Posts

Showing posts from January, 2022

DKG Annual Used Book Sale returning!

Image
DKG Book Sale inside the former Big Lots in 2020 - Optopolis The Delta Kappa Gamma Annual Used Book Sale is set to take place again this year! What is Delta Kappa Gamma? For those unaware of what DKG is, it is an organization ran by significant women educators; as clarified in their purpose on their website , DKG promotes excellence in education. DKG has presence in numerous countries including the United States and Canada. History of DKG in Cheyenne, WY Generally, every year, DKG of Cheyenne (the Upsilon Chapter) has held their annual used book sale to build up funds for educational projects and needs while also encouraging reuse of perfectly good books. According to Wyoming News , the Upsilon Chapter of DKG hosted their first book sale at the Frontier Mall 38 years ago. Over the years, DKG has taken advantage of loads of different spaces in Cheyenne, including but not limited to Big Lots in 2020, Pioneer Printing in 2019, and three smaller tenant spaces in the Frontier Mall in 2018 (...

Breeze Thru on Dell Range is Remodeling!

Image
Temporarily closed sign hangs on front of the Breeze Thru building on Dell Range - Optopolis On January 10th, Breeze Thru temporarily closed their Dell Range location here in Cheyenne so it could be remodeled. Some History of Cheyenne's first Breeze Thru location... As mentioned in a previous article here on Optopolis , this location was built in 2010 as Cheyenne's first Breeze Thru Car Wash location. Perhaps ironically, this location actually replaced a manual car wash that stood in its place in years past (as can be seen in 2007 Google Street View). When this Breeze Thru first opened, it advertised a single-time car wash as cheap as $3.   TOP, MIDDLE: The old manual car wash that once stood here | BOTTOM: The Breeze Thru Car Wash in 2011 with a 3 dollar ad - Google Maps Street View  As time went on, small changes were made, one of the most obvious being visible from Dell Range by the year 2017, advertising a single car wash as cheap as $5. There would be a shift away from th...

Cheyenne Dialysis Medical Office being built along Prairie Avenue

Image
[Signage of a US Renal Care located in Clovis, NM - Google Maps Street View]  Cheyenne is getting another medical office. This one, however, is dedicated to, as its official name suggests, renal care, and it's already in the process of being built! US Renal Care is being built next to Staybridge Suites Hotel US Renal Care, a dialysis services provider that was founded in 2000 by Chris Brengard, was in the process of planning for a location in Cheyenne by the end of 2020. According to BusinessWire, they are focused on helping patients that suffer from end stage renal disease, and they partnered with Bain Capital Private Equity in 2019 in an effort to further expand their service. Around the time construction began on the new nearby roundabout at the intersection of Prairie Avenue and Frontier Mall Drive, Cutoff Rd (previously a dirt road between the existing Staybridge and former Kmart) was upgraded to crushed base. Only a few months later by September, US Renal Care began building ...

This old gas station will be replaced soon! (Chase Bank to replace Stag Convenience Corner)

Image
[A view of Stag Convenience Corner from Yellowstone Rd - Optopolis]  A drive down the stroad called Yellowstone Rd reveals an old gas station/car wash (aka Stag Convenience Corner), and it appears its life is limited, as plans have been submitted for a new Chase Bank. History of the gas station and car wash The earlier history known here at Optopolis on this station is murky, but what is known thanks to the property assessor is that the convenience store portion was built in 1987 and expanded on in 2004, while the car wash portion was built in 1996. Stag Convenience Corner was the name of the station by 2007. The time when Stag Convenience Corner (not to be confused with Stag Oil Company) closed is also rather vague, although Google Maps confirms that it closed between 2011 and 2017. [Aug 2011 vs. Jul 2017 - Google Maps Street View] A surprised yet failed reuse... By 2018, the pumps had been removed, leaving only the underground tanks and the two buildings that made the Stag Conven...

Cheyenne's nearest Kmart at over 800 Miles away is CLOSING!

Image
[2D-ified drawing of Hamilton Kmart with a closing banner manually added - Optopolis]  Over 800 miles away and in another state, and you are asking, Why Three reasons - it's Cheyenne's nearest Kmart; the last Kmart in the mountain time zone; and best of all, the last TransformCo Kmart that still uses the classic retro signage ! A brief history of Kmart as it relates to Cheyenne Hamilton, MT's Kmart location (recently nearest Kmart to Cheyenne) was built in 1988 just shy of the 90s shift to BIG Kmart with Hamilton's store opening in November 1988. About three years later in 1991, Cheyenne's third and last Kmart would open on Dell Range Blvd, displaying the aforementioned BIG K branding; just less than twenty six years later in spring 2017, Cheyenne's last Kmart closed. [TOP: Kmart Hamilton, MT || Bottom: Kmart Cheyenne, WY - Google Maps Street View] Just under three years later in February of 2020, Cheyenne's at-the-time-nearest-Kmart located in Loveland, Col...

New Breeze-Thru Carwash NOW OPEN at S Greeley Hwy!

Image
A view of the new car wash's entry on opening day - Optopolis Breeze Thru has opened their third Cheyenne location; it is located on the south side along South Greeley Highway at the site of one of MJ Auto Sales' previous locations! MJ Auto Sales MOVED - Property History This property had a small building that was built in 1980; in recent years, it's been occupied by Frontier Cars and Trucks. By 2017, it was occupied by MJ's Auto Sales. LEFT: Frontier Cars and Trucks in 2011 - Google Maps Street View || RIGHT: MJ Auto Sales in 2017 - Google Maps Street View By 2018, Breeze Thru had plans to build the third Cheyenne location at the site of this car dealer, putting up a sign advertising their plans. Breeze Thru Coming Soon sign in May 2018 - Google Maps Street View Breeze Thru Coming Soon sign in May 2018 -Google Maps Street View In 2021, MJ Auto Sales relocated further south to a different location (before relocating again later in the same year to Lincolnway about two b...

Tommy's Express Car Wash to be built near Menards!

Image
[Outlots for sale sign in front of Menards, construction equipment at soon-to-be Tommy's Express Car Wash in Dec 2021 - Optopolis]  Only nine years after Menard's opened in Cheyenne, a third outlot of theirs is getting used by a tenant! Previous Menard's outlot occupancy One of the earliest tenants to show interest in the area was Chick Fil A, which lead to Wyoming's first standalone/drive thru Chick Fil A (second location* in Cheyenne) opening in 2015. They used the outlot on the corner of Windmill and Dell Range. In mid-2020, a second outlot would become occupied, with Firestone Tires making a comeback to Cheyenne that year. Their building was built in the space directly east of Chick Fil A. [LEFT: Firestone tires, interior still unfinished, one night in June 2020 | RIGHT: A view of the already-built Chick Fil A -Optopolis] Tommy's Express Carwash: The third occupant Just within a year later, it was announced that Tommy's Express Car Wash, an automatic drive-t...