What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 6pm Tuesday 10am - 6pm Wednesday 10am - 6pm Thursday 10am - 6pm Friday 10am - 6pm Saturday 10am - 6pm

Footprints Lawrence, 1339 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, KS (2026)

05/22/2026

"If you are in a movie theater, you can look two people down and they are laughing while you are laughing or you can look three people down and they love that song that you love. It is living proof that you are not alone."
— Stephen Chbosky

Nearly a century ago, the Missouri Theater in St. Joseph, Missouri presented its first movie: a Clara Bow silent film, Rough House Rosie. Local papers described the theater as a "temple of entertainment." Before radio and television, this is where Americans would gather to share a laugh or a good cry. Yes, it was indeed a temple of entertainment, but also a sort of secular church where all Americans would gather to share a common experience despite religious, political, or racial differences. It was the Jim Crow era. African Americans were welcome, but they had to use a side entrance and could only sit in the balcony. Nevertheless, this was about the only place where everyone gathered. In 1927, sixty million Americans attended movies every week. That was half of our population. The theater was a democratic institution and an asset to the community. Even though admission was only 25 cents, sixty million moviegoers per week made owning a theater, large or small, profitable.

The Missouri Theater is an atmospheric movie palace designed by the Boller Brothers, an architectural firm based in Kansas City, MO. Born in St. Joseph, Carl was the second oldest of 10 Boller children and Robert was the tenth child of their German immigrant parents. The eldest brother, Will, was known as Boller the Magician on the vaudeville circuit. He also doubled as a scenery painter. The Boller brothers had no formal architectural training. They entered vaudeville and responded to the needs and opportunities presented. They started small, designing little vaudeville houses and nickelodeons, and worked their way up to magnificent movie palaces like the Missouri Theater. Over their career, the Boller Brothers designed or consulted on the design for more than 300 theaters. Both the Granada and Varsity theaters in Lawrence were their creations. The Stiefel Theater in Salina, Kansas is also a Boller Brothers. The Stiefel was magnificently restored and has been central to the revitalization of downtown Salina.

Robert Boller's favorite architect was Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. Goodhue was a world traveler. He went to the Middle East in 1902 to study Arabian architecture. Revelations from that trip influenced the design of his greatest project, the Nebraska State Capitol. The Boller Brothers designed two movie theaters in Lincoln, Nebraska right before their commission for the Missouri Theater. Robert certainly would have been influenced by Goodhue's work on the capitol building. King Tut's tomb was discovered in 1922, sparking worldwide "Tutmania" and inspiring the Art Deco movement. All those influences found their way into the design of the Missouri Theater. The design mixes Moorish elements with Assyrian and Persian influences. The ceiling of the auditorium is spectacular. It appears to be an Arabian tent shielding the audience from the sun, blue sky, and clouds above. The "tent" is plaster with steel ropes attaching it to the walls. On either side of the stage are two massive, molded plaster lamassu, Mesopotamian deities, which are winged bulls with the heads of men. The environment and atmosphere wowed audiences in 1927, and they still do.

The stock market crash of 1929 halted theater projects, thus killing the Boller Brothers' business. It took years for them to recover and then only at a much-reduced scale. Carl Boller died of a heart attack in 1946. Robert Boller was reduced to designing drive-in theaters in the 1950s. He also died of a heart attack in 1962. Times change. Television replaced the communal experience of entertainment. The Missouri Theater closed in 1970 and by 1972 it was slated for demolition. A group of concerned citizens took action, saved it from destruction, and beautifully restored it. It was money well spent and a beautiful asset for the community. The fabulous Missouri Theater is kicking off its 100th birthday. Appropriately they just presented a Clara Bow film with live musical accompaniment. If you get the opportunity to see a production, you should jump at the chance to experience this theater.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

05/15/2026

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."
— John Muir

When Frederick Law Olmsted designed New York City's Central Park, he set a new standard. For a city aspiring to greatness, beautiful park space became a requirement. San Francisco actually consulted with Olmsted regarding the development of a west coast version of Central Park. Even though Olmsted rejected the future site of Golden Gate Park and a different firm developed it, Golden Gate Park is spectacular. Additionally, San Francisco has many smaller neighborhood parks scattered throughout the city, which add to the livability and desirability of the city.

Similar in creativity to The Highline, New York City's elevated park, Salesforce Park is situated atop the Transbay Transit Center and the city streets below. It is a 5.4-acre greenspace, a living roof that provides a calm beautiful space above the hustle and bustle below. Visitors have the option of taking elevators, escalators or even a gondola up to the park. All options are free. The gondola is certainly fun, but so is the 4-story escalator beneath a towering oculus. Do both. Within the park, a walking trail takes you through a bamboo grove, as well as 600 trees from around the world that share the Bay Area's Mediterranean-like climate. There is even a small grove of young Californian Redwood Trees. Lawns and benches provide places to sit, the amphitheater provides concert / performance space, and there are open gathering places for group activities. Just for fun, along the northern edge of the walking path there is a line of water geyser fountains that are activated by sensors every time a bus passes through the transit center. The geysers spurt water following the speed and motion of the unseen buses below. The park towers above street level and skyscrapers tower above the park, creating a stunning backdrop. This park is yet another example of San Francisco beautifully meeting a long-held requirement for greatness.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/salesforce-park-san-francisco-ca

05/08/2026

"Silk does for the body what diamonds do for the hand."
— Oscar de la Renta

My mother received her degree from the University of Kansas in entomology. Therefore, I spent much of my childhood running around our yard with a butterfly net chasing monarchs, red spotted purples, swallowtails and a variety of other butterflies. I also raised monarch caterpillars, feeding them on milkw**d. I was fascinated watching them form their chrysalis and then emerge as adult butterflies. Later for a school project I raised silkworms which feed on mulberry trees of which we had plenty in our yard. Like magic, with time and patience, these fat caterpillars transform mulberry leaves into silk. What a wonder! When college came around, I did a research project about the Japanese silk trade in the 1870s. All of these experiences made me interested in discovering what remains of Silkville, Kansas.

Kansas is full of ghost towns. Places which represented the hopes and dreams of groups of people with a common purpose. But try as they might, frequently these towns were just not viable. Most towns were formed by organizing a group of people somewhere in Europe with a common ethnicity, language and religion. After doing a little research, they would pack up their belongings and head for some part of Kansas to construct their future.

The town of Silkville was a utopian socialist community founded by a French aristocrat named Ernest Valeton De Boissiere. He put up the money to buy more than 3,000 acres of rolling farmland a few miles southwest of the town of Williamsburg. He recruited 40 French families to join him in his utopian dream. They built with limestone, since it was readily available, fences, a church, a barn and a cocoonery to raise silkworms.

They planted 8,000 mulberry trees as well as thousands of peach trees and grape vines. It had the potential to be a fabulous estate of which everyone could share the bounty. They built a 60-room "chateau" where everyone lived in a communal fashion. By all accounts the quality of their silk was quite good. However, there was already a global silk market and the Japanese, Chinese and French beat them on price. De Boissiere's dream was about to collapse. They tried raising cattle, producing cheese and other activities but failed to make it profitable. Gradually commune members left and were assimilated into the surrounding communities. De Boissiere returned to France.

They did choose a serene and beautiful setting to locate their commune. From hilltops you can discern the layout. The "chateau" is no longer there. It burned to the ground a long time ago, but the school, barn, cocoonery and some limestone fences still remain, as do mulberry trees dotting the landscape. You can see the school from the adjacent county roads, but be aware that the few remaining Silkville structures are on private land.

If interest in history, silk or scenery is not enough to draw you in, you should know that one of the best barbeque joints in Kansas is just 2.6 miles away, Guy and Mae's Tavern in Williamsburg.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/silkville-kansas

05/01/2026

On Immigration — "Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we are a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas, and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world to the next frontier."
— President Ronald Reagan

If you are old enough to remember Ronald Reagan, before he was President and before he was Governor of California, he hosted and served as the spokesman for Death Valley Days. It was an early TV show sponsored by 20 Mule Team Borax. The future President would show you on camera how effective Borax was in cleaning just about everything. (Borax is still readily available as a laundry additive and borate compounds still have various uses in our daily lives.) Early prospectors did not find gold in Death Valley, instead, they found vast quantities of sodium borate in the salt flats there. For thousands of years mineral-laden water evaporated, leaving a thick layer of salts. It was 165 miles from the borax ore to the nearest railroad terminal. This made it impractical to haul raw borax ore from the salt flats to the railroad for distant processing. The borax ore had to be processed on site. The technology was simple, but the work was brutal. Workers gathered the borax ore by hand, loaded it onto wagons, crushed it, mixed it in hot water, and allowed it to cool, which formed crystals of pure borax. Once collected and dried, the borax would be loaded into wagons and pulled by a team of twenty mules the 165 miles through the Mojave Desert to the railroad. It was necessary to attach a 1,200-gallon water tank to the wagons for drinking water for both the human drivers and the mules. When temperatures in Death Valley exceeded 120 degrees, work stopped—not out of concern for the workers, but because the borax crystals would not form when it was that hot. Although the TV show didn't emphasize it, most workers at the Harmony Borax Works in the late 1800s were Chinese immigrants making about $1.30 per day. Deductions for food and lodging were taken from their pay.

Reagan would have known this. He knew Chinese immigrants built the western portion of the Transcontinental Railroad. He also knew California agriculture depends on immigration. He also knew the White House was built with involuntary immigrants (slave labor). He knew the Brooklyn Bridge was built primarily by Irish, German, and Italian immigrants. With each passing decade the ethnicity of immigrants changes. Accepting change is always difficult, even when it is for the better. America's economy has always depended upon finding a new wave of immigrants to do the truly hard work that established Americans do not want to do. Our standard of living depends in part on immigration. In Reagan's final speech to the nation as President, he went on to say, "If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost."

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

04/24/2026

"Nature is the art of God."
— Dante Alighieri

When you are at the bottom of Death Valley at Badwater Basin you are 282 feet below sea level. This spot has a spring-fed pool with high salinity. When an early survey crew happened upon this spot their mules refused to drink, hence the name Badwater Basin. From this pool, if you look east and up at an abrupt cliff face, you can see a white rectangular sign way up high. The sign reads "Sea Level." A bit beyond the cliff is Dante's View, a mountaintop accessible via a 13-mile scenic drive so steep that large and/or long vehicles are prohibited. Dante's View is arguably the most spectacular view in Death Valley, at 5,575 feet above sea level, it is well worth the drive. The views in every direction are truly special. It can be scorching hot at the Badwater Basin but quite chilly just above at Dante's View.

Named for the poet who wrote the 14th-century epic poem The Divine Comedy, an allegory of the author's journey into the afterlife. Dante's journey takes him through the three realms: Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Presumably early visitors riding mules through Death Valley on a sweltering day thought the view was hellish. However, on a perfect April day, the view was beautiful — the art of God.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/dantes-view-death-valley-national-park-california

04/17/2026

"There is no shortage of water in the desert but exactly the right amount... There is no lack of water here unless you try to establish a city where no city should be."
— Edward Abbey

I had long known of Zabriskie Point from Michelangelo Antonioni's tedious 1970 art film of the same name. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of that film was Harrison Ford's tiny, uncredited part. The film was not inspiring, but Zabriskie Point's badlands landscape, certainly is. As you enter the park from Pahrump, NV, Zabriskie Point is on the left side of the highway. The parking lot is crowded. Everyone wants to take a peek. This stop is just one of many dazzling sights awaiting you within the 3.4 million acre park.

Death Valley, our largest National Park in the lower 48, got its name from comments by gold-seeking 49ers who became stranded and lost in this great basin in 1849. After their rescue on the way out of the valley they said, "Goodbye, valley of death". One member of their party had died. The park is a land of extremes. The hottest and driest place in North America is Badwater Basin, which is also the lowest spot at 282 feet below sea level. However, less than 20 miles away Telescope Peak towers at 11,042 feet above sea level. Behind Zabriskie Point in some of our photos, you can see both Telescope Peak and the salt flats below.

Before tourism became widespread, the main economic activity was mining borax in the 1880s and beyond. Borax was primarily used for laundry and household cleaning. Zabriskie Point is named for Christian Brevoort Zabriskie (1864-1936) who was vice president and general manager of the Pacific Coast Borax Company. The audacity required to live and work in this desolate environment is astonishing.

However, as a tourist...there is a hiking trail through Zabriskie Point which leads to Natural Bridge Canyon. If it is not too hot and you have plenty of water, that route will lead you through some other-worldly beauty.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick
https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/zabriskie-point-death-valley-national-park-california

04/10/2026

"This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in."
— Teddy Roosevelt

Walkability is a key factor in determining the popularity of a city. At more than double the square miles of New York City, Houston has less than one-third of the population. It is a sprawling city, highly dependent upon the automobile for personal transportation. However, Houston is fairly affordable for a large city and has numerous fabulous attractions including their much loved Hermann Park.

At the turn of the 20th century, Houston was fortunate to have civic leaders who had the vision and the wherewithal to create Hermann Park. This 445-acre park is large enough to contain multiple attractions without feeling cramped. There is an amphitheater for performances. A serene Japanese garden allows Zen-like contemplation as you stroll its paths. Water is a recurring theme with a lake with paddle boats, as well as fountains and meandering streams with lovely pedestrian bridges to enhance your walk. There is a multi-story mound with a spiral walk, which takes you to a viewing platform of the park below. As you traverse up or down the spiral, you keep passing over a cascading waterfall. If you tire of walking, you can take a mini-passenger train, which circles the park or hop on the carousel and ride not only horses bobbing up and down but cats, pigs, dolphins, or hummingbirds. You can choose your ride.

George H. Hermann, for whom the park is named, fought on the Confederate side during the Civil War. Later he made his fortune in real estate, cattle, and oil. He not only donated the land for Hermann Park, but also much of his estate to help pay for the park. His vision included establishing Rice University, world-class museums, and medical facilities along the perimeter of the park. The Museum of Fine Arts and the Houston Museum of Natural Science are both fabulous places to spend time and learn. These institutions and the neighborhoods hug the park and make it a place you could spend days exploring and never need a car. Hermann Park and the surrounding area provide the walkability and natural space that makes it a great asset for citizens and visitors alike.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/azaleas-in-bloom-hermann-park-houston

04/03/2026

"The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature."
— Crystal Bridges website

In Northwest Arkansas, the trees are starting to bud, daffodils are about spent and the lenten roses are blooming. Spring is in the air. Whether you are marching in a rally or strolling along the art walk at Crystal Bridges, it is wonderful to be outdoors enjoying the weather.

I am not a Walmart shopper. I admired Sam Walton's business acumen but disliked the effect of his success on small businesses in downtowns across America. He was transformational. Yes, consumers could buy numerous things at lower prices, but at what cost to their local community and locally owned businesses?

On the other hand, Walton's money has definitely transformed Bentonville, AR. It is a company town: Walmart's corporate headquarters. Walton heirs have spent millions bringing cultural institutions, healthcare and quality restaurants to Bentonville and financed the construction of an incredible system of bicycling trails through the rolling hills surrounding the town. Most important to me is the creation of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Both the architecture and the museum's collection are stunning. Art is displayed both within the museum's walls and along pathways in its park-like setting. Bentonville has become quite the tourist attraction due to the Walton family's investment in the town's culture, art scene and community amenities. People are flocking to experience this town. I applaud their investment in the Northwest Arkansas community.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/art-walk-at-crystal-bridges-museum-bentonville-ar

03/27/2026

"When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden."
— Minnie Aumonier

I grew up in Wichita. I couldn't wait to escape to Lawrence to attend KU. That is a typical adolescent's response to their hometown. Over decades my tune changed. I have rediscovered the many good qualities which Wichita possesses. There are great neighborhoods, museums, theaters and restaurants which add to the quality of life. There is a new sense of pride evident when you talk to Wichitans.

My mom was a frequent volunteer at Botanica. Occasionally I would tag along. From that I developed a love of gardens. Botanica inspires, but my yard never looks as good. Botanica has an army of volunteers who not only water and w**d, they are constantly planting new things to ensure each time you visit, you can experience something new and wonderful. For instance, in the spring, 50,000 tulips and 120,000 daffodils explode on the scene.

Botanica is always a welcome escape. Explore and come away feeling refreshed.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

03/20/2026

"Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt

My memories of my grandfather were all of a dignified older bald man. He was a surgeon, always nattily dressed. He was soft-spoken and reassuringly serious. His name was Erastus. Although as a young man, he was an athlete. He played semi-professional baseball to help pay his way through medical school. His nickname was "Rat".

I wish I could have known him then. He was a barnstorming ballplayer at the beginning of the previous century. Of course he was concerned about protecting his hands for his future profession. Fortunately, by this time baseball equipment had progressed beyond catching balls barehanded. Players used padded gloves and the catchers had special protective equipment.

Twenty years earlier a dental student named Albert J. Bushong is credited with inventing the padded catcher's mitt. His nickname was "Doc" since his fellow players knew he was going to be a dentist. He too was very concerned about protecting his hands for his future profession. He played for various teams in his career, but during the season of 1886 he was the catcher for the American Association champions, the Saint Louis Browns.

The Saint Louis Browns were having a great season. They made it to the "World Series" against the National League champions, the Chicago White Stockings. Both teams had met in the previous "World Series" of 1885 with the unsatisfactory outcome of a seven game series with three wins, three losses and a tie. There was no clear winner. They have since changed the rules.

Charles Comiskey was both the manager and first baseman of the Saint Louis Browns. The future Chicago White Sox (no longer the Stockings) ballpark was named Comiskey Park after Charles who eventually managed and owned the White Sox.

At the time of the 1886 season, the Missouri Pacific Railroad company was making its way across Kansas. All of Saint Louis, in fact all the people of Missouri were super excited for their "World Series" heros. As the Missouri Pacific road crew were laying their tracks, they had the option of naming the station depots/towns. They named one depot Bushong and another Comiskey. For about 42 years, the town of Comiskey existed but eventually became a ghost town. Only the cemetery survives, located about 6 miles east of Council Grove. Bushong fared better. Its population grew to nearly 200 people but a disastrous fire destroyed most of downtown. It is now nearly a ghost town with a little under 30 residents.

"Doc" Bushong left baseball and had a long career in dentistry in New Jersey. It is not known if he ever visited his namesake town. My Grandfather traded in his baseball cleats for golf shoes when he became a surgeon. He played with some of the golfing greats of his time period. Golf trophies lined his study shelves. He had a long distinguished career in Wichita.

The Missouri Pacific rail line has also disappeared, but the Flint Hills State Park has taken its place. It is a 118 mile long rails-to-trails park going from Osawatomie to Herrington, Kansas through the heart of the Flint Hills. It is a beautiful way to experience the Kansas Flint Hills by bicycle, horse or walking. There are many trailheads along the way including the trailhead parking lot at Bushong.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/flint-hills-state-park-bushong-ks

03/13/2026

A little storefront update 🩷

Our pink awnings are officially back! Footprints had pink awnings many years ago, and we're excited to bring them back. We'd like to give a huge thank you to Kansas City Tent & Awning Co for the installation, and to Missy McCoy for her always beautiful paint work.

Stop by and see them for yourself!

Footprints Lawrence

05/22/2026

05/15/2026

05/08/2026

05/01/2026

04/24/2026

04/17/2026

04/10/2026

04/03/2026

03/27/2026

03/20/2026

03/13/2026

Address

Opening Hours

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Monday	10am - 6pm
Tuesday	10am - 6pm
Wednesday	10am - 6pm
Thursday	10am - 6pm
Friday	10am - 6pm
Saturday	10am - 6pm