More small-business owners flock to renovated buildings along Main and Gray as the area gains a reputation as one of Central Oklahoma’s most vibrant and eccentric districts, defined by locally owned boutiques, galleries, pubs and diners celebrating a progressive arts scene.
The unique sense of community convinced Corey and Julia Gingerich to leave Los Angeles and open Anty Shanty, a vintage clothing shop at 318 E. Main. Also in tow is the couple’s label, Slanty Shanty Records, whose artists Brother Gruesome, Kite Flying Robot and Penny Hill turned the couple on to Norman’s potential.
“Everyone has been so supportive that I hesitate to talk about our businesses as separate entities,” Corey Gingerich said. “The owner of the Gray Owl (Coffee) built our desk for us; the Blue Koi Tattoo people are always keeping a look out for our shop and keeping us safe; the guy from the Pink Elephant made us dinner and talked to us about business; and Amber from Dreamer (Concepts) worked on an event with us for (Norman Music Festival). We all feel like we are all struggling against Ed Noble Parkway and Walmart, but also know that a rising tide lifts all boats.”
Artists’ cooperatives and studios have sprung up, including Downtown Sound, 115 S. Crawford, and the Form
and Function Lab, 123 E. Main. Nick Lillard opened the latter last year
as a place to connect engineering and the arts, but also to encourage
performance artists who might not otherwise have a venue. The space is
flanked by other art spaces on the second floor of the building, which
looks more like an art school than retail.
above J.J. Bradford owns the new MerryBelle’s in downtown Norman.
“It is very similar to a college atmosphere. There is a lot of busy-ness,” Lillard said. “Every time you walk up the steps, there is someone doing some sort of creative activity, and it gets your blood running. Either you think, ‘OK, it’s time for me to get busy,’ or maybe you want to see what they are up to and maybe help out.”
That collective energy is fed by area events, whether it’s Groovefest at Andrews Park or art shows and concerts sprinkled across the calendar.
“There is more activity going on, and it builds on itself,” said Erinn Gavaghan, executive director of the Norman Arts Council.
“With
the music festival, there is a lot going on right on Main Street. The
Mayfair Arts festival is just off Main. As restaurants come in, that
will attract other businesses. Once the momentum gets going and things
get renovated, it all plays into it.”
To
keep the buzz humming, Gavaghan said a renewed emphasis is being placed
on the 2nd Friday Circuit of Art. The foot traffic is there, but she
hopes to bring in arts organizations to provide more of a spectacle,
which will draw in even more business owners like J.J. Bradford, of the
new boutique MerryBelle’s, 230 E. Main.
“I
remember going to the first art walk and thinking that this was going
to be huge, and they’ve only gotten better and better,” Bradford said.
“There is such a great vibe. It’s a city of festivals. There is a need
for more boutiques and shops downtown, which will draw even more people
to this area.”
MerryBelle’s
features a line of specialty teas found nowhere else in the state, as
well as local artists who are highlighted at every art walk.
As
owners hope the growth continues, Gingerich believes that as long as
the community keeps pushing its unique culture forward, the best has yet
to come.
“I came here
saying, ‘This is our store, our part of Norman,’ but the last two
months have blown that idea out of the water,” he said. “So many people
helping out, doing work for free. This is a thousand times better than I
could have ever imagined.”
