There is a common lie Wichitans tell ourselves: you can get everything you want on one side of Wichita. If you live on the west side of Wichita, then there is no need to go east and vice versa. This idea that you can get everything you need in one specific location in Wichita is highly flawed. If this were true, why would you ever travel to Colorado, Kansas City, Tulsa? Here is a fun topic that everyone in Wichita likes to talk about - the possibility of Cheesecake Factory. You are lying to yourself if you think you would not drive across Wichita to go to the Cheesecake Factory, regardless of where it opened. So I ask you – why isn't an extra 10 minute drive time to get the quality service or product you are wanting worth the extra drive time?
I do not understand where this concept came from. You can get anywhere in Wichita in roughly 25 minutes. In any other major city, this drive time is considered nothing. Wichita is listed as the 48th largest city in the United States. So we, as Wichitans, are members of one of the largest cities in America. It is amazing to be a part of a large city that can still keep the small, Midwestern, town-feel with less than 4 degrees of separation.
So, the question still stands: Is an extra 10 minutes of driving worth your time for a quality product or service? My answer is simple: Yes. I don't care if it's taking the time to drive to Reverie Coffee vs. Starbucks, FNL Denim vs. the mall, Middle of the Map CrossFit vs. Genesis, or for any other service or product. Quality should reign king, not purely convenience. Pure convenience never equates to quality.
Wichita has so much vigor in shouting about ICT pride and why Wichita should be recognized. It's time to highlight why we believe Wichita deserves the recognition. Not just simply stating it and going home. It's time to support and back local businesses that are pushing the boundaries in their respective fields. When you're on the fringe in a profession, there is no roadmap; there are many start-ups local to Wichita that fall into this category: Lawn Buddy and KingFit. Not supporting them allows the same-old-same-old, that people get annoyed with, to prevail. If you want better you must DRIVE to better and support better. That potentially means adding another 10 minutes to your route. Convenience is nice but if you're not getting the results or product your looking for, then you're still wasting time and money.
Wichita has many amazing small businesses and specialists across multiple disciplines. It is an amazing feeling being able to take pride in Wichita and we as a community must take an openly active role in supporting and promoting local talent.
Synopsis of this message: drive to better, no excuses.