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Playing Ball

By
Paul Fairchild
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In 1974, a group of Native American Methodist ministers saw a dire need in their community. A large population of Native Americans living in the Oklahoma City metro area needed easy access to solid – and free – health care. They came together to found the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic. What began as an all-volunteer effort with a staff of less than 40 serving hundreds of patients has grown into an organization of 130 health care professionals serving 18,000 patients from federally recognized tribes. Additionally, it sees 50,000 outpatient visitors each year. Today it contributes $14 million to the state’s economy. As the clinic approaches its 40th anniversary, it’s moving forward with ambitious expansion plans for its West Reno facility in Oklahoma City.

“The clinic has one guiding, overall mission: providing excellent health care to American Indians,” says CEO Robyn Sunday-Allen. “We do this by providing accessible, comprehensive care in a culturally sensitive environment with highly qualified staff.” 

Today, all of the services provided by the clinic are still free. The clinic and its partner, Indian Health Service, is funded by the federal government. Patients need only be members of federally recognized tribes.

For two decades the clinic registered roughly 250 new patients each year. Over the years, more Native Americans have moved off of reservations and traditional tribal lands to urban environments. Nearly 80 percent of the state’s Native Americans live off reservation. A plunging economy has also left many jobless and no longer working at companies that provide employees with health benefits. They turn to the clinic for much-needed health care.

One of the clinic’s biggest supporters is TV and film star Mark Harmon. Each year, he brings celebrity friends to Oklahoma City to play a softball game to raise funds for the clinic. “If we can lend three days of our time and impact this place, like, you know, obviously we have,” Harmon said in a recent CBS News interview. This year’s game was cancelled due to bad weather, but he guarantees he’ll be back in 2014. He and his friends did manage to sign some autographs and bowl with fans during this year’s trip to OKC.

“It’s exceptional to come back year after year and see the results of the success of the charity. The clinic is putting our efforts and the money we raise to good use and making progress with the children they serve. This is why we do it. To actually come back and lean against the wall that we help put there means a lot to us,” says Harmon.
 

Carnegie’s Lasting Legacy

By
Lindsey Johnson
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Before the internet, people got their information from the library. If the internet democratized information, libraries created a republic. No one made a larger investment in the growth and accessibility of this this republic than steel giant and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

From 1883 to 1919, Carnegie granted communities all over the world money to build libraries. In 1899 Carnegie’s money came to Oklahoma. Twenty-four Carnegie libraries were built in Oklahoma towns and cities, and one academic library was built at the University of Oklahoma.

These grants were awarded to communities Carnegie felt would not just use his money to build a building, but would also invest themselves and breathe life into it.

“It laid the foundation for our free recreational and education reading material that would not have been available to people for quite some time,” says Robin Mooney, branch manager at the Tahlequah Public Library.

Tahlequah received a Carnegie grant for $10,000 in 1905 and built on land donated by the Cherokee tribe.

In many places, women’s organizations were largely responsible for making books available by setting up reading rooms. Without the grant program, Mooney says it might have been several decades before Tahlequah had the resources to create a public library. Towns in Oklahoma were just being settled and incorporated during this time. Books were an expensive luxury.

“People couldn’t go out and buy books,” says Susan Johnson, a librarian at the Sapulpa Library. Sapulpa received a Carnegie grant for $25,000 in 1916. The town contributed $10,000 more, and clubs and civic organizations worked to provide additional resources to outfit the library.

Many towns were young settlements and not equipped to provide the resources and infrastructure for a library without Carnegie grants.

“It was important to the education and literacy of the town,” says Brandy Tointigh, head librarian at the Hobart Public Library. Anyone could come to learn to read and write, she says. Hobart Public Library just celebrated its 100th year. It was built in part with funds from a 1911 Carnegie grant for $10,000.

In order to be awarded a grant, a few criteria had to be met. The city or town had to provide the land that the library would be built upon and commit to making a contribution equaling 10 percent of the Carnegie grant from community taxes. Services were also to be free to all community members. These requirements became known as the Carnegie Formula.

Carnegie’s formula promoted a sense of community and placed the library at the center. “This library – I think all libraries are the heart of a community,” says Johnson.

Today, eight of the original Carnegie libraries in Oklahoma are still in operation, providing free access to books and other materials.

“We are a service that offers free materials to you, whoever you are,” says Mooney.

Even in a high-tech era, libraries remain among the last truly free public places for access to information, be it physical or virtual. Carnegie could never have imagined that libraries would be a place people could complete an online job application.

Today’s libraries hold classes, conduct book groups, host clubs and participate in special community projects: all this because of Carnegie’s investment to provide access to books.

Seven of the original buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Unfortunately, seven were razed. The rest of the buildings have been repurposed as city buildings, meeting spaces and offices.

Just Can It

By
Megan Morgan
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In recent years, the organic and local food movements have gone from fad to way of life for many Oklahomans, creating a market for natural foods stores in several cities throughout the state. This trend toward local, sustainable and organic foods goes hand-in-hand with an increased interest in canning.

A hobby often associated with grandmothers and Martha Stewart-types, canning might not be just for granny any longer.

April Harrington is the founder of Earth Elements, an organization that began solely as a farm 15 years ago but has since held educational programs and later expanded to include a kitchen in Oklahoma City in 2011.

Harrington explains that this kitchen is rented to entrepreneurs that use its equipment for their own businesses. A section of the entrepreneurs’ kitchen includes a station just for canning.

“I most definitely think that there has been an increase in canning,” Harrington says of the trend. “It was a lost art when I first started. But more and more people today seem to be interested in having the ability to keep food in reserve.”

The Earth Elements kitchen is used mostly by businesses (with the current count at 15, including companies that sell various items, from baked goods to pastas), Harrington says, but community gardens sometimes rent the space as a group in order to use the canning equipment.

“I would honestly like to see more of that,” she says.

Personally, Harrington is also a canner, sealing up soups and jams, some of her favorite items.

“My experience comes from three very special women in my life, and I was lucky enough to have years of training from them,” Harrington says.

So how does one actually learn this skill?

Harrington says that it takes boldness.

“You have to be brave enough to experiment,” she says. “Most people learn on their own, in their own kitchens.”

One business that takes advantage of the opportunities made available in the Earth Elements kitchen is Towhead Salsa, owned by husband and wife Kirk and Christy Kuhlman. The Kuhlmans have used the kitchen for their salsa ever since it first opened.

“There is no other place like it in the metro area,” Kirk Kuhlman says of the space. “We did not want to build our own facility until we knew the company would do well.”

Kuhlman agrees that more people are turning to canning these days.

“More and more people are aware of the unnatural ingredients in their food,” he says. “They are caring more about what this is doing to their bodies.”

Kuhlman learned how to garden, and later how to can, from his grandparents, but says that anyone can learn.

“It’s not that difficult to learn, but some things are more time-consuming than others. As long as you have an experienced canner or written instructions to follow, it’s pretty easy,” Kuhlman says.
 

Can’t Stop Musick

By
John Wooley
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Gustav Flaubert, the 19th-century French novelist, once said that talent was nothing but long patience. And, while Tulsa’s Scott Musick showed plenty of musical talent at an early age, the virtue of patience has also served him well. 

Take, for instance, a time back in the early ‘70s, when drummer Musick returned to Tulsa after a stint with a hard-working West Coast band called Broken Arrow. He’d decided to enroll in the music program at North Texas State University, which he figured would help him crack the studio-musician scene on the West Coast. But then his friend and former bandmate Danny Timms rolled through town and told him about a new band that was starting up in California.

“He’d gotten to be friends with  [Oklahoma City native] Michael Been, and he told me, ‘Hey, we’d better play with this guy. We can probably get a record deal,’” recalls Musick. “So without too much arm-twisting, I went back. And Danny wasn’t with us by then, but sure enough, 10 or 12 years later, we got a record deal.” He laughs. “Nothing to it.”

The band that got the deal was The Call, which became a presence on MTV and radio and in concert halls for the whole of the 1980s. The 10 discs recorded by the group yielded such album-oriented rock favorites as “Let the Day Begin” (later used by Al Gore in his 2000 presidential bid), “The Walls Came Down” and “I Still Believe.” 

Then, after his time with The Call had run its course, Musick and Timms reunited as Kris Kristofferson’s touring band. That job, which Musick calls “the favorite gig I ever had,” lasted for four years in the mid-1990s, indirectly leading to the latest milestone in Musick’s career. 

“While we were with Kristofferson, we had built a studio in Danny’s guest house,” says Musick. “It sounded great, and Danny thought Kris should record there. So he played Kris a song that we’d recorded at his house; it was ‘Foolish Thangs,’ one of my songs. While Kris was listening to it, Danny said, ‘Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?’

“Kris asked, ‘Whose song is that?’ Danny said, ‘Scott’s.’ Kris looked at me and said, ‘Are you singing that?’ And when I said yes, he said, ‘Well, you’re the one who ought to be making a record!’”

“So now, in less than 20 years,” he concludes, “I’ve gotten it done.”

Musick’s new CD – his first as a solo artist – is the impressive Americana Gold, an eight-song set of solid singer-songwriter tunes, nicely crafted, lyrically strong and presented with subtle, sure-handed authority by Musick and his cohorts, which include Timms and another longtime California friend, guitarist-vocalist Jim Lewin. Tulsa musicians Randy Ess and Alan Ransom are among the disc’s other contributors. In addition to the Musick originals, Lewin contributes the wistfully nostalgic “Olden Days,” and Kristofferson “The Promise,” an exquisitely sad song about the moving on of a loved one.

“I sang that song at my daughter’s wedding, just a little over a year ago, so in that case, it wasn’t all that sad,” notes Musick. “It was just, you know, a letting go, so she can go on to her future.

“When I was with Kris, he played that song every night. It was the only song of the set I didn’t play on; it just didn’t need drums. Danny and Kris played it, and it was beautiful every time.”

As Musick implies, Americana Gold was recorded over a period of time, mostly utilizing Lewin’s studio in Santa Cruz, California, as well as the Penthouse, Musick’s own Tulsa operation. And now that the record’s done, he knows that some of The Call’s still-active fan base may be surprised by its acoustic approach. 

“I’d imagine that will happen, because more people relate me to a rock ‘n’ roll band,” he muses. “It’s definitely a departure from that kind of sound. There hasn’t been too much said about it yet, but there’s been a little more notice since The Call played a couple of reunion shows in California a few weeks ago. A few people have mentioned it, but not too many have heard it, because it hasn’t come out yet.” (At this writing, a June release was planned.)

Musick has been road-testing the material for a while, however, in Tulsa and elsewhere. He’s done the local gigs with his old partner Timms, who’s originally from San Pedro, Calif., moving to the Tulsa area a few years after Musick returned from the West Coast. Timms has been active on the local scene ever since, both with and without Musick.

“Danny and I started doing a duo probably two years ago, and when we’d play a pub or whatever, we’d do an acoustic set of our own songs,” he says. “That’s when I first started singing and playing guitar around here, and it went really, really well. We also play as a trio with [guitarist] Steve Hickerson: Danny, Doc and Scott. That’s a good band, really fun, and hopefully we’ll be doing more of that.

“Other than the acoustic sets with Danny at gigs around town here, I did the debut of Scott Musick songs in California with Jim Lewin. We did some Jim songs and some Scott songs at a show in Monterey and a show in Corralitos, which is just outside Santa Cruz. We packed that place, the Corralitos Cultural Event Center. It was standing room only. If they were into culture, they had to have us, of course,” he adds with another laugh.  

Santa Cruz, as The Call aficionados know, is the home of that band, and Musick spent nearly three decades as a part of the area’s music scene. He’d moved to California in 1970, at the age of 17, after graduating from Edison Preparatory School in Tulsa, making the trip with fellow Edison musician David Tanner.

“People still mention our high school band, Thunder and Lighnin’,” he says. “We were all in the Edison stage band, the Screaming Eagles, and we started a rock band on the side. David Tanner played electric bass and occasional piano, and he was the lead singer. It was pretty much all his fault; he got everybody together. Pat ‘Taco’ Ryan played sax, and Tuck Andress [later of the internationally known jazz act Tuck & Patti] was the guitarist. He just blew me away.”

And while he would go on to achieve his greatest fame as a rock drummer, the seeds for Americana Gold and Musick’s future as a vocalist were probably sown in those long-ago high school days.

“I sang lead on a couple of songs with Thunder and Lightnin’, and they were kind of country-sounding songs by the Beatles: ‘What Goes On’ and, maybe, ‘Act Naturally,’” he recalls.

Decades later, Americana Gold tracks like “Foolish Thangs” and “Blue Highway” echo the countrified elements of those tunes, bringing Musick, in a way, full circle. And while his new CD can been seen as a reflection of his musical journey, it’s also a harbinger of the way he’d like his musical future to unfold. 

“I hope that it gets me started playing my own songs more, and being a bit of a front man,” he says of the disc. “That’s what I like doing these days. I still have a good time playing drums in other people’s bands – I play a lot with a band called Easy Street, which is a really fun party band – but I get a kick out of singing songs and playing guitar. Now, I’m just more into the acoustic approach.”

Land Of Opportunity

By
Regan Henson
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When Danny Maloney, co-founder and CEO of Oklahoma City-based Pinleague, was trying to decide where to live and establish his company headquarters, he had several factors to consider. The New York City-born and south Florida-raised Maloney had worked primarily in Silicon Valley and New York, both areas that might seem more natural fits for a tech start-up. But when his wife, who grew up in Oklahoma City and has family there, finished her MBA at Yale last year, the couple chose the city as the headquarters for Pinleague, a company that helps other brands market themselves on Pinterest.

“My wife had a great career opportunity here, and it seemed like it would be a favorable market for us to grow a business in,” says Maloney. “Plus we just liked the quality of living and liked what we saw going on in the city in terms of new restaurants popping up and a growing music scene and the Thunder and everything else. So we just weighed all the factors and decided to move to OKC after she graduated.”

There is a support structure in place in Oklahoma that is in a constant state of evolution when it comes to addressing the needs of entrepreneurs, in whatever stage their businesses may be, and this is especially true for startups. A person launching a business endeavor will find no shortage of valuable tools to assist in growth and lessen the impact of some of the speed bumps that a young entrepreneur might encounter. The Tulsa Chamber of Commerce-supported website, Source Link, is a good starting point for someone taking the first steps toward launching a company in northeast Oklahoma.

“Source Link is basically a one-stop shop,” says Heather Williams, executive director for Small Businesses at the Tulsa Chamber. “We can connect you with people that can help you with writing and creating a business plan, market research and how to develop and market your plan. We have over 70 resource partners in northeast Oklahoma that use that to advertise what they are doing for startups as well.”

Even if a budding entrepreneur isn’t sure what sort of business he or she wants to go into, there are resources available to help in getting started. Williams says she will typically refer someone who is taking the first steps toward launching a business to the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center.

“They have counselors that help you write and create a business plan, and they do market industry research that shows you if you’re going into an industry that is trending up or down; is it a growing industry or is it a dying industry?” explains Williams. “They also help you target the best place to locate your business.”

For those who aren’t ready to speak with a counselor, the Source Link website also includes an entrepreneur’s guide that has step-by-step instructions on how to write and create a business plan, and includes resources targeted at companies at various levels, from the start-up phase to different stages in growth. There is also a high-tech page to assist in finding funding for high-tech companies. But even with the seemingly unlimited resources that can be found online, many entrepreneurs have learned that there is nothing better than interaction with like-minded people to help make a successful business. 

Brian Paschal, executive director of The Forge, a small-business incubator program that sprung from Tulsa Young Professionals and provides resources for start-ups, foresees an Oklahoma where communities of smart entrepreneurs grow together.

“Our hope is that the Forge is a physical place that creates community, because entrepreneurs and start-up cultures seem to gravitate towards specific areas, whether Silicon Valley, Boulder or Austin,” says Paschal. “I think they do that for two reasons. One is there’s a culture where in Silicon Valley you say, ‘Okay I know what I’m going to get from the community,’ and we’re hoping to build that. The other thing you get from creating those clusters is a workforce. If you’re a start-up and you’re hiring we need to create a community where there’s a pool of really smart people in town that are interested in entrepreneurship you can go to and offer a job. Getting to that level starts with creating a community. We want a whole bunch of smart people under one roof in varying industries in various levels of their business.”

Entrepreneurs who are accepted at The Forge find an environment where they can share their experiences with others.  Businesses at The Forge learn together, and from various Tulsa-area business leaders in seminars and training The Forge provides. Dixie Agostino, one of the first entrepreneurs to take advantage of the program, calls her experience at The Forge the catalyst for her business’s success.

“The fact that you were in there with others who were in your same situation, you could help each other and talk to each other,” says Agostino, CEO of Switch Gear Recruiting, an agency that specializes in recruiting engineering and technical professionals. “There was a support network. And being affiliated with the chamber you are able to network and cut costs. We could’ve gotten an executive suite for a similar cost but the perks were pretty darn good.”

“It’s really easy to get focused on your company and solving your problems and sit at your desk all day and not talk to anybody,” says Dustin Curzon, founder of Narrable.com, a current Forge tenant, “But we’ve all made strides to get out and, like, walk down the hall and talk and say, ‘Hey, I’m working on this,’ or just hear about what’s going on. We celebrate victories together and also support each other when it’s tough.”

The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and i2E offer similar programs to assist start-ups. State and local leaders have identified the tech community as an important component toward continued economic advancement.

“Oklahoma has always been entrepreneurial,” says Josh O’Brien director of Entrepreneurial Development at i2E. “But now services, resources and opportunities exist in a variety of industries. People don’t just hear about possibilities; they can see them.”

Moving forward, the support systems and programs are advancing along with the technology that start-ups are bringing to Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth recently teamed up with The Forge to launch The Mine, a program based on similar ones in Norman, that focuses on the idea of social entrepreneurship.

“The Mine was really created to be a service to the Tulsa community,” explains Taylor Potter, CCEW Tulsa Fellow. “We’re taking the methodology we use in our CCEW internship program and applying it to the fellows that come through The Mine.”

Mine participants will create two teams, which will receive seed money to launch entrepreneurial projects designed to benefit the Tulsa area. But across the state, there is a push to continue developing Oklahoma into a place where entrepreneurs want to start their businesses.

“Apart from just building a company, we and a number of other tech start-ups in the area have a pretty strong mission of wanting to build the eco-system as a whole so that many more tech start-ups can thrive over the coming years,” says Pinleague’s Maloney.

Beautiful New Heights

By
Meika Yates Hines
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The best beautification is the long-lasting kind that goes far beyond mere aesthetics, and Phil Lakin has proven that in spades. As CEO of the Tulsa Community Foundation, he has helped take the city he loves to new heights, working tirelessly to not only beautify the streets and build community gathering spaces, but also to expand economic possibilities, improve on early childhood education and encourage giving on every level. Lakin also serves as Tulsa City Councilor for District 8.

What is it about Tulsa that you love so much?
There’s a very specific, humbling trait about Tulsa that I think defines who we are, and that’s the generosity of our people. We’ve been able to demonstrate that generosity through our charitable contributions, from the United Way through nonprofits all across the city, including the Tulsa Community Foundation. We’ve only been organized for 14 years, but we are the largest of our kind in the nation. There are community foundations in places like New York and California that aren’t even close to our size, and they’ve been operational since the early 1900s. So we’ve done very well from that standpoint.

What are some of the factors that go into creating such a fine-tuned machine?
The great thing is that we didn’t invent the generosity here, but we know we have to work to preserve it. One of the roles of our city is to preserve what is sacred. When a new company comes here, they understand that it’s their role and responsibility to support others – and to give to the United Way and the Foundation – and if they don’t know it, they figure it out pretty fast. It happens like that for people, too; they see what other people are doing and it becomes the norm, and they understand how it benefits their neighbors and their city.

It sounds like a giant family mindset.
It really is. It goes beyond community. Tulsa has the overall feeling that everyone is taking care of each other. It’s a big city, but it has a small town feel.

What would you say might be the Foundation’s crown jewel?
As a foundation, one of our goals is to help those that are disadvantaged, and one of the most important things we’ve helped to facilitate is the Educare program for our youngest children. Tulsa is home to three state-of-the-art Educare schools, more than any city in the nation. These help to get kids out of the cycle of poverty so that they can find their way through the American system on their own later in life.

Another big thing that we’ve collectively done – with the Kaiser Foundation – is purchased the bonds that made the building of the ONEOK baseball stadium possible. The stadium has served as the catalyst for a lot of the transformation in the Brady and Greenwood districts. Museums, economic development, arts, culture and gathering places like Guthrie Green are all playing out in one area. It’s really become the Tulsa community’s gathering spot.

Why do you think community gathering places like Guthrie Green are so important to Tulsa? How have you seen it affect and transform the energy of the city?
Community gathering is a primary motivation for us. Across the city, we have various isolated areas with different groups of people, but these gathering places we are creating really blow down barriers and allow us to all be Tulsans together. Spaces like parks and the stadium draw people from all walks of life. They help to foster opportunity to interact with more people from across the social spectrum and better understand them.
 

Opulent Details

By
Tamara Logsdon Hawkinson
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Architect and designer Le Corbusier once said, “A house is a machine for living in.” The three homes profiled in the annual luxury homes feature serve as extensions of the homeowners’ lifestyles. From sleek and modern to grand and over-the-top, these homes are at once dwellings, works of art and the machines that provide shelter, comfort and beauty to homeowners.

 

 

Sophisticated ‘70s Glam

A Ranch Renovation

Gallery Style

 

 

 

Shopping

By
Staff
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Antique Shop

In an antique shop, atmosphere is everything. A sophisticated charm and innate playfulness can set one shop apart from all the rest. You don’t have to search out dark, dusty halls for the unique piece that sets the tone of a room. Tulsa’s readers turn to The Market time and again to find something unique whether shopping for a thoughtful gift or conversation-starter for the home. With its sister shop in Oklahoma City, the bright and colorful Market takes the antique booth to another level. Polo-Lodge Antiques received high marks, too, for its collection and vast expertise in buying, selling and appraisals of rare pieces. Zoller Designs & Antiques is known for its elegant home décor design tying elements of the past with sleek contemporary pieces that complement the personality of the owner.

Oklahoma City’s refined tastes require special attention to fine detail and a mind for practicality, which is why readers like the Antique Co-op in Oklahoma City. Whether you’re hunting for collectibles, Depression glass or furniture of by-gone days, Mockingbird Manor Antiques has it. If eccentricity is on your list, you have to check out OKC’s Feathered Nest Market, which readers voted into third place for its array of items from fun and funky to vintage and polished and in between.

Car Dealer

Car lots are infamous for causing panic attacks and dread of the thought of pressuring sales folks doing their best to make the deal. Yet, there are places that gain a reputation for making the experience pleasant and, gasp, even fun. If you’re going to take the plunge buying a new vehicle, why not enjoy it? Lexus of Tulsa gets the highest marks in Tulsa for is customer service, which is in direct proportion to the Lexus luxury of standard – which is to say it’s very, very high. Readers also praised BMW of Tulsa as a top choice for the quality of its product as well as a selection of customization packages that make the driver know, indeed, “you are special.” Jim Norton Toyota and Don Carlton Honda tied for the third spot on our list for so many reasons, among them for their consistent presence in Tulsa and a commitment to serving the community. Oh yeah, they sell pretty good cars, too.

Drive over to Oklahoma City, and you’re sure to find dozens of dealerships, each with merit and deserving of patronage. Three, however, stand out year after year. OKC loves David Stanley Dodge for its selection of cars, trucks and vehicles that fit every need from personal use to business, from driving the kids from baseball practice to cruising town in ultimate style. The Bob Moore Auto Group took the second highest number of votes. Could it be the huge selection of makes – among them Audi, Subaru, GMC, Porche, Kia – or could it be Bob Moore’s leadership in community efforts, such as providing a drop-off location for items to help victims of the Moore tornado? We approve of both. Rounding out the top three is Jackie Cooper BMW, as fine a dealership as they come, with an excellent record of service and reputation for making the car-buying experience an awesome one.

Children’s Clothing Store

Kids are pretty lucky these days. Clothes for the pre-teen-and-under set have become much more trendy than their parents had it. When Tulsa takes its kids shopping for back-to-school clothes, special occasions or just play, the top choice is GapKids for its offering of trendy, comfortable clothing as well as accessories and personal care products all age-suited. Dillard’s department store follows for an expansive selection of children’s wear ranging from clothes for newborns all the way to teens and with all the major labels. If boutique shopping is more your style, you can’t pass up Kathleen’s Kids, a midtown favorite for the stylish set and those who like the individual attention that comes with specialty stores. They don’t come much cuter than this.

Oklahoma City’s Uptown Kids is tops among readers for its upbeat lines of clothes for boys, girls and babies as well as accessories that would make any adult envious. Located on the trendy Classen Curve, this store is the epitome of toddler chic complete with a playroom and original work by area artists like the NBA’s Desmond Mason on display. Readers in the City also like GapKids’ selection of seasonal separates and ease of shopping. The Green Bambino rounds out the top three in OKC with a unique take on clothing your child. Look for only the finest natural and organic products, including cloth diapers and carrier slings, which we believe may technically be considered an accessory.

Department Store

Seasons come and go, and style changes as quickly as a wind through downtown Tulsa. For those professionals, urbanites and fashionable adventurers, options are seemingly endless. Wise shoppers look no further than the top three stores chosen by our readers. Saks Fifth Avenue carries a large selection of designer labels from Armani to Elie Tahari along with everything else that comes with feeling your best, which makes it No. 1 on our list. Readers also love the experience of Miss Jackson’s, a Utica Square tradition and Tulsa mainstay for more than a century complete with fine shopping and service. Convenience, range and affordability reign at Dillard’s with everything from the basics to luxury items covered.

Balliets is all about the season and this Classen Curve favorite brings the hottest clothes, shoes and cosmetics to Oklahoma City, making it readers’ top pick in OKC. Dillard’s received the second most votes with its continued push of offering variety to every shopper. The famed Macy’s has it all for every member of the family and every room of the home, which is why readers made it a top pick.

Eyeglass Store

Few people remember being pleased when the optometrist told them they would need to wear glasses. Lucky for us, Tulsa and Oklahoma City have great choices for eyewear to complement the season and every individual. Whether it’s prescription or not, Visions Unique Eyewear in midtown Tulsa has an exclusive line of frames and lenses, making it Tulsa’s top pick. Readers also like Hicks Brunson Eyewear, provider of great service and designer or custom eyewear, giving it high marks in our vote. The third spot goes to Black Optical, which can only be compared to the experience of an art gallery – open, deluxe and especially fine.

For the same reasons, Oklahoma City voted Black Optical its top choice for fashionable, premium eyewear. Trust and reliability are important to consumers, which is why our OKC readers chose Sam’s Optical and its two area locations. Eyemart Express makes choosing glasses a breeze, and with multiple locations in the capital’s metro area, it comes in at third.

Fine Jewelry Store

Expertise rates high when consumers purchase fine jewelry. You want someone who knows her carats from her culets as well as a sense of good design. Bruce G. Weber Precious Jewels of Tulsa is synonymous with refinement and luxury, not to mention outstanding quality. It’s Tulsa’s No. 1 choice. Moody’s Jewelry isn’t far behind in votes out of Tulsa. It’s “where you get engaged” and get the ring, and that’s the truth. Star Jewelers is a star in its industry with more than 40 years of excellence in Broken Arrow.

BC Clark Jewelers puts the excitement into shopping for fine jewelry, offering $5,000 back on the purchase of an engagement ring if it rains or snows on the wedding day. Readers made this OKC fixture No. 1. Naifeh Fine Jewelry fills out the list in second for its custom quality and appeal, and a variety of pieces for all sorts of occasions and personalities. Mitchener-Farrand Jewelers makes the OKC list, too, as the place to find unique pieces as well as something that specially expresses your admiration for a certain NBA team. Go Thunder!

Gift Store

Birthdays, holidays and celebrations call for thoughtfulness and a unique stock of items. Gift-giving is fun and stress-free when you head to The Market, Oklahoma Magazine readers’ top pick in Tulsa, with a seemingly endless selection of one-of-a-kind pieces for all the people in your life. Tulsa also likes Nielsens, known for its list of fabulous brands (including Waterford Crystal and Herend). The Brookside shop ties with Cherry Street’s T.A. Lorton, filled with all things whimsical and beautiful. The final spot on the list goes to Ida Red, a great little shop for all things Tulsa and Okie cool, and also to Margo’s Gifts, where shoppers find the perfect keepsakes year-round at Utica Square. Make sure you visit at Christmas, too!

The dazzling The Market brings the equivalent of dozens of fashionable boutiques together under a single roof. You’re sure to find something personal and exquisite in one of the showrooms, which is why readers selected it for its favorite OKC gift store. Eclectic is the word often describing Blue Seven, second on the list, which means you’ll find an assortment of handmade goods uniquely wrought and completely unique. While in the City, don’t forget to stop by On A Whim on the Classen Curve and the civic-minded Shop Good to find out why OKC voted them among The Best of the Best.

Grocery Store/Market

If it’s a rare or extra special spice you need for that important dish, you’re sure to find it at the grocers that made our best list. In Tulsa, Petty’s Fine Foods brings the best in ethnic, imported and gourmet foods to shoppers just as it has since 1945. Make sure to stop by its deli! Whole Foods Market comes in a close second, and if you’ve seen the selection of natural and organic goods across all its departments you’ll understand why Tulsans are in love. Reasor’s Foods and Fresh Market round out the category – Reasor’s for its notable customer service and selection, and Fresh Market for bringing quality organic and open-air market charm to south Tulsa.

The expansive Whole Foods Market in Oklahoma City impresses with its façade, but when you step inside, you see why it is a readers’ favorite OKC spot to shop. The employee-owned Homeland chain of stores is favored for its hometown atmosphere (an underappreciated value) to place it second, followed by Crest Foods, an ever-expanding, locally-owned chain built on putting family first and offering a solid product.

Men’s Boutique

It’s not just girls who are crazy about a sharp-dressed man. A good suit does wonders for your image. Abersons in Tulsa makes the point with all the essential pieces from the designers you want. Fashion is not only a woman’s game, and Abersons rises to the top of Tulsa’s best with Travers Mahan, known for its service, reliable labels and exclusive lines. Saxon Judd came in second place on Tulsa’s list for its tailored perfection, while Pinpoint Resource closed the top three with its collection of quality dress pieces and accessories from traditional to trendy.

Mr. Ooley’s of Oklahoma City sells the finest merchandise for both gentlemen and ladies, but the men’s department gets top nods with Oklahoma Magazine’s OKC voters for its classic and contemporary fashions and suits. For its high standard of customer service, Spencer Stone Company got enough votes to place it second, but having its own label and line of suits and sport coats helps. Over at Alltons in Edmond, the staff would love nothing better than to make every man stand out from everyman, and for that reason, it is one of OKC’s best.

Pet/Pet Supply Store

No longer limited to merely a row in the grocery store, pet care has expanded into myriad specialty industries to keep Fluffy and Spot healthy and happy members of your family. PetSmart leads the way – when it comes to offering a variety of foods, products and services for you pets, the national company gets the vote for Tulsa’s best, followed by Petco, another giant of the industry favored for bringing choices to the consumer as well as specializing in small “exotic” pets such as lizards, hamsters and saltwater fish. Local-owned Southern Agriculture gets a big thumbs-up, too, from readers for its abundant area locations, veterinary care and exclusive brands.

Once more, PetSmart is tops, this time in Oklahoma City, where pet owners can shop for a shampoo/conditioner duo for their dog or have the store’s groomers take charge. Customers and their pets are family at A1 Pet Emporium, the self-proclaimed “headquarters for healthy and natural foods, treats and more for dogs and cats.” Readers agree, voting it into second place. Then, there’s Kickingbird Animal Hospital & Supply Center, a part of the VCA Animal Hospitals system and Edmond’s only stop for supplies, food, care, boarding and grooming – no wonder it’s a The Best of the Best pick.

Shopping Mall/Center

Our readers love to find great selection without having to drive all over town. That’s why they flock to these shopping destinations. The top choice among Tulsa readers is Utica Square, the premier shopping destination with unique stores and restaurants set among beautifully manicured gardens and trees. Center 1 in the trendy Brookside district offers a distinctive selection of shops, many one of a kind, in a sleek modern environment. When our readers are checking off a long list, they also head to Woodland Hills Mall in south Tulsa with more than 165 fine stores.

Penn Square Mall takes top honors with Oklahoma City readers with more than 145 conveniently located shops, including major name such as Michael Kors and Coach. Shoppers headed to Classen Curve enjoy a unique collection of high-end local shops, such as Liberté and Uptown Kids in a trendy urban environment. The Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City is also destination for Oklahoma City shoppers in search of a bargain and stores ranging from Le Creuset to Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth.

Sporting Goods/Outdoor Store

In Oklahoma, we take our sports and our outdoor activities pretty seriously, so if you’re looking for a new pair of cleats or camping gear, you’ll find just what you need at these stores. Topping our list of The Best of the Best with seven Tulsa and OKC metro locations, Dick’s Sporting Goods carries everything under one roof, from team sports equipment to hunting and fishing tackle. Next, Academy Sports & Outdoors is one of the nation’s largest sporting goods and outdoor stores, so our readers know their four metro locations offer great deals and one-stop shopping. Rounding out the survey is Bass Pro Shops. Their OKC and Broken Arrow stores are a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts.

Stationery Store

Whether they’re announcing the wedding of the year or sending a thoughtful note, our readers know where to go for real stationery – no e-vites. Utica Square style haven Miss Jackson’s is the top choice for our Tulsa readers; you can also pick out a china pattern to go with your wedding announcement. Next, Margo’s Gifts has been serving Tulsa since 1935, and they’re experts in stationery and proper stationery etiquette. You’re Invited completes our list with custom stationery design services for every occasion.

No Regrets is the top choice in Oklahoma City, and this fun gift shop makes it their mission to help customers express their personal style with a full range of personal and business stationery. The next spot goes to Paper Lion, one of the oldest gift stores in Edmond and purveyors of such lines as Crane & Co. and Birchcraft. If you’re looking for something different, head to Chirps and Cheers. They specialize in modern stationery and custom designed wedding announcements.

Toy Store

There are some great places to go for the latest toys. Toys “R” Us, that national chain that offers something for everybody, comes in first with Tulsa readers. Kiddlestix, an independently-owned and operated toy store that offers education toys, dolls and hobby supplies, comes in second this year. The chain department store Target, with its massive toy department full of games, action figures and tea party sets, rounds out the top three.

In Oklahoma City, Toys “R” Us also takes the top spot in Oklahoma City, where there are toys for people of all ages. Learning Tree offers toys, books and games that are both fun and educational for growing children. Online shopping is also available for this local toy store. Lakeshore Learning Center offers toys and games for all age ranges and grade levels. It’s a great resource for educational learning as well as for teachers looking for educational material for the classroom.

Wine/Liquor Store

There are great places to lift up those spirits in Oklahoma. Tulsans vote Ranch Acres Wine & Spirits as the best wine or liquor store in the city. A wide selection of wines from local, national and international vintners makes Ranch Acres a great stop to stock up on a range of wines. Old Village Wine & Spirits comes in second this year. Stocking wine, spirits and a wide variety of high-point beer makes this Brookside store a favorite. Primo’s Fine Wine & Spirits rounds out this year’s top three. The knowledgeable staff at Primo’s can help customers find the perfect wine, beer or spirit to cater to their taste buds.

Byron’s Liquor Warehouse is Oklahoma City’s top pick for Best Wine/Liquor Store. More than 10,000 square feet holds thousands of wine and beer selections; benefits like joining Byron’s Wine Club or Brew Club make Byron’s a favorite among readers. Broadway Wine Merchants, in addition to selling thousands of wines, offers customized wine tastings, with new wines arriving daily. Beau’s Wine Bin and Edmond Wine Shop tie for the third spot. Beau’s Wine Bin offers a wide selection of wines and spirits as well as special events throughout the year. The Edmond Wine Shop imports wines from all over the world and also offers a wide beer selection.

Women’s Boutique

There are plenty of boutiques for women’s clothing in Tulsa, but a few stand out from the crowd. Abersons earns this year’s top spot. Carrying luxury brands like Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang and Lanvin, Abersons carries clothing, shoes, jewelry, accessories and handbags. Rope and On A Whim share the second spot. Rope, located on Cherry Street, carries fashionable brands like ERIN by Erin Fetherston, IRO, Loeffler Randall and Frye. On A Whim, located along Brookside, offers clothing, accessories and handbags from such designers as Alice + Olivia, Kate Spade and Nanette Lepore. Donna’s Fashions and Rockin’ Sooner Ranch Mercantile round out this year’s annual survey. Donna’s carries clothing and accessories from designers such as Alberto Makali, Johnny Was and Karen Kane. Rockin’ Sooner Ranch carries Western-inspired items by designers such as Gentle Fawn, Wildfox and Babakul.

Gordon Stuart earns the top spot for Best Women’s Boutique in Oklahoma City. Carrying exclusive brands such as Chanel, Fendi and Gucci, Gordon Stuart is the place to go for luxury women’s clothing and accessories. On A Whim and Liberté both located in stylish Classen Curve, share the second spot. Carrying Parker, Trina Turk and Rebecca Taylor, On A Whim is a great shopping spot for clothing and accessories. Liberte carries exclusive brands like Herve Leger, Candy Woolley and Amy Matto New York. Gil’s Clothing & Denim Bar earns this year’s third spot. The biggest selection of designer denim in the state, Gil’s also carries dresses, blouses and other accessories for women.

Women’s Shoe Store

Where’s the best place to get beautiful shoes in Tulsa? Readers say it’s Saks Fifth Avenue and Abersons that provide the top footwear. With brands like Tory Burch, Kate Spade and Jimmy Choo, Saks offers shoes for casual events and formal occasions. Pumps, sandals and slip-ons are all de rigueur at Abersons, with brands like Lanvin, Costume National and Stella McCartney. Miss Jackson’s carries a wide assortment of shoes, from sandals to stilettos, from designers such as Stuart Weitzman, Ferragamo and Donald J. Pliner. J. Cole Shoes, a trendy shoe boutique, rounds out the category for Best Women’s Shoe Store. Carrying Jessica Simpson, Sperry and Betsey Johnson, J. Cole Shoes offers a style for even the most discriminating shopper.

Balliets offers a wide variety of shoes and tops this year’s annual survey in Oklahoma City. Loeffler Randall, Rachel Zoe and Valentino are all brands available in Balliets’ shoe department. Gordon Stuart carries beautiful shoes from designers including Manolo Blahnik, Fendi and Gucci. Shoetopia, in the third spot, carries brands like TOMS, Nomad and Report.

21st Century Leader

By
Jami Mattox
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Over the past decade, The University of Tulsa has seen tremendous growth. The school continues to see record development and will soon enter the American Athletic Conference, formerly known as the Big East. This growth is in no small part due to contributions made by Dr. Steadman Upham, the university’s president since 2004.

 

We worked with faculty and academic deans about 10 years ago in identifying goals we would like to achieve. Not “pie-in-the-sky” things, but tangible accomplishments we can measure, like the quality of admitted students to the university and creating a residential environment for students. TU was essentially a commuter campus, so we started building housing, and now we’re more residential than most universities in the country. The transformation over the last decade has involved literally thousands of people who have a part. It’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve been involved in over my professional life.

We really did not seek conference realignment; we were happy in Conference USA, but it dissolved around us. We made a decision that we needed to change, as well. Leaving Conference USA and joining the American Athletic Conference gives us more exposure on the East Coast. We’ll be competing against new schools we’ve never played before. Those are big media markets, so I think it will be very beneficial in getting the word out about TU Athletics.

We have a lot of initiatives and programs underway, including a partnership with the City of Tulsa for Gilcrease Museum. We’re building a research center next to Gilcrease that will focus on archival research as part of support for the Gilcrease collections, but it will also be a venue for Americanist scholars to study aspects of the country’s founding, Indian removal and things that are fundamental to Oklahoma as well.

We are looking at very strong student enrollment growth. We’re going to have another record enrollment in the fall. That’s putting a lot of pressure on housing, so we’re breaking ground on new student housing. The quality of students continues to be outstanding. We feel like we’re very well positioned to continue to grow into the future."

Bluegrass Over Shakespeare

By
John Wooley
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For the bulk of her young life, Oklahoma’s Kristen Hemphill did most of her performing in a theatrical setting, appearing in numerous plays and musicals as she made her way through the Broken Arrow school system and on to Oklahoma State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in theater.

But while she was in Stillwater – a town known for its homegrown music – she fell in with some bluegrass musicians, who inspired her to begin forays into the genre. A post-OSU semester at South Plains College in Lubbock, Texas, gave her new guitar skills as well as an approach to singing that, as she notes with a laugh, “wasn’t so theater-like.”

Gradually, her passion for creating music began overtaking her love of the theater. And finally, bluegrass trumped Shakespeare.

“I’d planned on doing theater after college, and I went down to Dallas to audition for some Shakespeare productions,” she recalls. “But I ended up turning down a role to do a concert show. So I thought, ‘Well, if I’m getting parts, and I’m turning them down, I guess my heart really is in the music side of it.’”

“So we were driven by hunger.”

So she followed her heart, began writing and playing wherever she could (including Tulsa venues like Smoke, the Hunt Club and Elwood’s), and finally recorded her first CD. She plans to debut it Saturday, July 13, in an event at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street.

The disc was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Ala., at a studio owned by longtime country-music figure Gary Baker, whose credits include a stint with the late ‘80s band the Shooters and a co-writing credit on the Grammy-winning song “I Swear.” As it turned out, Baker’s partner in the studio was also a former business associate of Hemphill’s father, which gave the young singer-songwriter a calling card. She and Baker hit it off, and the two began writing together, along with Baker’s songwriting protégé, Matt Johnson.

“I think we wrote eight songs for the album in four days,” she says. “It was one of those things that was just magical. We’d be in a room, and we wouldn’t eat lunch until we’d written a song. Then we’d come back, and we wouldn’t eat dinner until we’d finished a song.
“Dad was in the studio, and he loves to eat. He’d be saying, ‘You guys written a song yet? I’m hungry.’” She laughs. “So we were driven by hunger.”

For the CD release party, Hemphill will have a six-person band, including the noted fiddler Rick Morton. And while country music – Hemphill calls hers  “country-Americana” – isn’t a staple of the Jazz Depot, Jazz Hall CEO Jason McIntosh feels that the show is a perfect fit.
“Part of what we do is help musicians,” he says, “and Kristen is a rising young talent. We’re very pleased to have her here for the CD release show.”

Admission is free to the concert, which begins at 8 p.m. with opening act Desi & Cody. Hemphill’s CD will be available for purchase throughout the evening.  

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