A restaurant, a coffee chain and two retail stores located in downtown and East Lawrence have announced closures recently.
• Bon Bon! owners Simon and Codi Bates said that the restaurant is closing in an Instagram post Wednesday. Saturday, Oct. 25 will be the eatery’s last day of public service.
At 804 Pennsylvania St. in East Lawrence, Bon Bon! has been a beloved local bistro and cocktail spot for nearly a decade.
“Since 2016, Bon Bon has been a space for first dates, family dinners, late-night laughs, and celebrations big and small,” the Bates pair wrote in a post. “We are so proud of what we’ve accomplished together with our staff, our neighbors, and this amazing community.”
Bon Bon!’s playful menu is not gone for good. The couple said it will transition to a private dining and catering concept in close collaboration with Cider Gallery next door.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
In addition to Bon Bon!, Simon and Codi Bates own and operate Cider Gallery, The Burger Stand, Taco Zone and Parallel Sauce Co. under the umbrella of Bates Co. businesses.
They made a similar move with Taco Zone last year, shifting from an Eighth Street storefront to catering.
• Glik’s on Mass Street is currently running a going-out-of-business sale after an announcement last week. Products, excluding Birkenstock, gift cards and tuxedo rentals, are all 20% to 70% off, per store signage.
The Lawrence location of the clothier chain has been situated at 717 Massachusetts St. since 2017.
• Love of Character, a paper goods and party supply shop, said goodbye to its Mass Street storefront yesterday after three years of operation. The owner thanked the Lawrence community in an Instagram post.
“You all made our last weekend a fun, busy and successful one, I’m truly so so grateful!” they wrote. “It was a dream having my very own shop on Mass St. in my college town!”
According to an earlier post, the business’s lease was up, and the owner chose not to sign on for another three years due to market uncertainty. However, they are open to future pop-ups and sorority events in town.
Love of Character’s flagship store remains alive and well in Wichita, and customers can still shop online. The Lawrence shop was at 935 Massachusetts St.
• Starbucks has ended its longstanding presence at 647 Massachusetts St. as part of a national rash of closures for the megacorporation.
Brian Niccol, chairman and CEO of Starbucks, announced that the coffee chain would restructure in light of a review of its North American portfolio.
“During the review, we identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance, and these locations will be closed,” he wrote in a public message.
The shuttering will leave Cold Stone Creamery and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory sandwiched between two empty shops, as Winfield House will also permanently lock its doors in four days.
A retirement sale is still ongoing at the home furnishings store through Sunday, Oct. 5.
These closures join a rash of similar business announcements, including the recent end of Einstein Bros. Bagels’ downtown presence.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.
Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.
Latest Lawrence news:
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
