WILSON — Kansas Originals Market and Gallery celebrated their move to downtown Wilson with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 4 at their new location, 2510 Ave. E.
The popular business had been a staple on I-70 for years before making the move into town. The new location was crowded as visitors sampled kolaches, viewed the new showrooms and signed up for drawings.
Allison Ford, Wilson Economic Development, was on hand for the celebration.
“I love it. We always have art on Main Street. It’s great to have another new business in town,” she said. “This is the third new business in town this year. It is just wonderful.”
For Margery Lawson, CEO of Post Rock Opportunities Foundation and Kansas Originals, and her staff, the move has taken time and effort after the loss of the property on I-70.
The Post Rock Opportunities Foundation was created 38 years ago with a group of people from five Kansas counties, Lawson said. The Kansas Originals Market and Gallery opened at the I-70 location on July 27, 1991, during the Czech Festival. 
Lawson said its mission is to provide marketplaces for the work of Kansas artists, craftsmen and food producers, especially those who are 62 or older, low-income, minorities or women in business.
“The foundation has showcased the work of over 1,960 artists, craftsmen, food producers and authors,” she said. 
As for the former location on I-70, she said,“ While Kansas Originals owned the building, the land, which was owned by Service Oil Company, was sold.”
“Our last day of sales at the I-70 location was Sept. 26, and we opened in Wilson on Oct. 1,” Lawson said. “Our board of directors and staff, with the help of a couple of volunteers, worked tirelessly to get the job done. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.”
So far, Wilson has been a perfect fit for Kansas Originals.
“Our vendors are very happy we found a place, and they love Wilson,” Lawson said. “We are excited about the opportunity to bring more people into Wilson and Ellsworth County with our new location, and we look forward to collaborating with other businesses to make Wilson a fantastic tourist destination.”
The business was bustling during the open house with 35-40 visitors on hand during the event, enjoying kolache samples, refreshments and viewing the showrooms.
“We had some out-of-state visitors like we have been having most days,” Lawson said. “People loved our store and said it is homey, comfortable and easy to see the merchandise.”
Robin Weston, Wilson, was a first-time visitor.
“My husband had been here before and bought some things and was excited about some of the things they had,” Weston said. “He got jam and some other things, and he was just telling me about it, so it was my first time coming in.”
And despite being a Wilson resident, she had never visited Kansas Originals in its previous location, so everything was new.
Lawson said she was pleased with the layout of the new facility.
The new location has three showrooms with plenty of wall space, Lawson said.
“Our winter hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. -5 p.m. on Sunday,” Lawson said. 
They also do sales online.
“Our address is www.kansasoriginals.com. We plan to add as many items as we can for future sales,” she said. “We are currently focusing on our basket and box sales for Christmas, which we ship anywhere for our customers.”