Black Friday: the return of brick and mortar
Carly Robinson
December 11, 2018
The tradition of Black Friday has drastically transformed over the past decade. Formerly characterized by stores opening before sunrise followed by frantic customers pining for the best deal the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is now known to start at certain stores such as Khols, Walmart and JCPe...
OU grad launches bridal gown line AVARI
Carly Robinson
December 11, 2018
CEO and Creative Director of AVARI Tiffany Nguyen stitches intricate lace and beading detail onto one of her signature dresses on July 15, 2017 at The Coop. The piece took two months to design, and stands as Nguyen’s favorite creation to date. Tiffany Nguyen launched her bridal gown line AVARI on No...
Black Friday shoppers line up for record store day exclusives
Gabriel Castillo
November 30, 2018
Early on Black Friday morning, customers were lined up outside the doors of Spinster Records hoping to grab Record Store Day exclusives. Located in the heart of the Brady Arts District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Spinster opened its doors at 8 a.m. on their third bi-annual Record Store Day, hoping to catch B...
Campus Corner gym offers free lessons to baristas
Drew Hutchinson
November 17, 2018
A local gym is holding free martial arts lessons for the baristas of a coffee shop near the University of Oklahoma campus. James White, a former mixed martial arts fighter, has owned James White Fitness since spring of 2018. White said Austin Plank, a director of Second Wind Coffeehouse, approached...
Family brings Guatemalan food, coffee to Oklahoma City
Molly Madeleine Kruse
November 17, 2018
A mother and son have transformed an old tire shop in Oklahoma City into a Latin American fusion restaurant, which loyal customers sometimes wait four hours on weekends to get into. When Veronica Del Cid was growing up in Guatemala, she would help her mother make dozens of chiles rellenos and tamales...
A family-owned barbecue business has plans for expansion
Tevis Hillis
November 11, 2018
The owner of a local barbecue business is ready to expand after nearly a century of operations. John and Cook’s Real Pit Bar-B-Que has been serving Lawton, Oklahoma, for 82 years. The fifth generation owner, Lonzo Gaines, is looking to expand across Oklahoma by franchising their special meats and...
Thai restaurant set to open second Norman location
Katelyn Howard
November 11, 2018
A Thai restaurant is preparing to open a second Norman location to better serve dine-in customers. We don’t order food from any of the big food companies like Cisco or U.S. Food or any of that. She goes out and picks out every little thing so anything you eat in here has been hand-picked by her. Ev...
Online retailers are creating a strain on local small business owners
Sierra Sizemore
November 11, 2018
As seen in other chain retailers such as Blockbuster and Toys R Us, the internet is killing local businesses. Sign & Banner Express in Bartlesville, OK is a small, minority-owned business that operates based on custom orders from local clients. Jim Reali and Hanny Basso, co-owners of S&BE, are Oklah...
Small-town restaurant celebrates 18 years since opening
Addison Kliewer
November 11, 2018
A family-owned restaurant in New Cordell, Oklahoma, has been open for 18 years, despite many other restaurants closing throughout the town. Restaurante Rio’s is a Mexican food restaurant that opened in June of 2000. The restaurant is one of six restaurants in town, and it is owned and managed by a mother and dau...
Latina business owner doing what she loves serving traditional Mexican cuisine
Gabriel Castillo
November 11, 2018
At the corner of a bustling intersection, Chinta Aguayo, originally from Mexico, is dishing out traditional cuisine from her homeland, behind the window of her vibrant blue taco truck. Chinta’s Tacos and Catering in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been in business now for three years, and among a sea of similar business, Agua...
African-American business owner hopes to inspire Norman community
Bailey Lewis
November 8, 2018
An African-American business owner created a diversity shift in Norman, Oklahoma, and hopes to inspire the community as a whole. Victoria McBride, the owner of Victoria McBride Creations Floral Boutique, started her business in May. McBride said the Norman Transcript contacted her in October for a sto...
Gathering Place opened, ready for visitors
Tevis Hillis
November 7, 2018
There’s a new park on the block. George Kaiser, president, CEO and primary owner of the GBK Corporation, spearheaded the effort to build the Gathering Place, a 100-acre riverfront park to unite the city’s cultures by permitting children and adults spend time together. But this park was not created...
