Former Redbird Boutique owner Tina Ostrander is reopening her previous Wichita retail store at the Outlets at Tallgrass under the name Principal Avenue Co. She’s finalizing facts now — which is why she’s in do the job clothes, she mentioned — and will get started her grand opening on Thursday and celebrate by means of Saturday.
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When last we checked in with Tina Ostrander in 2016, the Redbird Boutique owner was pregnant and explaining how she cried only twice during her pregnancy: Once was at a sappy movie, and the second was when she e-mailed customers to tell them she was closing her Cambridge Market store.
After hitting “send,” she said, “I bawled the whole entire way home.”
Now, she’s quite happy — if a tad frazzled — to announce she’s reopening the store this week as Main Street Co. at the Shops at Tallgrass near the northeast corner of 21st and Rock Road.
“We’re coming back bigger and better,” Ostrander said.
Much has changed, including that she now has a 7 1/2-year-old son.
Another big change came a few years ago when Ostrander and her husband, Matt, purchased her parents’ shops, Main Street Co. and Kitchen Corner, in Newton.
At first, Ostrander said she was OK with her parents’ decision to retire. Then she said, “Whoa, whoa. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
The two stores, which are now combined at 607 N. Main St. in Newton, are in their 37th years of business.
The Ostranders bought the businesses in January 2020, “which was a crazy year to buy stores,” she said.
Ostrander said she lives in Wichita and always wanted to bring back her store. She wasn’t necessarily looking, though, when she saw the former Frou Frou space at the Shops at Tallgrass.
“We just decided it was time. It was time to come back.”
She said the new store will be at least double if not triple the size of Redbird.
“This time around, we’ve got it all.”
She said Redbird didn’t have kitchen and food items, such as gourmet products and bulk coffee, but Main Street Co. will along with all the Redbird favorites, such as clothing, accessories, purses, gifts, home decor and bath and body items. There also will be a children’s area and “a man cave with all guys’ stuff,” Ostrander said.
Ostrander said her parents are coming out of retirement to help with the Newton store as she gets the Wichita one up and running.
“I’ve got a crew that is amazing,” she said. “We’re just one big family.”
The shop opens Thursday and will have a grand opening celebration through Saturday with free gifts, snacks and drinks.
Craig Simon of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal.
Ostrander said she’d love to see her old Redbird customers as well as new ones, including women, men and children.
As she said her store’s tagline says, “We literally have something for everyone.”
This story was initially printed September 11, 2023, 4:47 AM.