Vacant storefronts appear to be increasingly common in downtown Lawrence, but a new initiative aims to fill those spaces with local artists.
OpenStudios Lawrence connects local artists with vacant commercial spaces, allowing them to create and sell work while temporarily occupying storefronts. Its first location, Andante Home, will open on Friday, May 1 at 745 New Hampshire St.
OpenStudios Lawrence is a franchise of OpenStudios Wichita, which launched in 2018. Director John Harrison said the goal is to create lively downtown spaces while supporting artists and offering property owners a low-risk way to use empty buildings.
“Well, the thing is, it earns nothing while it’s empty,” Harrison said. “At the least, they get their utilities covered and the other thing we offer them is a letter of intent, which is a tax write-off.”
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
He estimates there are about 24 open storefronts in downtown Lawrence, and he hopes to significantly reduce that number over time.
Please support
The Lawrence Times!
Subscribe here.
The nonprofit covers utilities and insurance using grant funding. So far, it has received support from a Douglas County Community Foundation Community Grant, a Lawrence Community Arts Grant and the Douglas County Natural and Cultural Heritage grant program.
Harrison said one of the biggest challenges is connecting with landlords and helping them understand the opportunity here and listening to their concerns. Still, he hopes to see half a dozen storefronts with artists in them by the time visitors arrive for the World Cup. Matches begin Thursday, June 11, and the final match is set for Sunday, July 19.
“I think success would be that the whole program has to shut down because every place is rented,” Harrison said.
First storefront soon to open
Andante Home will be the first studio to open through the program.
Many know Andante Home as “the Candle Guys,” but with the new space, the community will get to know owners Dell Johnston and Nate Gu.
“There are a lot of artists in town who don’t consider themselves artists based on the craft they do. But they are artists,” Johnston said. “When you ask who should know about OpenStudio, I think even people who don’t think they do art. You know, if they do a craft, they should also apply because art is subjective.”
The duo started a soap business in 2019 while they were living in China and were trying to find soaps that were not harmful to themselves or their dachshund, Willow. Around the same time, they noticed that candles were creating allergy issues for them, so they switched to soy candles.
After determining that soapmaking wasn’t for them, and soy candles cost double in China what they do in the U.S., they began making their own.
“Then during COVID, friends of ours asked us for candles because their house smelled,” Johnston said. “So we were shipping candles to them, and they’re like, ‘You should start selling these,’ and so that’s how our brand started.”
The name, Andante, is a musical term meaning relaxed, steady pace, which reflects the calming atmosphere they aim to create through their products.
“We wanted people to take their time and enjoy life,” Johnston said.
Currently, their studio, Haus of Willow, is set up in an office in their home that they converted into a candlemaking space. The room is lined with wax melters, pitchers, wicks, jars, lids and labels.
Once they are settled in the space, Andante Home plans to bring in other local artists and crafters into the market part of their space to sell their goods.
They hope to hold candlemaking classes as well, as long as the space is big enough. Once it is set up, Andante Home will invite the community via social media to come watch their candles be made at various times throughout the week.
Landlords looking to participate can apply at this link. Artists who are interested can apply at this link.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
Read her complete bio here. Read her work for the Times at this link, and see her photography for the Times at this link.
Latest Lawrence news:
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
