“Let’s Talk Shop” is not your father’s history documentary. It bears no resemblance to the boring and occasionally outdated educational films sisters Sara and Charity Harmon remember watching in school.

The Harmons’ tribute to legendary Wichita department stores is chockablock with the duo’s enthusiasm for local history, evidenced in previous documentary collaborations such as “Who Scammed Rajah Rabbit?”

A typical line: “OK, this is a really amazing thing to see,” Sara Harmon says early in the documentary, before paging through a “Catalog of Fashions for Autumn 1899,” which is full of “tiny illustrations of clothing.” Through her eyes, the amazingness is obvious. 

“That's kind of our mission statement: Showing the classics in a modern way that people will enjoy because it's good stuff,” Sara Harmon said. “‘Let's give you a good, positive experience of history.”

But “Let’s Talk Shop” is also a departure for the Harmon sisters. Instead of focusing on a single narrative, the new documentary explores multiple angles, including the golden shopping era represented by the Henry’s and Innes department stores, the disappearance of downtown as a retail destination, and how one Wichita retailer is trying to recapture some of that old shopping magic — all in a tight 45-minute package.

The Harmons got the idea for the documentary from a program at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum that covered Wichita fashion in the 1950s. 

“They were showing pictures of the different department stores, and everybody seemed really excited about it,” Sara Harmon said. 

The topic also resonated with the pair of Millennials who largely missed the days when stores catered to customers, and shopping was an experience. 

“Sara and I grew up watching classic films,” said Charity Harmon, who co-hosts a classic film series with her sister. “If you're watching an old rom-com, sometimes there's a scene where they're shopping in this big, glamorous store, and people are dressed up. They’re wearing suits and hats and nice dresses. 

“When they shop, it's a very personal experience. There’re people modeling clothes and (others) assisting customers: ‘Oh, do you want to try this?’ That's a part of the shopping industry that that we haven't experienced.”

The Harmons chose to focus on Henry’s and Innes, major department stores with a downtown presence at Broadway and William Streets, just south of Douglas Avenue. 

“it's kind of cool that we're spotlighting two places that are literally separated by a traffic light,” Sara Harmon said. 

Both buildings are also current and future homes for WSU Tech and the Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, twin redevelopment projects that have sought to retain the original character of each building (yet another thread in the documentary).

The timeline also worked. The Harmons knew they would have access to people with first-hand memories of shopping in downtown Wichita. The film also features cameos from compelling local figures such as Sierra Scott, Bonnie Bing Honeyman, and Rick Bumgardner, who each share fond — and incredibly specific — memories of downtown Wichita shopping.

Scott relates how, as a college student visiting Wichita with friends from the University of Kansas, she came into possession of a watch from the Henry’s jewelry department. 

“The watch still works, which shows the quality of the merchandise,” Charity Harmon said. “We're learning about something that we missed out on.”

Decades ago, Bumgardner fell into a relationship with Jo Hawker, a Henry’s associate who became his personal shopper, matching him with colorful suiting he could still wear to the office. 

“I did feel like Rick in those clothes,” he says wistfully. Later, Hawker conspired to have a fur coat custom-made for Bumgardner. He still owns it 37 years later, and it makes an appearance in the film.

Sara Harmon began researching this project, as usual, by asking for feedback on Facebook and consulting her “network of historian friends.” 

One is Jamie Frazier Tracy, the curator of collections at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. Arguably the third star of the documentary, she explains how Henry’s succeeded in part by treating their customers as worthy of fashionable (and sometimes luxurious) styles. Her chic asymmetric haircut underlines that the Midwest isn’t some “desolate wasteland of fashion,” the prevailing attitude of the time (and perhaps still).

Another key participant is Christa Rude Vazeos, who modeled for both Henry’s in Wichita and Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. The Harmons credit her for helping them make connections and collect the dots in their narrative. 

Rude Vazeos still models, including for Jewel Angels, an East Douglas boutique that has experimented with a contemporary version of a Henry’s-style fashion show. Its owner Jackie McGilbray appears in the documentary.

“The documentary is a testament to human connection, to how we've been able to find people, or them find us, and how all of our input somehow comes together into into one giant production,” Sara Harmon said.

“You know: Fade to black, roll credits.”

The Details

"Let's Talk Shop" at the Tallgrass Film Festival

Screenings take place at 12:15 Thursday, October 16 at Boulevard Theatres Old Town and 11 a.m. Saturday, October 19 at the Tallgrass Film Center. The second screening is sold out but standby entry may be available.

Sara and Charity Harmon will be in attendance at each screening.

Learn more and buy tickets.

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