erfalf
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« Reply #103 on: February 20, 2015, 07:26:34 pm » |
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So, it has been a while I know, but life doesn't really care about my plans...so...one job and one more child later things are finally "cooling down". I say this as I am about to have another little Eric here in two weeks. Technically it will be little Nathen, but who cares about details right?
Any who, since my last post here was before tax season 2013, quit a bit has happened in our little slice of heaven. Considering the length of time since the last update, I am going to post a couple of updates. The first update will be restaurant activity.
Taj the Flavor - December 2012 - CLOSED October 2013 Taj started as a pop-up, then opened a permanent spot @ 322 S. Johnstone. It later added Starbucks coffee in the lobby (across from COP office building), and then closed in ten months (October 2013). The store front (formerly Aroma’s Italian) is still vacant to this day.
Top N' Dog - February 2013 - Sort of Closed sometime in 2013 Top n’ Dog was opened right next to the owners other shop Cup n’ Cake in the Professional Building on Keeler Avenue. This was a build your own custom hot dog shop. I don’t know the exact timeline, but at some point, operations were closed and were merged with Cup n’ Cake. As far as I know the store front is still vacant.
Indian Coffee Company - July 2013 - Sort of Closed in January 2015 In the former Sweet Lou's space, Indian Coffee Company opened with a breakfast and lunch menu in addition to the extensive caffeinated beverage menu. Mark Spencer, a local business man is the brains behind the operation. His other previous business downtown was Spencer Management, a property management firm, and he has since opened The Painted Horse Bar & Grille & Bit Brilliant, a media/marketing firm. Well received and consistently ranked as one of the favorite restaurants in town by local polls, in addition to Trip Advisor & Yelp. However, after a major property auction in town, Spencer was outbid by another local for their current location. While Indian Coffee was not forced out, the owner made it clear before the sale that the only way he felt this business could stay in business was to own the building. Since opening Indian Coffee, Spencer also acquired the 2 Sisters restaurant next door to Indian Coffee, converted it to The Painted Horse, and has merged the two under one roof.
Taco Village - July 2013 - CLOSED November 2014 Taco Village opened again under new ownership at the same location at 609 W. Frank Phillips, across from the Schlumberger plant. I’m not really sure of the reason, but 16 monthly later the restaurant has closed again.
The Painted Horse Pub & Grille - November 2013 As mentioned above, 2 Sisters Pub underwent a re-branding into The Painted Horse Bar & Grille under the new ownership of Mark Spencer. In my opinion this was certainly an improvement as 2 Sisters had been faltering pretty significantly. The menu was also greatly improved. As mentioned above, the Indian Coffee Company menu/brand has been absorbed under its roof as well recently.
Hideaway Pizza - May 2014 Probably the most ballyhooed restaurant opening in Bartlesville since I moved here originally in 2006. Hideaway Pizza opened in the historic, recently renovated, Johnstone-Sare building. This was quit a “catch” for Bartlesville in that it was a major local brand and first franchised Hideaway outside of the two major metro areas in Oklahoma. And second, it became the anchor tenant in an incredibly important building in downtown Bartlesville at one of the most visible intersections downtown. I really could not have foreseen a better tenant (that Bartlesville would have actually been able to get) for that particular location. Hideaway seems to be doing quite well to so far, and is consistently ranked as the favorite restaurant in town. Sadly, Clyde Sare, the civic leader who saved the building after two major fires, recently passed away. He will be greatly missed in the community.
Two restaurants that are soon to open (soon being a relative term, however they are both in process of construction/design)
Heartland Roasters A local coffee company, that has previously sold only raw product (beans), is opening up a storefront in the historic Brilliant Bronze Station. It will be caddy corner from the Rogers State University Building at 4th & Dewey. This seems to have been in the works for at least a year and a half. However, in their defense, the building needed a lot of work, being vacant for years.
Sonic Not as exciting and hotly contested, Sonic will be opening a drive in at Adams & Keeler. South of Adams is considerably more residential in nature, so it was met with significant resistance from neighbors including St. John’s Catholic school which is just down the street from this site. Sonic has earlier attempted to construct a drive in at the site of the former Oakley dealership at Frank Phillips & Cherokee. That also met heavy resistance and was shut down. That site would have involved the demolition of a building that until recently had served as an auto dealership for nearly 100 years, while this site was vacant land in an area that was unlikely to be developed any time soon.
As you can tell, 2013 was a busy year...2014, not so much. I imagine a significant reason for the reduction in activity likely has to do with the uncertainty in the economy. Since the split of ConocoPhillips & Phillips 66 into two separate companies, there has been a significant amount of uncertainty in the community as to the commitment either firm is willing to make to the community in the long term. It seemed much more positive looking before the split.
So long for now. Next up retail in the downtown area.
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