Topeka retailer honored as 'business of the year'

A downtown Topeka store will be honored as one of 16 businesses of the year by the Kansas Small Business Development Center.

The Merchant, 913 S. Kansas, sells used clothing, accessories, collectibles, art and books. Owner Lisa Boyd will be honored with the owners of the other 15 winning businesses Tuesday before the Kansas House of Representatives and Senate.

Each of the eight regional small business development centers was allowed to recognize an existing business that had been around for at least four years and an emerging one that had existed between two and four years.

Karl Klein, director of the Washburn University SBDC affiliate, said they chose Boyd as one of the winners for the region because of her commitment to her business and efforts to implement advice from the SBDC counselors she worked with, as well as her success continuing the business during construction that limited customer access on Kansas Avenue.

Its been a challenging environment and shes overcome a lot of those challenges, he said. I think theyve done well with attracting business.

Boyd said she started out renting a space in a building at 718 S. Kansas in 2009, and the Washburn University Small Business Development Center helped her develop her plans and get a loan in 2011 to buy the building where the business currently is located. The SBDC also helped with accounting questions as she learned on the job, she said.

I dont really look at it as Ive had challenges, she said. I just look at it as running a business and learning as I go.

The other winner for the region was Manhattan-based Kansas Regenerative Medicine, Klein said.

The clinic uses adult stem cells derived from a patients fat to attempt to treat degenerative diseases and was chosen because of its innovative concept, he said.

Kansas Regenerative Medicine is researching whether the therapy helps a variety of conditions, including joint problems, Parkinsons disease, strokes, lupus, Crohns disease and macular degeneration. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasnt approved that type of stem cell treatment for the conditions Kansas Regenerative Medicine is researching, so it cant make claims that the treatment will help, according to the businesss website.

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Topeka retailer honored as 'business of the year'