That store attracts affluent Johnson Countians. Renewed activity has lured one retailer back to Atchison. Sears is reopening in a building in the downtown plaza. Iola Downtown Iola sports a unique look, thanks to the city's founders and a little ingenuity. The southeast Kansas town is built around a two-block square, with stores facing a modern Allen County Courthouse.
Colorful storefronts ring the square.
City Administrator Doug Colvin said merchants worried nine years ago when Wal-Mart moved onto the edge of town. But rededication to the core of the community has spelled business success. The town of 6,800 is thriving, Colvin said. About six years ago, downtown merchants and the city formed a benefit district, reworked sidewalks and curbs and added decorative lighting. In redoing the streets, the city used a more expensive process to lay brick-like patterns at downtown crossings.