A pair of businesses celebrated different milestones this weekend.
Kari’s Diamonds and Bridal marked its 10th anniversary. Owner Kari Stookey says the decade has flown by.
Stookey started in the jewelry business when she was 14, under the guidance of her mother, and managed a store in Salina at age 18. She then joined her mother in the early 2000s and purchased the Emporia store in 2009 as a separate venture from the family business. The business originally started on West Sixth but moved from 804 West Sixth to its current home at 1015 Industrial seven years ago.
Meanwhile, the Radio Shack name is returning to Emporia for the first time since 2015. McCoy’s Radio Shack is having grand opening activities this weekend at 2914 West Highway 50. Owner TJ McCoy says he was impressed by the turnout and the interest in the Radio Shack brand.
In addition to electronics merchandise and parts, the Radio Shack locally will also have installation and repair service available. McCoy started a store in Osage City recently, and when that had success, he saw Emporia as a natural fit for the brand.
Both stores had deals through Saturday, and Kari’s also had a fundraiser for the upcoming Denim and Diamonds Gala for Newman Regional Health. Staff at Kari’s embedded a ring in a diamond-shaped, 18-inch-by-18-inch block of ice and set it out at 10 am. It took 3 hours, 44 minutes to totally melt. Sonia Hodges had the closest guess and thus won one of three golden tickets to win a $10,000 ring from Kari’s at the Denim and Diamonds Gala on Aug. 2. Fundraising totals are pending.
