OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma Native Art and Jewelry owner Yolanda White Antelope could not be happier, she said.

After her Stockyards City business was displaced by a fire in March 2015, she spent the next year in an 800-square-foot space next to the Centennial Rodeo Opry.

The Journal Record reports that White Antelope finally moved to a larger space this month, as she had wanted for a year. Her fire-burned location measured 2,000 square feet. Her new place is 1,000 square feet, but she has the option to move into an additional 600 square feet next year. The building’s owner spent about $10,000 renovating the building to get her in.

“Since we lost everything in the fire, a lot of our artists have come back,” she said. “They put their art on the walls. That’s what we’re aiming for. We want to display our native culture.”

She said her artwork is especially attractive to out-of-town visitors looking for souvenirs. Her store has work from about 20 different tribes.

“People are tired of picking things up that say ‘made in China,’” she said. “As soon as they hear it’s made locally, they are in love.”

White Antelope said she purchased a billboard advertisement with hopes of getting people to the area. She also has ads that run in downtown hotels.

Pam Shelton, Stockyards City Main Street executive director, said the district has a lot of visitors when events such as the American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show are happening at State Fair Park.

She said many people know the area for Cattlemen’s Steakhouse; however, they don’t realize there’s a district surrounding the 106-year-old eatery. Since taking the office’s reins in January, she said she’s heard people asking for more restaurants in the area.

She is working on bringing back two other events that will attract visitors. She said the district once had a Running with the Bulls 5K race, and she is talking to a timing company about starting that event again. She plans to bring back the Christmas parade.

“We didn’t have it last year,” she said. “I received more than 100 voicemails from people about that. A lot of people said it was part of their Christmas tradition.”

On June 4, the annual Wines of the West will bring people to 12 merchants in the district. For $15, people can get a ticket to visit a winery set up in each store.

The event traffic will only add to the area’s hustle and bustle, which businesses owners see as an attraction.

“Every time a small building is vacant, it fills up really quickly,” Shelton said.

A new business will open soon in the former Cattlemen’s Liquor store building at S. Agnew Avenue and SW 13th Street. Shelton couldn’t give any details on the prospective business.
The Rusty Chandelier, an antique and boutique shop has a new owner, Cindy Scardino. She had an antique store for 10 years called The Apple Orchard.

“The Stockyards appeal to me,” she said. “The lifestyle is so different. In this one-mile area, it’s like a whole other world. It’s laid back. It’s always interesting. I meet people from all over the world.”
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By MOLLY FLEMING, The Journal Record

Information from: The Journal Record, http://www.journalrecord.com

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AP-WF-04-21-16 1541GMT