Wanted to throw this out there, we will be needing some part time help at the shop starting mid August. The young person we have now will be going to TCC in the mornings and so we will need someone at the shop from between 10:30-2:30 Tuesday thru Friday. Minimum wage, but it's eeeeasy work. Might be great for a young person, or semi-retired person, looking for a bit of extra money on a light schedule. Tasks include opening shop, turning on dozens of lights (tough I know) light cleaning/dusting, running register (will train), daily entering of previous days sales info into computer (so minor computer skills), watering plants out front, saying hello, smiling, and being able to be sociable with a little light banter is important, (also knowledge of local attractions and places to help downtown visitors and tourists is helpful). If person works out ,and they would like more hours, we would likely be able to do that as the holiday season nears.
Also, if you haven't been in the shop lately, you might be surprised at how much we have grown and changed. Every week or so we are getting in new product as we try to round out our fun merchandise selections and get our shop in tip top shape for this years Deco District Christmas shopping. We were greatly helped out by last years pop-up shop Christmas sales and several small stores that started out in this area have now expanded, (Bison and Bear are now moving to a larger space). The Deco District is working to try and bring back a core of retail shops into the area and we very much thank everyone who has supported us. It's great to see new restaurants opening in the area, but we would really like to see this area become more retail oriented. The next few years will be important. We hope as the older buildings in the area are refurbished that we see retail go into the ground floors and not just office (though just about anything would be an improvement lol). But whenever you think of doing a little shopping, please come down and support the downtown shops.
DECOPOLIS will soon be bringing out it's new "4 shops in 1" promo and signage. As we have grown, seen what sells and how the shop has evolved, the variety of customers we get in, etc. the shop has begun to divide itself into 4 different categories or sections. Retro/Vintage toys and games "ZigZags Retro Toys" Retro and Modern kitchen and barware the "Atomic Kitchen", cards/books/journals "Downtown Cards & Books" (before the holidays we will be getting in a nice selection of books from five different book vendors), and deco to retro inspired gifts and decor "ECCO Decor and Gifts". Our hope is that in time we will be able to spring off each of these into their own stand alone shop.
Again, Thank you all for your support!
Drop in and check us out when your downtown, tell your friends about us, and be sure to "like" us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/decopolis
I just want to say that I love your shop! So many cool little items in there. Just the kind of shopping Downtown needs in ALL of it's districts.
Quote from: hello on July 03, 2013, 10:35:28 AM
I just want to say that I love your shop! So many cool little items in there. Just the kind of shopping Downtown needs in ALL of it's districts.
Agreed, I can never leave without making a purchase.
We really enjoyed the couple of times have been in there! Still saving up to buy a print. Do you sign prints?
Must get back to see the new!
Do you have any absinthe glasses?
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on July 08, 2013, 06:47:48 PM
We really enjoyed the couple of times have been in there! Still saving up to buy a print. Do you sign prints?
Must get back to see the new!
Do you have any absinthe glasses?
Thanks for dropping by! And yes, I would be happy to sign a print. Sorry, no absinthe glasses, hadn't even thought of those, but that is an interesting idea. Will have to look into it and see what's available. We like to have things that are unique, and this with the absinthe spoons and perhaps fountains, would definitely fit the ticket and also work with our deco (with a little nouveau here and there) period stuff. One of the people on the Tulsa Art Deco Museum board often has absinthe parties at their home.
Quote from: TheArtist on July 08, 2013, 09:24:37 PM
Thanks for dropping by! And yes, I would be happy to sign a print. Sorry, no absinthe glasses, hadn't even thought of those, but that is an interesting idea. Will have to look into it and see what's available. We like to have things that are unique, and this with the absinthe spoons and perhaps fountains, would definitely fit the ticket and also work with our deco (with a little nouveau here and there) period stuff. One of the people on the Tulsa Art Deco Museum board often has absinthe parties at their home.
The "real" ones have two chambers for proper mixing. And a separate glass top chamber works, too.
I always liked the flavor of licorice, so this is kind of a natural fit. Started with one bottle several years ago (3 yr or so). Time for another one now... definitely an acquired taste! And crazy expensive!! (At least for an impoverished engineer like me....)
Do they have a particular brand they like? Absinthe party sounds like it could get rowdy!! Good times!
I had heard once upon a time that the word chernobyl was Russian for wormwood. Turns out, it is the wrong Artemisia...vulgaris rather than absinthium, so didn't get to use that one! Oh, well...win some, lose some. (For the uninitiated, wormwood is component of absinthe - gives it a bad rap.)
If you like absinthe visit Hodges Bend and ask for Noah. Let him tell you the history and current day status of the liquor while he crafts a great cocktail.
Quote from: rdj on July 09, 2013, 07:48:15 AM
If you like absinthe visit Hodges Bend and ask for Noah. Let him tell you the history and current day status of the liquor while he crafts a great cocktail.
Not sure I am quite to the "Like" stage yet...as I said it is an acquired taste...but there is something compelling about it that keeps me interested.
Perhaps the "forbidden fruit" aspect of it for so long. This seems to go to a normal human nature thing - after it became not illegal a few years ago, there appeared to be a surge of interest. Many if not most have sampled it once, then gone back to their regular pattern of drinking <fill-in-the-blank>. Then there are the 'lunatic fringe' types who keep at it and develop a taste for what was prohibited - I am in that phase, I suppose - it is like guacamole to me...I like a few bites, then done until the next meal.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on July 09, 2013, 09:35:14 AM
Not sure I am quite to the "Like" stage yet...as I said it is an acquired taste...but there is something compelling about it that keeps me interested.
Perhaps the "forbidden fruit" aspect of it for so long. This seems to go to a normal human nature thing - after it became not illegal a few years ago, there appeared to be a surge of interest. Many if not most have sampled it once, then gone back to their regular pattern of drinking <fill-in-the-blank>. Then there are the 'lunatic fringe' types who keep at it and develop a taste for what was prohibited - I am in that phase, I suppose - it is like guacamole to me...I like a few bites, then done until the next meal.
Go to The Vault and order a "Crooked Banker". Bourbon, Punt e Mes (sp? sweet, dark vermouth), Cointreau, & an absinthe rinse. Very tasty.
I went to an absinthe party back in 2007 when it became legal again in America. There was a ritual where we poured cold water on a slotted spoon holding a sugar cube over a small glass of absinthe. The ceremony clouded up the liquor and released quite a fragrance.
Quote from: RecycleMichael on July 09, 2013, 12:03:22 PM
I went to an absinthe party back in 2007 when it became legal again in America. There was a ritual where we poured cold water on a slotted spoon holding a sugar cube over a small glass of absinthe. The ceremony clouded up the liquor and released quite a fragrance.
That's it! The green is an affectation - they add food dye. Very aromatic. And a fun ritual....
Quote from: Conan71 on July 09, 2013, 11:08:50 AM
Go to The Vault and order a "Crooked Banker". Bourbon, Punt e Mes (sp? sweet, dark vermouth), Cointreau, & an absinthe rinse. Very tasty.
This is a take on a classic New Orleans (by many to be considered the first American cocktail), a Sazerac. A true Sazerac is a a rye whiskey, Peychaud's Bitters, simple syrup with the rim and inside of an Old Fashioned glass rinsed in Absinthe prior to pouring the cocktail.
Noah makes a great sazerac.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on July 09, 2013, 12:53:07 PM
That's it! The green is an affectation - they add food dye. Very aromatic. And a fun ritual....
I've heard this referred to as: "releasing the genie". Still have not tried this yet. I have the absinthe and special spoon, but don't care to buy a whole box of sugar cubes since we rarely, if ever, use white sugar in our house.
Quote from: Conan71 on July 09, 2013, 03:17:24 PM
we rarely, if ever, use white sugar in our house.
The product or the nickname?..I could've sworn I heard her call you that.
Quote from: Townsend on July 09, 2013, 05:08:52 PM
The product or the nickname?..I could've sworn I heard her call you that.
Good one...
Quote from: Conan71 on July 09, 2013, 03:17:24 PM
I've heard this referred to as: "releasing the genie". Still have not tried this yet. I have the absinthe and special spoon, but don't care to buy a whole box of sugar cubes since we rarely, if ever, use white sugar in our house.
A box of sugar cubes is a whole lot less than the absinthe or the glass and special spoon. Splurge!!
William -I hear Decopolis on KWGS.
I know I'm only one person but it's great that you're on there.
Just wanted to let you know, they mention your store often.
For sure. I heard your ad as well. Fits well with their demo.
Thanks all. Good to hear our beginning advertising efforts are doing their job. We also got a new sign this past month and are quite happy with it. Also, if you haven't been in in a while you will now really notice our efforts to evolve into more of a bookstore. Already seeing it's going to be quite a process. Been doing research on setting up systems to track and order books better. Hopefully someday I can branch off the book aspect and create a stand alone bookstore for downtown. Have started completely redesigning one section of the shop now to anchor the bookstore concept in the current space and will give the bookshelves an Art Deco appearance with a large screen TV over one side playing old black and white movie shorts like snippets from Buster Keaton, Betty Boop, and Little Rascals.
Our Atomic Kitchen area is also continuing to evolve. At first we thought it might be nice to have a place downtown that sold some kitchen items then noticed that the items that sold were mostly the unique, fun and quirky kitchen items that had the retro flair we were going after, not really your basic utilitarian type stuff. In retrospect seems obvious now. Also we like having other fun, colorful, new items in the shop and in order to make a place to put them will shift the Atomic Kitchen to being the Atomic Tiki Room lol replite with a large "diorama" of some crazy Tiki's and monkeys, space aliens, palms and an erupting volcano. We can put our mod/retro inspired books, cookbooks, and other quirky gifty items in that section along with the fun retro kitchen items.
After I complete the redesign of those two areas I will then shift attention to the Classic/Retro Toys section and give it a much needed upgrade/makeover.
My thought has always been that what is going to sell in the future, especially in a downtown environment, is entertainment/experience. People can buy things easily enough online so I want to offer more than just items, I want to give people a fun, enjoyable, inspiring, experience. We are also working on acquiring and even making our own unique items that can't be found anywhere else even on the internet.
Speaking of entertainment and fun, this coming Sunday the Typros will be doing their newest Street Cred event starting at 5th and Boston and going down to the river. In the street in front of our shop we will be setting up an Art Deco themed, mini-golf course called "Puttin on the Ritz" ;D. Next door at the Vault I believe they will be having a Tiki/Hula party, and in front of Elote and Mod's they will have a Bigwheel Race course. Then there will be all sorts of other things up and down the street for an entire mile. Looks to be a beautiful day so come on out and check out the festivities!
Next up William will start a law enforcement group that gives you a ticket if you call something Art Deco that isn't.
They'll be called the Deco-police
I'll be here all week.
Quote from: sgrizzle on April 30, 2014, 01:56:29 PM
Next up William will start a law enforcement group that gives you a ticket if you call something Art Deco that isn't.
They'll be called the Deco-police
I'll be here all week.
Oh, no. You will get a light "roughing up" from the Deco-Gestapo, or at best a little visit from my old pal Louigi the kneecap man ;). It can be tough at times. Some of our sweet "little old lady" volunteers at the deco museum donate some great stuff to put on display, but also occasionally bring that " wonderful art deco" treasure that isn't exactly art deco. Needless to say, there are a few, not so art deco items on display at the moment lol. But occasionally you have to bite your tongue and do what ya got to do. I will not give that kind of leniency to you scoundrels on here though lol.
Quote from: TheArtist on April 30, 2014, 03:04:45 PM
Oh, no. You will get a light "roughing up" from the Deco-Gestapo, or at best a little visit from my old pal Louigi the kneecap man ;). It can be tough at times. Some of our sweet "little old lady" volunteers at the deco museum donate some great stuff to put on display, but also occasionally bring that " wonderful art deco" treasure that isn't exactly art deco. Needless to say, there are a few, not so art deco items on display at the moment lol. But occasionally you have to bite your tongue and do what ya got to do. I will not give that kind of leniency to you scoundrels on here though lol.
Careful....you're gonna get some people hear excited about the prospect....
Little something about the shop that just got posted on a blog.
http://www.tulsastreetstories.blogspot.com
Quote from: TheArtist on April 30, 2014, 08:40:45 PM
Little something about the shop that just got posted on a blog.
http://www.tulsastreetstories.blogspot.com
The little video there had some 1920's "muzak" going there...that would be good background music for the store....
Yeah, I know...it would probably be crazy making after a while.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on May 01, 2014, 12:35:08 AM
The little video there had some 1920's "muzak" going there...that would be good background music for the store....
Yeah, I know...it would probably be crazy making after a while.
Been working on the playlist this week actually. Breaking it up into two playlists. Core of both is Electro Swing. Daytime adding old time classics from Ella Fitzgerald to Judy Garland etc. to keep it more family/kid friendly. Then for the evening playlist we pump it up a bit with the Electro Swing then adding some contemporary pop stuff.
Love me that Electro Swing like Caravan Palace and Parov Stelar. Helps give our shop a little more NYC, hip boutique, vibe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_874GjbUII
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twqM56f_cVo
some fun steampunk/deco videos with these songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RaKSRU60bw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBGSJ3sbivI