Red Dirt Emporium in Bricktown (Broken Arrow, Edmond: taxis, floor, mall)

[happytown]

Looks like a cool new store on the canal (Bricktown)...Sells stuff only made in Oklahoma.

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer


Over the past several years, Water Taxi operator Chad Huntington has traveled throughout the region with promoters of other attractions selling Oklahoma tourism. Along the way, he reached a conclusion: Oklahomans are far too humble.


"These trips made me realize how special Oklahoma is, and how it's perceived by our visitors,” Huntington said. "Sometimes Oklahomans are the last to brag on their state or community.”

That experience, paired with constant requests for more retail by water taxi passengers, led Huntington and his employer, Bob Bekoff, owner of the Bricktown Canal water taxis, to launch a store that does nothing but brag on Oklahoma, its artists, history and goods made byits residents.

Oklahoma's Red Dirt Emporium features books — but only those about the state, its residents and history. It features pottery, but only pottery produced by Sapulpa's Frankoma Pottery, and the dog biscuits are made in Edmond, the candles are made in Broken Arrow, and the salsa is produced in Stillwater.

"We want this to be a special place — an amalgamation of Oklahoma items we've seen in the tourism industry and from visitors' experiences,” Huntington said. "It's also something that we want to appeal to locals as well.”

The store, at 115 E California Ave. in the canal level of the Miller Jackson Building, opened Aug. 30.

Additions in the near future will include music produced by Oklahoma artists — and a wide array of Flaming Lips merchandise (the store backs up to Flaming Lips Alley). Huntington also believes locals will be amazed by historic photos controlled by George Verstraete that also are displayed and being sold at the Emporium.

The books, which include titles about various Oklahoma musicians, sports figures and state history, are a sampling of the Oklahoma collection sold by locally-owned Full Circle Books at 50 Penn Place.

Jim Cowan, executive director of the Bricktown Association, is hoping the Emporium will not just be successful, but also will attract other retailers to the canal.

"It's on the canal, it's retail, and the fact it's promoting Oklahoma — that's as good as you can ask for,” Cowan said. "The fact Chad has been down here for so long, he knows what the demand is — I think the chances of it doing well are much higher.”

Huntington's inspiration isn't any current Bricktown retailer, but instead one that faded into history several years ago: the Bricktown Mercantile. He recalls the store featured upscale gifts, many of them made in Oklahoma, on the first floor and an antique mall on the second floor.

"That was a store that was 15 years ahead of its time,” Huntington said. "I think if the Bricktown Mercantile were open today it would be doing crazy business. It wasn't selling all Oklahoma goods, but it had the right vibe and the right feel for people poking around down here.”

[Mattie Jo]

Now that is my kind of store.

[Jammie]

Happy, will you please tell me what Bricktown is? And what about the "canal" that you mention often? Is it an actual canal that you can take boat rides on or something? How far is Bricktown from Myriad Gardens?

[peggydavis]

Hi Jammie!

If you go to flickr, and search for bricktown canal, you will see some fantastic pictures of the canal. I would post them on here but I don't know if that is possible.

[Mattie Jo]

Seven photos of Bricktown.

[Mattie Jo]

[Mattie Jo]

[Mattie Jo]

[Mattie Jo]

[Mattie Jo]