrence Improvement Association, says today's price for a new three-bedroom house in North Lawrence is about $140,000. The
average housing price for all of Lawrence is $150,875, according to the housing price comparison index on www.coldwellbanker.com. Rent in North Lawrence follows the same pattern. Rent played a major role when Amy Ballinger, owner of Amy's Attic, 700 Locust St., chose to locate her antique furniture store in North Lawrence six years ago. She says she saves about $2,000 a month versus a downtown location.
North Lawrence remains largely free of college students and Boyle prefers to keep it that way. The loud, party-hard lifestyle that college students bring can be hard for a family to raise children in. The families in the neighborhood enjoy the quiet and rural small town atmosphere. "We have a neighborhood watch organization," says Straf, who used to live in an apartment off of 23rd Street before moving to North Lawrence. "There is a strong sense of community here. I can walk down the street and chat with my neighbors," she says.
God in the strip mall
There is no doubt that North Lawrence is a growing community, but a traditional symbol of urban blight haunts this neighborhood — the nearly abandoned strip mall. The former Tanger Outlet Factory Center, now the I-70 Business Center, 1035 N. Third St., is a ghost of what it used to be, but a symbol of community springs to life amidst this blight. The virtually empty strip mall used to house many outlet stores.
Part of it now hosts the congregation of Calvary Chapel, Bill Manley, pastor of the nondenominational church, says that having a church in a strip mall like this is unusual in the Midwest but it fulfills the church's needs modern facilities, cheap rent, plenty of parking and a full-time place to worship. Just a year ago this church was holding services in school cafeterias. A lot of churches in California have churches in strip malls, Manley says. "We don't need a place that is ornate to meet. We are saving money by doing this."
The 88,000 square-foot strip mall seems like a ghost town. Other than the church, only a Department of Motor Vehicles office, a Kansas State Highway Patrol office, Office Furniture Warehouse and NCS Pearson are operating. Boyle and Straf say they want a grocery store to open in the strip mall. Right now, Straf goes to Checkers, 2300 Louisiana St., and gas stations for her grocery needs. Boyle says that adding a grocery store to the outlet mall would bring in other businesses that North Lawrence needs, such as a hardware store or a pharmacy.
Despite the lack of basic service shops, Boyle says people who move to North Lawrence stay for a long time.
"I think people get that misconception because people here are honest and straightforward," he says, "I don't think many people know how to take that."
— Neil Mulka can be reached at nmulka@kansan.com.
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Jayplay 5.06.04