Joe Flannery

Since 1857, Weaver’s has been a fixture in Downtown Lawrence, and is one of the oldest continuously operating department stores in the nation.  It opened a year before Macy’s, 36 years before Sears, and 45 years before J.C. Penney.  Weaver’s continues to defy the retailing odds since its founding by Lathrop Bullene, who came to town to start a dry goods business.  It has survived Quantrill’s raid in 1863 and ironically, a fire 10 years later that forced him to relocate to Weavers current iconic location at the corner of 9th Street and Massachusetts in the heart of downtown Lawrence, KS.  Bullene then sold the business to his son-in-law, Arthur Weaver, in 1885. The tradition of family ownership continued when Larry Flannery, a Weavers store employee, purchased the department store from the Weaver family in the 1950s.   Just as it has since 1957, Weavers offers a unique shopping and buying experience treasured by residents and thousands of Lawrence visitors each year. 

Joe joined the Board of Directors for Central Bank of the Midwest in 2015, following Central’s acquisition of Douglas County Bank, where he had also served as a board member.  His longstanding commitment to service and building strong relationships is a natural fit with our own community engagement philosophy.  Joe lives in Lawrence with his wife, Paula.