- Funding for Working Capital is provided by the Friends of KTWU, the Raven C and Marguerite Gibson Foundation, and Go Topeka.

- Today, it's all about the arts.

We're in the Fantastic Noto Arts Center in North Topeka.

It used to be the old post office when I was little, so I have a lot of memories in here looking up at the, oh, the wanted posters and buying dinosaur stamps and all sorts of stuff.

But now it's been remodeled re-envisioned, just like all of these first few blocks in North Topeka had been.

So today we are lucky enough to have with us Pedro Concepcion and Staci Ogle with the Noto Arts District.

So thanks for being on Working Capital.

- Yeah, thanks for inviting us.

Thanks for having us.

- This the revitalization, you know, we, we've, we've all in town have kind of seen where it's come from, but it it's a beautiful, beautiful spot where you're at.

And I, I can't wait to hear where you're going.

But first off, how did you both get involved with this organization?

Where did your love and passion for Noto and just the arts and to peak in the community come from?

- Well, so for myself, I got involved in Nodo when I was an early artist back in 2011, and opened up a first studio down here in the district.

And, you know, my, my desire to be a part of this arts district was more because I was looking to get involved in the city and helping give back to my community.

I wanted my kiddos to grow up in a city that was growing around them.

And so this was a great way for me to help achieve some of my own personal goals, but then also foster my creativity.

- Were you okay as one of the first artists kind of down here at that point?

How was it then?

Just, just real quick and we'll get into it a little more in depth, but from that point of starting out to now, how was that struggle at, at the beginning with that vision of, of trying to draw people back down here?

'cause - Right.

- It did get kinda run down.

There were still some very reputable businesses, but there was a lot of storefronts who just like any small town around here, it just kind of died.

- Yes.

You know, we, we started out strong as a district on First Fridays, and the community was very hungry to come down and have that, you know, just that experience and coming together and kind of like a small town.

So we always had good success on first Fridays, but during the other days, during the month, it was dead down here.

And so there was lots of initiatives with artists early on to try to come up with ideas and ways to bring the community back together.

And I have some fond memories of the things that we used to do in the early days.

Like we would have street parties in the middle of the street on a Thursday because there was nobody down here.

And so when you come down here now, that's not possible.

I mean, cars are full.

- You have to plan for it.

So just so you know, if you have an art event, make sure you contact everyone down here to get the, the right permissions.

But, - So it's been, it's been such a transformation from the early days until where we are today.

But, you know, a lot of the district grew organically in the first few years until the organization got up on its feet.

- Pedro, I, I know you're, you're lucky for us at transplant here, but tell us how you came to Topeka.

Tell us your background and then your adventure to get here.

- I'm a chef by trade.

I went to school in Chicago.

Actually, the reason why I came to Kansas was because I was invited to open the burger stand in Lawrence.

So I had a good experience in Lawrence, but then the company grew and decided to come to Topeka.

So, and I just fell in love with it.

But I fell in love with Nodo because it reminded me of where I'm from, Chicago, because the art district was a little unpolished, eclectic rustic, if you will.

And I just loved it.

It felt like home.

So I opened with Jenny Torrance Nodo Burrito a long time ago.

- Okay.

- And saw the vision of it.

But this place has always resonated with me.

It's always made me feel like I'm a part of it.

And that's what I love about nato, that anywhere you look at from the art to the businesses, I feel like you can find a place for you here.

And that's why I fell in love with it.

So it's just something that I started loving slowly and slowly.

And here I am - From the foundations of, of the Nodo Arts District.

Are you guys where you want to be now?

Are you ahead of schedule from what you saw back then?

Where is your direction going with this?

- Well, you know, we are always reflecting on ways that we can do better and how we can continue to grow the district.

I, I do think we are a district that grew very quickly and we're still, we consider ourselves still a very young district.

You know, we've been here for 15 years now, so this is our 15th anniversary year.

And, but we're constantly thinking of ways that we can, you know, continue to be a sustainable organization, a sustainable district.

And you know, we focus on artist retention, how to ensure that, you know, we're gonna bring artists in and make them wanna stay down here in the long term.

And just also like, how can we fill those gaps in our community through the arts.

So in a way, yes, we are where we want it to be, but we still have so much more that we can do.

I don't know that we'll ever be finished on, on that.

- That's kind of a great, I mean, that's kind of the creative process.

It's never over.

You can always, you can always better it.

So what I like is where I, where it kind of looks like it's heading is of course the I 70 construction doesn't help, but it's getting the point where you're gonna, people are gonna be jumping off the highway to stop here.

- Yeah.

- On their way through.

Which, so it's not just community per se at that point.

It's kind of become regional then, which I know that's, I think that's kind of what you're striving for in your vision and your mission too is become - Absolutely - Something where we're regional artists want to come show or be a part of here.

- Yeah.

You know, we do focus a lot on tourism and trying to make sure that we are reaching out to everybody in this area.

You know, our vision is to become the premier arts and entertainment district for the capital city and just also for Kansas.

And we see a lot of out of town traffic come through on the weekends and, and during first Friday.

So, you know, that's something that we're always working to, you know, achieve.

Pedro can talk about, you know, the upcoming initiatives that we have going on and just that vision of growing the district.

'cause we've got some really cool things that we're looking forward to in the future.

- Yeah, I think what, what's very important is what you said right now, right?

This is not just things for Nodo, right?

It's gonna create arts for the, the district and for Topeka, you know, sometimes we have to remind ourselves that our job is to create a good environment in Nodo, but we also have to be realistic of growing the city.

You know, if the city grows in the art department, you know, in entertainment department and things like that, we all win.

So we need to figure out how do we create partnerships?

How do we create collaborations and how do we really solidify ourselves not just in Nodo, but in to Topeka as a whole, as a place where you can shop, eat, and play, you know, from the arts and entertainment.

That's kind of, that's kind of the goal that we should all aim for, you know, working together and collaboration is really gonna push us forward.

And we're just working on bringing new initiatives to do that.

From creating a market that we now have food vendors on First Fridays to working on housing and really trying to find our entrepreneurs and how we can help them, but truly create a sale within their business.

You know, certainly districts will do parades or will do events, but they don't necessarily create a sale for the business owner.

So we need to really find out what works for the business owners, double down on that so that way they can not just be sustainable, but they can thrive.

So our mission as is arts.

We are focused on the arts, but we also conscious that we will not be here for our business owners to make sure they survive and thrive.

So our initiatives is to work together, collaborate, and figure out ways where we can all grow, not just nato.

- That's fantastic.

We'll stick around when we come back, we'll see where this growth may lead in the future.

You're watching Working Capital - To catch up on previous episodes of Working Capital.

Scan the QR code with your phone or go to www.watch.kw.org.

- Welcome back.

Okay.

So this whole district really, it came from a place where it was flooded in 1951.

In the late sixties, the bridge collapsed, which came straight down Kansas Avenue and kind of connected the downtown.

So I know it's only over a block, but it really does something to the flow of traffic and people want to come over and kind of breaks up a community.

So tell me, how does a community build back from that, the resiliency and everything involved with those community members and people kinda like yourselves now that have that vision to polish things back off?

- I think it's just not giving up, right?

I think every catastrophe made every business owner stronger.

You know, if you survive something, you adapted, you know, you figured out a way to thrive.

So I think our resilience to keep on going and making sure that we thrive in the arts and entertainment is what really pull us forward.

Because it was bad.

I mean, the flood was horrible.

The, the collapse of the bridge was horrible.

And then moving, it was devastating.

But, you know, there was people that had a vision that we can still have an area where arts will thrive.

So I think every single catastrophe just made the business owners and the district stronger, you know, because we're at a point that we are growing, but there's always, you know, obstacles.

But we are learning every single day of how to be better, you know?

And being creative, to be completely honest, because we don't have a big budget, right?

But we are trying to figure out how we can be creative, how we can be resilient, how we can be better, you know?

And that comes through learning, that comes through scars, you know, the best reminders, you know, are not words are scars.

That's what I believe, to be completely honest.

So we look back at everything that we have endured, you know, and now we tell ourselves, we, we can do this.

We can move forward.

You know, if we endured, endured a collapse of a bridge, a flood, you know, what else can we take on?

And I feel like that gives us confidence to move forward.

- Yeah.

You know, there is such a, we have such a strong community down here in the district and, you know, all of the businesses work together with each other.

You know, we are really all about like having each other's back and supporting each other throughout the growth of, you know, all of the things that are gonna come.

And, you know, when businesses moved in down here, they were still digging flood mud outta the basements and still renovating things, you know, and there's a lot of blood, sweat and tears down here.

- Very raw buildings.

- Yeah, it definitely is.

And so we are constantly, you know, showcasing the history of this area and, you know, giving those reminders about what we used to be and where we are today.

And it's something to be very proud of.

And - Just for me, from a, from an artist standpoint and places I like to be, I do like to see Exposed Stone and really having to re-fix those up with piece.

I mean, it fits with the arts scene you're creating there again, out of rough materials again.

Yeah.

You know, out of the ashes.

- Right, right.

- So it really is a beautiful process there, you know, artists creating art and creating the whole community around it.

- And that's why I love Nodo.

I feel like it's, again, rustic, it's eclectic.

We shouldn't be polished, you know, we should be rough.

We should, because that's what, how we came up.

That's how the district grew, you know, and that's what makes us stronger.

Nodo should be a place where everybody can see themselves.

Yeah.

- Arts are always kind of on the edge.

- Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, for sure.

And you have to sometimes challenge the arts.

You have to have something eclectic, something maybe a little bit off taste, if you will.

But art is subjective to everybody.

Everybody can look at art and look at it a different way.

And I feel like when you come to the district, you can see that from every single different part of the businesses.

We have antique stores, we have a candy store, we have a barbershop, we have a salon bookstore, a bookstore.

It's honestly, truly, when - Bookstores are big, bookstores are failing.

Right.

- This bookstore is - Thriving.

Yes.

- Right.

No, and Round Roundtable is amazing.

I mean, if you guys haven't checked it out, they've done a great job with that building.

It's a perfect example of an entrepreneur that had a vision and found a place where they can actually, you know, be successful.

And we just wanna make sure that every entrepreneur, entrepreneur has a space that they can call home or they can see themselves being successful - Going forward.

Since you're building this community out and, and this whole, it's kind of a, a town within town really, like that kind of a little creative enclave.

So will there ever be any, any housing added?

You know, a lot of towns you see people putting stuff up on their second or third floors, any little markets for, for, you know, getting groceries.

I mean, anything that that, that people have in the ether that they like to see go that direction?

Kind of a self-sustaining, I can get home from work and I don't have to leave here the, for, for the whole weekend.

- You know, we started seeing businesses down here, you know, probably five or six years ago that were really invested in the district and decided that they wanted to renovate upstairs spaces for living.

And so we have business owners down here that already live in the district, and we're starting to see an expansion of artists who are also, you know, taking housing up around the areas of these three main blocks that we have.

And so the goal has always been to, you know, work on expanding the area and providing housing and opportunities.

So, you know, Pedro can share a little bit more about what we do to try to encourage development down here in the district.

- Yeah.

It, we really have come to a point where, you know, we have to focus on economic development.

Right.

And my philosophy is you have to be prepared for the opportunity.

So we are preparing ourselves to making sure we offer the right place, the right location, the right incentives for a developer to, to develop here.

And I think we're at a, we're at a point right now that this is real.

Now this is something as the district grow, something that we need.

And thankfully we are now seeing developers looking around the area with ambition themselves, you know, and because of all the development from the riverfront, you know, to more housing around Topeka itself, I think we are growing to that part and we just need to be prepared for the opportunity.

And I think we're at a point right now that hopefully housing will come sooner.

Yeah.

And we're just excited about that new step because it'll truly create an ecosystem, or even a stronger one for us to just be more successful and thrive.

- How do you keep planning your vision when you have a riverfront that's so fluid in the plans?

I mean, over the past 20 years, we've heard all sorts of visions come through there.

And so with someone who it would definitely help having it, it, it reinvested there.

How do you plan for that and what you want to do with the district and how you help cater the district towards someone else's vision?

- I feel like we also, we always have to adapt, right?

And if we are not changing, we are choosing how things are, right.

So we need to really think about that.

You know, we don't like something, you know, you see the people talking about Topeka, about, oh, there's nothing to do, or here and there they are choosing to believe that, but they're not changing it.

See, we're not changing something.

You're actually choosing it.

We are changing, we are choosing to seeing everybody's agenda, if you will, and trying to see how we can adapt and being actual partner, right.

Meeting up to that plate and making sure that we are also able to bat, you know, we need to make sure that we are prepared.

So while the city creates the River Fund initiative, while there are other housing around Topeka, we need to look at ourselves and see how can we be ready, you know, for that pitch.

So we're always changing our initiatives.

We're always trying to figure out how we can be better partners.

And then as I took over, and me and Stacy are working together 2025 and 2026, it's a year of collaboration and partnerships so we can see how we can truly work together because that's what's gonna make us stronger.

I think Nodo has grown, you know, so in a very easy, steady space.

I think now we're ready to take the leap and just move forward - Because like you say, it's the arts and no o becoming the arts center here, Topeka.

It's needed to have the arts in the culinary in any town this size.

If we wanna support more than just our local businesses, which we always want to have those homegrown businesses, but for them to bring in the larger corporations or to keep corporations here without an art scene, without those places to go out and eat that are are special to your family, we won't be able to support that.

Or they won't wanna move in here.

So stick around, we'll learn more of what's going on in the Nodo Arts District.

You're watching Working Capital, welcome back.

What all can you do inside the Noal Arts Center?

What is this space reused for?

- Yeah, so we, we are constantly doing programming here inside of the art center, changing out gallery exhibits, trying to elevate the next experience that you're gonna get when you come in here.

We just recently shipped back a Chicago Field Museum exhibit about the Day of the Dead.

And so that was something that, you know, we've never had that brought to our community before.

And so that was really fun.

We, we are a fully functioning art center with that.

We've got studio spaces downstairs in the basement, an artist co-op.

We teach classes outta the classroom and just now getting ready to implement our first artist residence program, so - Oh, that's awesome.

- Yeah, so we are constantly thinking about ways that we can help support the arts through the Arts Center.

- Tell me about the Artist Residency program.

Let's, let's jump in on that a second.

- Yeah.

So we decided that there was a need for us to be able to give artists some tools and, you know, the support that they need so they can elevate their arts to the next level that they feel is appropriate for them.

So we are providing them with a year long studio in the basement and giving them some of those tools and resources that they need.

And then they will also come up with a body of work that will go on exhibit towards the end of their residency.

And then hopefully we'll bring in another artist after that.

So - The Beautiful Red Bud Park across the way, which we've actually shot inside the pavilion over there for our capital holiday special a few years ago.

It, it's just a lovely park.

It's a beautiful space.

Music, indoor outdoor.

Tell us what all kind of events can you have down here in no to, besides First Fridays and walking down for - That.

Yeah, you know, we as an organization, we took the initiative to build the park back in 2019, and it has really been a wonderful venue for us to highlight all of the arts.

So we do everything from, you know, music on first Fridays, the summer concert series.

We bring in school groups, give them a, a space to do their own performances.

We've had theater in the park.

I mean, everything that you can imagine, if it's out there and we can make it work, then we want to.

So the park is a beautiful space that, you know, really just kind of brings all of the arts together in the district.

And we've got murals and public arts throughout the area down there.

- If you have an idea for a small event or a little festival, I mean, is that someplace you could come in here and rent out Red Bud Park?

Absolutely.

And try facilitate that?

- Yeah, we do rentals in the park all the time.

Okay.

And we're also very open to those collaborative partnerships.

So, you know, if you're wanting to put on an event and there's a way that we can help support that, then we're definitely willing to have those conversations.

- We just can't have a spontaneous one on a Thursday afternoon in the middle of the street, though.

That's, that's passed.

Yeah.

Maybe, - Maybe, maybe - We have enough money to pay the police fines.

- No, I think what we wanted to make sure is provide opportunities for anybody that wanted a party, a festival, you know, a place, a beautiful park because you're renting a park, you know, I mean, and that's kind of huge.

I mean, you can have a band, you can play games.

I mean, it's a very unique event space, you know, and people don't realize that, that we, we manage it and you can have an event at a park.

You, we have bathrooms there.

We have a stage.

It's a very unique venue.

But we wanted to make sure we provided those opportunities for anybody that wanted to throw a party, you know, or a fundraiser or even nonprofits that just needed to host a meeting.

I mean, we, we wanna make sure that that park's being used and we are very open to having a conversation on how we can help each other out.

- This is me, again, being a little selfish and, and you being a culinary guy and just, you know, picking brains here.

But has there ever been any talk of like a, a food truck hub?

I know there has been in other parts of the city and whatnot, but you know, a place where, you know, four or five food trucks always hang out or maybe, - So we have an initiative Yeah.

That we started this last first Friday.

It's called the Mobile Munch Market slash El Mercado, which is eight vendors that are at Teter Courtyard.

We actually have an app that if you download Mobile Munch, it'll tell you all the vendors that are gonna be there.

And if you hit the location, it'll tell you how to get here.

If you're from out of town, if you're in the city, that's gonna be every first Friday.

So the idea of that was because, you know, businesses are closing and here no, unfortunately we lost a, a very great business, Norman, and we felt like we still need to provide food options for everybody.

- Yeah.

- So this vendor market, we started just thinking and everybody's like, let's just do it.

And we ended up doing, it was a success.

I mean, if you guys haven't been here on first Friday, it's amazing.

And now we have vendors that are gonna be here first Friday, and we're gonna have also bouncy houses, you know, at the park as well too, starting in May.

So we're really trying to create First Friday, not just to be, you know, a place where just you can just come down here.

It's a family event, it's a, a place where you can find antique, you know, get your nails done, get have, have your kids jump at a bouncy house.

- Everyone in the family is looking forward to going.

Yes.

No one is getting drugged down.

Exactly.

They all have something for - Them.

Yeah.

So that started, that initiative started and it's been a success and we're so excited for May 1st Friday, but yes.

Not necessarily food trucks, but we have vendors that are gonna be set up at the Teeter courtyard now.

We do have a space to host food trucks.

We just trying to make sure that we do things slowly and making sure that we think of everything that might come up and making sure that the business there, whoever comes here succeeds.

- Yeah.

- Because if we just say, Hey, come here Right.

To a food vendor and they're not actually making money, they won't be here next week or next first Friday.

Yeah.

So we wanna make sure we provide the opportunities where the vendors and the business owners are thriving.

- Yeah.

- You know, because there's no point in me having a van, but if they're not selling anything, this has to be truly a partnership where everybody gets something off of it.

And we grow together - With all these small local businesses or, or people coming in wanting start a business.

Where in the process do you step in to help with expertise or just the knowhow of, this is what happened to me back when I started?

- Yeah.

You know, we are always willing to work with businesses and give them some support tools.

When businesses come down here and inquire about space, you know, we talk about some of those needs that they have and, and how to help them.

So, you know, giving them a, you know, a business that would maybe help with marketing or, you know, providing the information when it comes to like small business development and those kinds of things.

So yeah, we want to work with our businesses as much as we can to make sure that this is a place that they're gonna be for a long time.

And so we regularly have business meetings, we have district meetings, we work very closely with those partners within this area to help give all the support to the businesses that are needed.

Yeah.

- Do are most of the businesses pretty, I mean, pretty connected.

They're looking out for each other down here.

Is that, is that - They are, - Yeah, I think we have a good collaboration with all the business owners.

I can confidently say that everybody kind of knows everybody, but we start in the beginning.

Like we start with the ribbon cutting, right?

We, we bring people down here and call out all of our business owners, Hey, urban Metal's about to open, let's cut a ribbon cutting for them.

And they'll come and they'll support, right?

And then from there, we make sure that they thrive.

You know, we show them all the resources and not just, we have, but also the city has from Go Topeka to the SBDC, you know, to Washburn, to the small business console.

We make sure that they know where to go.

You know, we, there's, there's always new organizations offering help for entrepreneurs like OP for example.

You know, they also have a lot of resources, but unfortunately our small businesses are so focused in their business, right.

And they don't have the bandwidth to go out to all these organizations.

So we invite them to come to the art center.

You know, we actually set up a computer downstairs where if they wanted more information, you know, and we're available, they can come down here and figure out how they can maybe write a grant or apply for these incentives.

Oh wow.

'cause at the end of the day, we wanna make sure our business owners here thrive.

And it's not just, you know, sending a letter, you know, or putting it on a webpage.

You're giving them a toolbox.

We're giving them a toolbox, but we're actually trying to make sure they survive.

And I'm proud of that because me as a business owner, you know, I wished I had all those tools back then, you know, so I wanna make sure they survive.

And truly in our district, any district in to Pico in any city around the United States, if we don't invest in those small businesses that are in our districts, they'll go away.

Yeah.

You know, and it won't be good having an art center with an empty block.

- Yeah.

- You know, we wanna make sure that when you come down here, you just shop for the arts, you get a cat, a coffee, you get your hair cut.

So all of, all of the above - Or you have because of that also three dead blocks.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- And last but not least, the arts in Kansas have been in a little up and down for a few years, but this year the Kansas Governor's Arts Awards came back and you did receive an award.

So tell me a little bit about that, that evening and, and just the recognition for what is going on down here.

- Well, it felt good, I will say, to receive the Governor's Award, you know, so we received the Urban Community Arts Award for the year.

And it was a fabulous night of all of these creative arts organizations across the state coming.

And we're very proud of that.

But we also understand that this is not just a organization award or an art center award.

This is accumulation of all of the wonderful businesses that have helped make this district what it is today.

And so we are definitely, I mean, that's at the top of our mind, making sure that our businesses understand that this wasn't just us, it was them.

And so, you know, we're, we're so thankful for the support of the Kansas Arts Commission.

We, we definitely utilize them in many ways.

If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be able to do some of the programming that we do in the park and some of the arts initiatives that we have put on over the years.

So it just feels good to be a part of that.

- That's fantastic.

It's definitely a win, not just for us, but for everybody, to be honest.

You know, to put us on the map on making sure that we're pushing the arts in the forefront and making sure that we're providing opportunities.

I mean, it's a good feeling.

- Thank you, Bo, for taking over this great artistic cause.

Thanks again for watching Working Capital, and thanks Stacey, and thanks Pedro.

And we hope to have you on again.

Thank you.

Thank you for having us.

We'll see you next time.

Funding for Working Capital is provided by the Friends of KTW, the Raven C and Marguerite Gibson Foundation.

And go Topeka.