Panera Finally Finds A Place In Brookside

Kansas City Star:

This Panera Bread franchisee has long looked for a location in Brookside. Now he has found one.

Original Bread Inc., with 31 Panera Bread stores in the region, is in final negotiations to lease the former Beauty Express space at the southeast corner of Brookside Plaza and 63rd Street. If the deal is completed, Panera will open there by early 2012.

Randy Simon, the president of Original Bread, which has administrative offices in Wichita and an operations office in Prairie Village, said he has wanted to open in Brookside since 1994 and likes the corner location.

A “Drugs” sign is still prominent atop the building from the days when it was a drugstore. Simon said he doesn’t want to give people the wrong idea, but he plans to keep the sign while making sure there are plenty of Panera Bread signs, too.

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