Calvin and Susan Quisenberry, owners of Quisenberry Funeral Chapel and Village Floral, have purchased the 6,000-square-foot building from Community National Bank, which in 1997 opened a bank at that site.

Since the bank’s move to a new building on Main Street and U.S. Highway 24-40, the former bank offices have been vacant. And for most of the previous year the space which had housed Salon Designs has been vacant.

The Quisenberrys plan to continue leasing space to Midwest Insulation, Hancock Realtors and Paul’s Barber Shop, as well as fill the vacancies.

“We have two very nice spaces, and if we’re not able to rent them immediately, we can always do something with them ourselves,” Calvin Quisenberry said.

But Quisenberry said he has already received inquiries.

“I’ve had some lawyers looking at the old bank part of the building,” he said.

That area includes 2,000 square feet, is wired for computer networks and security, and includes a walk-in bank vault.

And, he said, a local business has expressed an interest in space in the southwest corner of the building.

Quisenberry said he’s noticed in recent years a resurgence in interest in Tonganoxie’s downtown.

“The downtown mix is changed the drive-by stuff is going out on the highway and the professional stuff is going downtown,” he said. “I’ve been surprised how much interest there’s been for destination-type businesses.”

Quisenberry said he’s interested in protecting his own businesses along Fourth Street. His great-grandfather, Henry Metz, was a local grocer who helped his friends and neighbors by helping prepare bodies for burial. Quisenberry’s father, Hervey Quisenberry, opened the funeral home on Fourth Street in 1946.

In 1977, Calvin Quisenberry purchased the business from him.

Quisenberry’s impetus, he said, in buying the former bank building, was to protect downtown.

“I’ve got a significant investment in downtown here and it’s in my best interest to see that the downtown area is kept in good condition and has a good mix of business types here,” Quisenberry said. “Like everybody in the Fourth Street corridor, I have the same feeling of pride and commitment to that area.”