Central and Oliver has been the site over the past several years of many closings and tear downs: Albero Cafe closed in 2023, and its building was then demolished. The CVS that opened on the northeast corner in 2013 closed in August and is now sitting empty. Also last year, the vacant “Dinky Dillons” building that had been sitting for years on the southeast corner was torn down.
Now, there’s a sign that commercial life is returning to the intersection.
Jason Ingermanson, the owner of Mokas Coffee & Eatery parent company JRI Hospitality, says that the fourth Wichita Mokas will open on the corner sometime next year. Mokas has opened restaurants over the past four years at 143 N. McLean Blvd. and 1344 N. Veranda Drive. Another is set to open at 3851 N. Ridge Road sometime in April.
Ingermanson said this week that he doesn’t have an exact address for the new Mokas, but it will be built either on the northeast or southeast corner of Central and Oliver. The exact location will become more clear in the coming months and will be chosen based on things like soil samples and where other potential tenants decide to open, he said…