09/12/2026
UPDATE Monday, Sept. 14– WONDERFUL NEWS! As a result of so many people’s effort and care, a wonderful conversation was had with the city, questions were answered, a plan is in place and we were brought up to speed by the construction company. I want to truly thank every person who shared, comment and liked the post. I honestly did not think for a second it would have reached as many people as it did, it is heartwarming to me and to the vendors at the Owls Nest to see and know the level of community support we have. A direct line of communication is now opened up for us by the city including a way of communication for our hundreds of vendors to ask questions to those who can answer them throughout this process if they would like. Apologies were made and it was acknowledged we should have been brought into the fold much sooner.
Mistakes happen and I think grace is an extremely important fruit to operate in , especially when someone takes responsibility. As a result, it was agreed upon we will always have a Topeka blvd entrance open AND we will always be accessible from the north AND south. South turn in access won’t be blocked off again like it was last week except in an extenuating very temporary (while they move something kind of thing) circumstance. The phases were very well explained and we will be posting images to show access this week. I want to also acknowledge Mayor Spencer Duncans quick response to this, he messaged me on the weekend and then made sure yesterday to follow up if someone didn’t reach out to me. That was very caring and involved and for that I am so so grateful!
While the construction in Topeka is frustrating, we are excited about the blvd being brought back to life and look forward to our building remodel happening over the next couple of years. The construction in front of us will be put on pause on November, so great news that our busiest season of the year won’t be impacted! As usual I am so proud of Topeka, of the people’s hearts here and the love we continuously are shown. THANK YOU TOPEKA!!
🚨 TOPEKA — WE NEED YOU. NOW. 🚨
**update Saturday Sept 12— after this post went crazy, Bettis came to the store and gave us a print off explaining the timeline of repairs and closures. (Our first time being informed of any of this, so grateful to now be included)The mayor reached out and I am hoping a city official will contact me next week so we can know what is coming as far as closure of entrances. Since the initial block off, it has been adjusted to allow entrance from north and south at our NORTH entrance, we are still concerned for the cut through traffic and Bettis informed they will be bringing large digital signage next week to show we are OPEN! I am SO thankful for everyone who has shared and supported us as even on a Saturday there has been a response from the city and construction company!! YES TOPEKA! YES GOD! I will continue to update! Thank you thank you thank you 🙏 ❤️
***also sorry about the ai image… I spent more than an hour writing out my post after an hour writing out a different post to our vendor page. (I’m always over thinking what I say and how I come across. It’s hard). It was late on a Friday night. I was tired and weary, stressed and scared and just needed a graphic to go with all my text. Haters going to hate no matter what we do or how much I try to word things correctly but this is me publicly addressing that situation. I’ve spent MANY years making all our graphics and things myself, using a tool in an emotional time after spending a lot of brain space writing things out as best I can, I hope some can give me some grace for.
I don’t make posts like this lightly, but what is happening to Owls Nest and the Giving Tree Topeka Non-Profit Donation Thrift Store because of the Topeka Blvd construction is NOT ACCEPTABLE, and I need our community to stand with us.
We’ve spent more than a decade investing in Topeka. now I’m asking Topeka to stand up for us.
📞 MONDAY: 785-368-3710
📣 SHARE THIS POST
🛍️ KEEP SHOPPING OWLS NEST
And I need to say this before anything else: I have never been a business owner who speaks poorly of the City of Topeka. In fact, I have defended this city more times than I can count. I love Topeka. I believe in Topeka. I have supported this community, invested in it, promoted it and stood up for it when others were quick to tear it down. I have NEVER wanted to be one of those business owners publicly going head-to-head with the City, and I am honestly heartbroken that I even feel forced to make this post. But I am also appalled at how this has been handled. When something threatens the livelihood of my business and the hundreds of small businesses operating under our roofs, staying quiet is no longer an option.
Right now, customers can only access our business from ONE DIRECTION on Topeka Blvd — from the north. There is no convenient place to turn around if you’re traveling the opposite direction. You can’t simply pass us, flip around and come back. For a business that depends on hundreds of customers being able to easily reach us every day, this is a VERY serious threat to our livelihood.
A business cannot survive indefinitely when access from an entire direction of a major roadway is taken away.
And what makes this even more unacceptable is that NO ONE FROM THE CITY CONTACTED ME. No warning. No meeting. No conversation about our entrances or maintaining access. No discussion about what a project of this magnitude could do to a business that has operated here for more than TEN YEARS.
I still don’t even know what happens next. Will another entrance be blocked? Could we eventually lose our remaining Topeka Blvd access? What is the plan to ensure customers can actually reach us throughout this project? I DON’T KNOW — because no one communicated any of this with us.
That should concern every small-business owner in Topeka.
Owls Nest isn’t just one business. More than 400 local vendors operate small businesses inside our two Topeka locations. We have been part of this community for more than a decade and have generated well over $1 MILLION in sales tax during that time. At the same time, our landlord is preparing for a massive, million-dollar-plus remodel and investment into this shopping center and our community.
We are investing in Topeka. We should not have to beg the City of Topeka to make sure people can actually get to us.
And now there is another serious problem: because of the construction and traffic changes, drivers are using our private parking lot as a bypass. Cars are continuously cutting through our property, and even 18-wheelers are cutting through our parking lot to reach Walmart. Our customers, employees, vendors, families and elderly shoppers are walking through this same parking lot. This has created a safety issue that should have been anticipated and needs to be addressed before someone gets hurt. When I contacted the city about this they put up signs that say “business access only” which stopped nothing. When I communicated this was not enough, I was told they couldn’t do anything else and to “call law enforcement”. This is not acceptable! When an accident happens it will be ME , a small business owner left holding the bag of liability!
What is especially frustrating is that we KNOW major construction can be handled differently. When construction approached our Adams location, the project manager contacted me ahead of time. We discussed my concerns, and we reached an agreement ensuring that a lane on 29th would remain open and that we would maintain access to one of our 29th Street entrances. THAT is what communication and cooperation with local businesses looks like.
So now, TOPEKA, I NEED YOUR HELP.
Starting Monday, please call the City of Topeka at 785-368-3710 and respectfully ask:
“What is the City of Topeka doing to restore safe access to Owls Nest from BOTH DIRECTIONS during the Topeka Blvd construction?”
Ask them to communicate directly with us. Ask them to provide a plan for maintaining access throughout the remainder of this project. Ask them what is being done about vehicles and semi-trucks using our private parking lot as a bypass.
And then SHARE THIS POST. Tag the City. Tag the Mayor. Tell your friends. And PLEASE keep shopping with us.
If construction makes getting here inconvenient, please make the extra effort to get to us anyway. We have had wonderful sales this week — praise God — and I am incredibly grateful. But I am genuinely scared about what happens when people begin automatically avoiding Topeka Blvd because of this construction. Small businesses don’t have unlimited time to wait and see what happens.
This isn’t just about me or Owls Nest. There are 400+ small businesses under our roofs, and I am going to fight like hell to protect them.
We are NOT asking the City to stop construction. We are asking for something incredibly reasonable: safe access from BOTH directions, communication, a plan, and a seat at the table when a City project has the potential to devastate our business.
We’ve spent more than a decade investing in Topeka.
Now I’m asking Topeka to stand up for us.
📞 MONDAY: 785-368-3710
📣 SHARE THIS POST
🛍️ KEEP SHOPPING OWLS NEST
We will be respectful. But we will NOT be quiet. City of Topeka Government
