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WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU A LEMON... The town of Buhler is renowned regionally as a shopper’s paradise of superb boutiques and interesting restaurants. But when it lost one of its two grain elevators in 2000, the future seemed less rosy. ADM, one of the world’s largest processors of grains, shut down its operation in Buhler and stripped it of machinery. It would not be economically feasible to make the mill operational again. For some towns, the loss of a mill – like the boarding up of a school, or the closing of a church – often signals the end. But the Buhler Economic Development Board, city officials and prominent businessmen saw the closing as an opportunity. They put together a business proposal that would provide ADM a tax write-off, the city much-needed development space, and the business district room to grow. ADM bought the idea and, soon after, property changed hands at a dizzying speed. LeWayne Bartel, who is as responsible for the revitalization of downtown Buhler as anyone, took title to the warehouse. Phil Neufeldt, owner of Neufeldt’s Flooring, a long-established business in Buhler, bought the mill house, and Mid-Kansas Coop took over the elevators and the old ADM office. Neufeldt hopes to develop his building into spaces where artisans and craftspeople make art in private studios and offer them for sale in shared galleries. “My dream,” Neufeldt says, “is to bring like-minded artists together.” How much space does Neufeldt have to offer, he doesn’t know. “It’s huge,” is all he can say.
Recently, Neufeldt took a giant step toward his goal when a 170-feet-long crane, weighing 100 tons, pulled the roof off one building and hoisted out eight, four-storey, flour processing bins. Three feed bins from an adjacent roof were also removed. That opened up space that could be renovated into a huge gallery, offering natural light from a translucent roof 40 feet up. The Bartels – owners of Bartel Kitchen & Bath; the Rustic Edge, a western décor and furniture shop; Village Marketplace, a floral and gift shop; and the Old West Emporium, a collective of small businesses – gutted the warehouse and turned part of it into a performance hall. The Old Mill Theater opened a year ago and presents nationally known country and western performers. The south end of the warehouse has become arguably one of the most beautiful optometrist’s office around, Miller Vision Care. |
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The development of ADM’s old property, equivalent to a spirited game of
Monopoly, has made Buhler even more of an attraction and has added
to the city’s coffers. There is a complicated equation that cities
and counties use to determine whether more money is coming into it
than going out, Neufeldt says. It is called a “draw factor” and is
usually figured from tax revenues. Neufeldt suspects that Buhler may
have one of the most advantageous draw factors around. With the
plans that he, Bartel, the city, the Coop and the Economic
Development Board put into play, the draw factor should be even more
in Buhler’s favor. “We never saw ADM’s pulling out so much as the end of an era,” Neufeldt says, “but the start of a new era.” For more information about his retail space, contact Neufeldt at 620-543-2274. |
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The Coop sold
its old office and moved into the ADM weigh station. Chris Shane,
owner of Bartel Furniture Restoration Center, bought the old Coop
office, took the exterior back to brick and turned it into a retail
shop, Town Hall Antiques.
