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Weaver’s Department Store, for more than 160 years downtown’s stalwart anchor, recently received well-deserved recognition on Forbes.com, which hailed Lawrence’s traditional retail hub for its decidedly modern touches. “As an independently run department store in 2021,” wrote Michael Lisicky, a Forbes contributor who specializes in department stores, “Weaver’s is a very rare breed. Fifty years ago, 22 such stores operated throughout the state of Kansas. Today, barely a half dozen are still open for business across the entire country.” Lisicky noted that after weathering a two-month closure and pandemic-related supply chain delays that are still ongoing, Weaver’s is poised to continue offering its loyal customers good selections at attractive prices, along with amenities that distinguish it from soulless big-box stores: “Weaver’s assortment of apparel and home goods satisfies the definition [of a department store], especially according to today’s standards—perhaps more accurately even than Nordstrom and Von Maur.”