Edmond Wine Shop Turns
40
High School Football Season Openers Locally Owned: 2 Doors Down Vance Gregory Owner of Edmond Wine Shop
Table Of Contents 4.
Around Edmond
6.
My Fitness
8.
Metro Flavor
10.
Locally Owned
12.
My Home
405-315-7325 405-315-6405
14.
Life Happens
Contributors
16.
Edmond Events
18.
Shop Edmond
20.
Edmond People
24.
Edmond Sports
26
Mini Sprint Racing
30.
Events Calendar
V. 5, ISSUE 08, Sept 2013
Publishers/Editorial/ Photography Chris Hultner Sherri Hultner
To Advertise contact us at: sherrih@edmondactive.com
Trevor Hultner Melissa Cox Heather Popowsky Chef Marc Dunham Jenny Dunham Jeffrey Taylor Jason Boag
Social Media: Issuu.com, Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr & Pinterest @EdmondActive with over 19,000 followers.
Online: www.EdmondActive.com EA has over 50,000 local readers, over 7,000 website visitors on average per mo. & 13,000 print issues picked up monthly. Coming soon to your mailbox. All claims made by any advertiser are not the responsibility of EA. Commercial Photography Chris Hultner 405.315.6405 chrish@edmondactive.com All photography and editorial in Edmond Active Magazine is copyrighted (2009-12) material and may not be reprinted or used in any way without written permission from the publisher.
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Around Edmond
By Sherri Hultner Welcome to Edmond Active Magazine! This month is going to be so much fun with football starting at the High School level and UCO’s Broncho Football team going for it in the Div. 2 arena. We love this time of year, as it brings our small town together through parades, Downtown Edmond’s Art Crawl at the end of the month and just general pre fall festiveness! In this issue, we reviewed Edmond’s newest restaurant, Bricktown Brewery and we highlight Oktoberfest beer from Edmond Wine Shop at 15th & Boulevard. Both really are phenomenal and we highly recommend! In My Home, Martha and Gary Hall were busy with their own version of a fun DIY My Home Project with the introduction to the Prairie Gypsy at Arcadian Inn Bed and Breakfast at 1st and University in Downtown Edmond. Martha and Gary did an amazing job; the newest addition is just gorgeous! In Edmond People, we interviewed Vance Gregory this month as he is celebrating Edmond Wine Shop’s 40th Anniversary, and it’s a must read. If there ever was a story about things that were meant to be, this is it. What a story about taking a leap of faith, and what a ride for one of Edmond’s nicest business owners. We wish Vance and his fantastic staff a Happy Anniversary and all the best, it is well deserved! Our Locally Owned section feature’s 2 Doors Down and its owner’s Anne McCarthy, Stacie Carman and Teri James. These 3 ladies offer a
fantastic opportunity for gently used select furniture consignments as well as home accessories. The brands and quality they see come through are amazing and it’s a great opportunity to change your décor at a great discount. We hope you read and then visit their store on 33rd Street, between Kelly & Santa Fe. In My Fitness, Melissa Cox addresses exactly why you should be incorporating any fitness routine into what has probably turned into a very busy fall schedule for most of you. If you want to keep up this fall, get moving, it’ll just make it easier (not harder like most of us claim!). And, we’d like to welcome husband and wife Marc & Jenny Dunham, who are both trained chefs, and have 3 little ones at home. This series will be a raw insight into this family’s task of healthy living in a busy time for both parents and how to pass that on to their kids. Marc is also the Director of Culinary Arts at Francis Tuttle, so this is no small task for them as a family. We can’t wait for their 2nd installment! And along with these features we also have event coverage, and of course, coverage from the first Football games of the season! Be sure to check out the events calendar and our Shop Edmond section for upcoming events going on around Edmond, and for up to the minute events and event coverage, don’t forget to follow us at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest at @ EdmondActive! And don’t forget to check in weekly for Around Edmond @ www.EdmondActive.com!
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My Fitness
Finding The Time By: Melissa Cox, M.S.; The Shape Project
Lack of time is the most common excuse most people give when it comes to exercise, especially for women. Between carpools, family, work, and the multitude of other responsibilities we take on, time can feel like the ultimate limited resource. We always need more. We always need just a few more hours in the day. But, as busy as we are, there are always hidden minutes in our day that we can use to effectively make our workouts a priority again. Sometimes we just have to prioritize things towards the favor of scheduling our workouts. Most women are perfectionists and it’s difficult to walk away from an unfinished chore or a messy house to make the time for ourselves to visit our favorite exercise class. But do it! We need to remember that it is actually acceptable to put ourselves first when it’s beneficial for the greater good of the home. It’s also time to power down. For three days, record how much time you spend just surfing the web, posting sunset shots on Instagram, watching TV, and more. You will be surprised at how much time you are giving Facebook or Candy Crush. This valuable time can be switched over to exercise time. Although it may be unrealistic to never watch TV again or be on the Internet, turn that time into active time! When watching your favorite show, make it a point to do push-ups or jumping jacks during each commercial break. Doing this during commercial breaks can add up to almost twenty minutes of physical activity for every hour of TV you watch! It may be challenging to incorporate exercise into a busy schedule and make it part of your routine because you may not be used to doing it. Start making some form of exercise a daily tradition in the same way brushing your teeth is. You could do this by riding your bike after dinner, walking the dog, and so much more. Whatever strategy you decide to take on, just make a plan to do something! Your little steps add up to a big victory.
Back to School Special!
$2 .99 Kid’s Meal $2 .99 Gyro’s on Saturdays
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BOOT CAMP LOCATIONS: Mitch Park Hafer Park (am & pm) & 9 other metro locations
Contact Melissa Cox at 405-496-5891 www.shapeproject.com Email: shapeproject@cox.net twitter: @theshapeproject facebook:
www.facebook.com/TheShapeProject
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Metro Flavor
Bricktown Brewery Opens to an Ethusiastic Crowd! We stopped in to Bricktown Brewery to see what it was all about and we were happy that we did. From the delicious and fresh appetizers, the great prices, the comfortable atmosphere and terrific food, we found this new bar and grill a great place to go with friends to watch your favorite sporting events or with your family to enjoy a night out without breaking the bank. We tried the steak dinner which came in at $14.95, and worth every penny. And then we tried the Kitchen Sink Burger, which was massive and well worth the $8.95 price tag. Great food, prices and atmosphere might just see this restaraunt break the curse of this corner space at Kelly and Danforth. We hope so!
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Metro Flavor
Edmond Wine Shop has the largest selection of Oktoberfest Beers in stock now! At 15th & Boulevard, in Edmond!
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Locally Owned
Locally Owned: 2 Doors Down Furniture Consignment Who owns 2 Doors Down and where are you located? Stacie Carman and Teri James are the active owners and Anne McCarthy, the owner of Emory Anne Interiors is a silent partner./ We are located on 33rd Street, between Kelly & Santa Fe in Edmond. What is 2 Doors Down and when did you open? 2 Doors Down is a furniture consignment store that accepts select home furnishings, accessories, art, antiques, and more. We opened in October of 2011. Where did the idea for 2 Doors Down come from? While working at Emory Anne Interiors, we ran across numerous people while purchasing new furniture, often had the question “What will I do with my furniture?”. We then thought it would be a great service to our clients and the community to open 2 Doors Down from Emory Anne’s Interiors. Do you take in everything people bring in? No, as a matter of fact, before we accept furniture or accessories, we ask for pictures and information regarding their items. Since our store is fairly small, we have to be selective. We try not to take any items that are stained or damaged. What type of pieces do you turn away the most? We turn away items based on available space and resale
potential. What do you look for most in the items people bring in to consign? We look for quality, uniquesness, and well maintained furniture. Basically, we look for furniture we would have in our own homes. How often does your inventory change? We see some items go out the door in a day and some items weekly. It just depends on the tastes of the customers. Most of the inventory, however changes daily. What are your favorite or most popular pieces that have come in? Our favorite items are those unexpected, special, one of a kind items that only come in occasionally. Tell us what you love the most about running 2 Doors Down: We love working with each other and our greatest reward has been the wonderful people we have come into to the store and the friendships that have been made. We love the fact that we can provide quality merchandise at a fair price.
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Where You Will Always Find Something
Fresh, Fun & Sophisticated Create a FRESH new look for your bedroom with Company C bedding.
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look of Thibaut fine fabrics, wallpaper and custom furniture. HOURS: Mon-Fri 10am-6pm Saturday 10am-5pm
405.753.4466 www.emoryanneinteriors.com
15020 Bristol Park Place, Edmond (on 33rd, between Santa Fe & Kelly)
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My Home
Cozy Changes at the Hall Family Home at Arcadian Inn Bed & Breakfast
This month see’s the change in season’s arrive and the same can be said for the newest addition to Arcadian Inn Bed & Breakfast on 1st & University in Downtown Edmond. For the last 10 year’s some in Edmond have enjoyed the Captain’s Quarters, but he has recently retired and turned the room over to his daughter, The Prairie Gypsy. The
Prairie
Gypsy
is
quaint,
comfortable, and full of vibrance and will be waiting for your next stay at Arcadian Inn Bed & Breakfast! To book a night with the Prairie Gypsy, visit www.ArcadianInn.com or call to book at (405) 348-6347
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My Home
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Life Happens
Worked Over:
Stories From Parents Who Want To Get Fit Hi! We are Marc and Jenny Dunham. Just some ordinary hard working parents who have let our health and fitness get away from us a little. We have 3 wonderful little girls, ages 1,3,& 5. You read that correctly! Needless to say we some very easy scapegoats for putting health on the back burner. Yet, that’s just it. They are the reason we have decided to focus on getting back in shape and eating better. We are both trained chefs. Marc is the Director of Culinary Arts at Francis Tuttle and I work very part time teaching the cooking classes at Williams Sonoma. We will be writing a series of articles over the next few months from our own perspectives as we head out on this journey of healthy living. We plan to be open and honest with whats happening. We are excited to have you along for the ride! Our hope is to connect with you in a way that lets you know you’re not alone and maybe make you laugh along the way! Sincerely, Marc and Jenny
He Said: Marc Dunham How many of you ladies out there look at your husband and think, “is he really going to drink another beer? Has he looked at his stomach lately? I’m going to have to close my eyes later and put on my imagine cap to make it through what we call intimacy these days. And for that matter, how many husbands look over at the “used to be” sex kitten wife of yours now wearing a form of clothing loathed by every man who actually wants to stayed focused on having sex with a female and not a wrinkled ball of gray cotton….ahh the sweat pants. Let’s face it, being married is a tough deal when it comes to sex life for some of us (excluding...well noone unless your lying.) But there is a greater cause that I feel like we are ignoring here. Our self respect. Once we loose the ability to respect ourselves and love ourselves, all other aspects of our lives truly suffer. We no longer can model behavior for our children that is positive, no longer make ourselves happy, and we certainly cannot make
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Life Happens
She Said: Jenny Dunham others happy. And the industry of “fitness” knows this just like every other industry that takes advantage of our insecurities and miserable nature. If you have ever watched Chris Rock, which I do frequently, you remember the skit that he talks about Americans being miserable with them selves. Why is that? Too many answers to that question, but I’m going to suggest one main one. We don’t know, really, who we are and what makes us truly happy. We are too busy following other people’s notions and dreams of happiness. While this is happening, we reach out to many behaviors to satisfy our discomfort. And nobody knows how to take advantage of that insecurity and discomfort like good old American ingenuity and advertising. It’s not their fault…if there is a demand; there will always be the market. Sad and miserable people are a huge market! Don’t get me wrong…there are all varying degrees on this scale, and certainly other factors play into this equation. But at the end of the day, we all have choices to make, and some of us certainly have tougher circumstances with demand a higher resolve. So here is where we are at folks. My wife and I, Jenny, are fed up with being out of shape and un-fit. We struggle both mentally and physically to keep up with all that life throws at us, however, we did this to ourselves. So no pity pot here. We are on a mission to become fit people to be better to ourselves, to each other, and to our kids. Ironically, we are both trained chefs, and I have a degree in Nutrition and Foods. One would assume we would have our s&^% straight, but one would be wrong. We have decided to commit to ourselves and to you the reader, the honest truth of our journey in hopes to be successful, improve our lives, and hopefully improve some of y’alls lives as well. We will be writing independently of each other so that you can gain both of our opinions, and we will not share our stories with each other until we read them in column together. And we will not hold back anything (at least I won’t)…you will soon learn why my wife has a difficult marriage. So please follow along and please share your story with us on a daily basis. Maybe if we all work together, we can be happy and get fit and start our own TV show, and become rich, and quit our jobs, and move to an island, and not have to worry about money, so we can get lazy again.
Just yesterday My oldest daughter (5) took a big sigh and told my mom, “Lalla, mom and I have a sweet tooth.” The fact that my 5 year old recognizes that we have a need for sweets pretty much sums up my current state of health. Not just sweets, I love all food. Having 3kids in less than 4 years, I certainly fell for the I’m eating for 2 excuse. My husband and I are both chefs. he works full time, I have a very part time job teaching the cooking classes at Williams Sonoma. I know food. I know the right foods to eat and which ones I should eat less of. So, knowledge is not my issue. I’ve identified a couple of specific areas I need to work on. Each month I’m going to set out a couple of very measurable goals and then report on them in the next article. So here goes... I’m not the best planner. I’m more a lets go with flow, take it as it comes kind of gal. There’s no doubt that having a plan and working the plan is a key to success. I tend to grab whatever’s in the cabinet and eat. The truth is, I’m overwhelmed at the end of the day. My sweet girls can wear me out. I’m sort of over it by dinner time. I don’t care what anyone eats at this point in the day. My goal is to have a meal plan for me and the family for the week, and the food on hand to stick to the plan. My hope is that we will all eat a little healthier, try some new things, and have some variety. If biutoni cheese tortellini didn’t exist, my children would starve! Aahh, exercise. Marc has been working out every morning and I’m so proud and inspired. Yet, I haven’t been to the gym in months. It’s way too easy for me to find a reason not to go. Claire (1) still takes 2 naps a day so I can’t go. Emily (3) got up twice last night, I’m just too tired. I have to run this errand or that one and I can’t fit it in. Just a bunch of excuses and I know it. What am I afraid of? Get off my butt and go! My specific and measurable goal for the next month will be to go to the gym 3 times a week and try at least 2 different group fitness classes. There is the best donut shop 2 miles from my house. The Daily Donut. Go there. I’m kind of obsessed. I love supporting a local business and he makes a jalapeño sausage roll that blows my mind! I’m breaking up. I don’t usually advocate complete avoidance, but its a slippery slope for me and I know that. I want to be a do as I do kind of mom. I’m so excited to be working with Marc on writing this series of articles. I’m treating it more like a journal. Like the start of something really big for me.
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Edmond Events
The 5th Annual Cardboard Boat Reggata At Lake Arcadia The goal for the 5th Annual Edmond Cardboard Boat Reggata was to include it as part of the cities LibertyFest celebration. That meant moving the date of the event from its traditional end of August date, to the end of June. However, last Spring’s heavy rains and flooding closed Lake Arcadia right up until a week before the Reggata was supposed to happen. Since there was so much uncertainty with the lake, entries for the Reggata took a nose dive and the event was almost cancelled alltogether. But in the end, the wise decision was made to move the Reggata back to its old date and it turned out to be another great success. Once again the Cardboard Boat Reggata drew a big crowd, lots
of very creative boats and a ton of fun was had by all. For the 5th consecutive year Tean Crocness had the biggest and most seaworthy vessal of them all. This year they went with a catamaran design and added an actual, working, sail. During the races they were unbeatable and during the demolition derby they were unsinkable. The most unusual / creative boat this year came from team TidyBowl. They actually built a boat shaped like a toilet...and it floated. It also survived the demolition derby. The plan for the 2014 Cardboard Boat Reggata is to move it to the LibertyFest date in late June, so mark your calendars.
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Edmond Events
Paulo Paes (405) 245-3436 prpaes@hotmail.com scalping, mowing edging, fertilizing trimming, etc... Lawn Care
You name it, we’ll do it
Add your business to the EA Service Directory this September for $35 per month!
Call (405) 315-7325
Shop Edmond
Citizen’s Bank of Edmond is Edmond’s only locally owned bank, offering Edmond resident’s and businesses the kind of personal service and lending opportunities that only an independently owned bank can. The Downtown Edmond Branch offers Saturday banking, and mobile banking services such as mobile deposits and more. Visit www. Be sure to follow them at Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @CitizensEdmond
Emory Anne Interiors is one of the trendiest stores in Edmond right now with a fantastic selection of new high end to affordable pieces for your entire home, very unique home accessories, full line of Company C, Lenny & Eva and Waxing Poetic Jewelry, Thibaut fine fabrics, wallpaper and custom furniture. Emory Anne’s also offers fabric by the yard and design services in store. Be sure to stop by to visit this store which should be a go to staple when redecorating on any budget. You can find Emory Anne Interiors at 15020 Bristol Blvd, on 33rd between Kelly and Santa Fe Open M-F 10 am to 6 pm and Sat. 10-5 pm. Be sure to follow at Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and visit online at www.Emoryanneinteriors.com! If you have any questions, you can call the store at 405-753-4466.
Paint Your Art Out is Edmond’s MOST fun date, girls night out or party destination. Visit www.Paintyourartout.net to see their latest calendar & register or stop in or call 405-513-5333 to register! With artist lead sessions, absolutey anyone can be an artist! Visit them online for their current calendar of paintings. Located at 10 S. Broadway right in the heart of Downtown Edmond! Also find them at Facebook & Twitter at PaintYourArtOut!
Book reservations now for your special Fall Getaway. complete with Pumpkin Pancakes! Arcadian Inn is Edmond’s favorite Bed and Breakfast! Be sure to visit ArcadianInn.com to reserve your room, as they book quickly at this time of year. The Arcadian Inn Bed and Breakfast is located at 1st and University, across from UCO. To book a reservation, visit ArcadianInn.com or call 405-348-6347.
MILLIES TABLE CATERING & More Millies is your Hot Meals To Go headquarters Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays! Meals include single serving entree, vegatable, starch and a roll! And try the crockpot meals now in stock! Give Millie a call at 330-9156 by 2 pm and your meal will be ready to go between 5 & 6pm! Located at 1333 W. Danforth Rd in Edmond! For more information, visit her website at www.MilliesTable.com
We offer affordable & stylish accents, restyled furniture, fun jewelry, unique decor & gifts for every room and every taste! Stop in now to see all of the latest spring decor & fashions for you and your home. Find Serendipity Market at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! Our Location: 917 E Danforth Rd, Edmond (Across from Ted’s Cafe Escondido) and you can call us at 405-340-8869
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Shop Edmond
Located on Memorial just south of the AMC Theaters Quail Springs Mall, Lotsa Noodles is a great place to stop with your family for a casual & fun dining experience. From their Kids Eat Free Mondays to the deliciously diverse menu of asian, american, italian choices, along with sandwiches, salads & soup at terrific prices, Lotsa Noodles will become a family favorite with their fresh & fun atmosphere! Stop by to try their 2 newest asian pasta dishes. You’ll love the casual atmosphere! You can follow Lotsa Noodles at Facebook & Twitter @LotsaNoodles for daily upates & specials! To order take out, call your order in at 405-752-2695 or visit LotsaNoodles.com.
Enjoy the Redneck Rendezvous Package in the country at any one of the 5 cozy wedding cottages at Aaron’s Gate Country Cottages, in Guthrie, just a few minutes north of Edmond. Located on a beautiful wooded 10 acre property, you can relax with the outdoor jacuzzi’s or just relax indoors in front of the fireplace and wake up to a beautiful candlelit breakfast. Visit online at Aaronsgate.com to discover the different packages and to reserve your room, or call 405-282-0613.
Visit Shapeproject.com to sign up for July classes that begin July 1st! And, now you can reserve space for multiple months at Shapeproject.com. Each month your registration includes unlimited attendance to any of their 11 metro locations! And Hafer Park now has am and pm camps! For more information, go to Shapeproject. com or call 405-496-5891.
Stop by Sweet Peace to find some of the most unique gifts in Edmond! Patty offers Candy Bouquets that can be custom ordered or you can stop in to the store to see the large selection of pre made bouquets. Corporate orders accepted and delivery is free in Edmond! Sweet Peace is located on the SW Corner of Santa Fe & 15th, across Santa Fe from Crest Grocery Store, and is open Tues - Friday 10 am to 5 pm and Sat: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Follow Sweet Peace at Facebook & Twitter!
2 Doors Down Furniture Consignment takes select gently used brand name quality furniture and accessories. If you’re looking to make a change in your home this store is the place to check first as their stock is unique, trendy, and affordable, but you have to check in often as their inventory changes daily. Be sure to stop in to 2 Doors Down, located at 15020 Bristol Park Blvd Ste 400, off 33rd Street, between Kelly & Santa Fe, and take a look around, great owners and great pieces! You can also find them at Facebook at 2-Doors-Down and by calling them at 405254-5175 if you see something you’d like to place on hold! Store hours are M-F 10-6 and Sat. 10-5
Looking for something new and unique to to enjoy the fall patio season or to take with you tailgating?! The employees at Edmond Wine Shop are ready to help with the most knowledgable staff in the metro! Be sure to follow them at Twitter & Facebook @EdmondWineShop! Located on 15th & Boulevard and open Mon– Sat. till 9 pm! You can also call in any order at 405-3413122.
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Edmond People
Edmond Wine Shop
Going Strong At
40
It takes a lot to run a successful business. It requires hard work, dedication, street smarts and common sense, but most of all it requires passion. If you ask any successful business owner, ‘what drives you?’ The number one answer will always be passion. If you aren’t passionate about your business you aren’t going anywhere. And if you are very passionate about it you’re going to be around for a long time. To say that Vance Gregory is passionate about wine and the Edmond Wine Shop would be an understatement. He has dedicated most of his life to bringing fine wines and spirits to Edmond. This year his Edmond Wine Shop turns the big 40. We sat down with Vance for a little reflection on where he’s been and where he’s headed.
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Edmond People Alright Vance, tell us the story of how Edmond Wine Shop got started 40 years ago. Well, I left my job at Byron’s in August of 1973 and knew at the time I wanted to run a wine type store, because I had been out to California and seen how those were successful there. That’s what excited me and I could see the potential for me was real obvious at the time. That’s what interested me as spirits and beers didn’t interest me that much. So I came back and I wanted to do some things at Byron’s that the owner did not really care to do and didn’t want to follow up on. So we had a philosophical difference on how we wanted to proceed and I left. I kind of kicked around for a couple of months trying to figure out how to get the funding to open the kind of store I wanted to open and I had a wholesaler friend who had a friend who had guaranteed the note on the inventory in the store in Edmond, and that store had failed basically. There was very little inventory left and it was unsustainable. Because he had guaranteed that note, the guy at the store couldn’t pay that note off, he didn’t have any money. So the guy that guaranteed that note was left holding the bag, so to speak, with about a $12,000 balance left. So I got together with my wholesaler friend at the time, convinced him I could run the store even though I had no money and he had the debt he needed paid off and didn’t know how to run the store, so we cut a deal that was basically a sweat equity deal that I would pay off the note and I would own the store, if he would also advance me more money to increase the inventory. I had to do quite a bit of talking, (laughs), especially considering I was 24 years old at the time, and I had somehow convinced him to do that. And luckily, I had gone to high school with his daughter, who was 4 years ahead of me, so he had some sense of who I was, and because our mutual friend had recommended me. That’s how I got the opportunity to get Edmond Wine Shop off the ground, and at that time making Edmond Wine Shop only the 2nd store in Edmond as Edmond
was much smaller then. What was Edmond like then? Well, for one, Boulevard was only two lanes. Pretty much everything south of 33rd was just non existent, it was just open fields. If I recall, you could go east on 15th and it was a dirt road past Coltrane, and they had only recently then extended the Broadway Extension so that you could drive into Edmond, I believe in the late 60’s, before then you stopped at 122nd or Hefner, I can’t remember which. I think it was Hefner and you couldn’t go any further north on the Broadway Extension at that time.
So 24, kind of talking your way into the business, what made you think you could do it? I just think I was young and passionate, and I didn’t know any fear and didn’t think I would fail. I just didn’t think I would. I ate peanut butter sandwiches for about two years, almost every lunch. I had one helper there for awhile and then my second year, I hired a second employee. I would have to put a sign on the door when I went to the restroom so I wouldn’t lose a single customer. I remember every customer, and I still feel this way, every single person who walked through that door was appreciated. I mean there were some days where there were only 30 to 40 customers in one day, and that was a big deal. I’d fight for every customer I could get. You mentioned there were two liquor/ wine stores? There were two, and there really weren’t
any wine stores then at all. Everything then was centered around spirits and beer, and wine was an after thought. Wine was like a little closet in the back where you had Lancers, Matuse, Blue Nun, Reunite, BMeister Crock bottles, Asti Spumante was pretty new then, Boones Farm was cooking back then. Then you had the really quality wines like Annie Greensprings, Ripple…(laughing), Thunderbird, Ariba was another one, so you had all that stuff. A smattering of imported wines like a few Bordeaux, a few burgundy’s, some Italian Red’s and that was about it. There were very few serious domestic producers back then. We had 2 Cabernet’s when I opened the store, Paul Masson and Louis Martini, and that’s all we could get at that time. In the 70’s is when the west coast wineries were really getting started, when did you bring the change in the wine culture in Edmond? They weren’t available in Oklahoma. They weren’t available much outside of California. In fact, most people in the United States in general, especially those on the East Coast and especially those in Chicago, looked down their nose at domestic wine production. They didn’t prove themselves until the Paris Tasting in 1976 that Steven Spurrier organized in Paris using French judges one on one, Cabernets against Cabernets, and judging the Domestic wines against their French counterparts, and White Burgundy’s against California Chardonnays. That put California on the map. Those of us who tasted those wines and believed in them weren’t surprised, but it was a huge shock and it made the cover of TIME magazine and it was a really big deal. Aside from the movie, do you actually remember all of that going down? Oh yeah, oh yeah. Ok, so when I was first starting out and did this, everyone thought I was crazy. My parents thought I was crazy. I had an electrical engineering degree, which I wasn’t using, which made my dad crazy (laughing). Did your parents pay for school? (Laughs)
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Edmond People No, I was on scholarship actually, and I would have thought twice had my parents paid for school, and they supported me all through college. No one in Oklahoma was doing a wine store around the wine selection. And I had so many people in the industry basically to my face tell me I was crazy, that I was going to go out of business, and I really needed to reverse things or I was going to go broke. And you know, I almost believed them for awhile. Why do you think they said that, was it because it was Oklahoma? You know, it was just the mentality at the time. These were old whiskey guys. And whiskey is what made money back then. Scotch, bourbon, and vodka. That’s what everyone bought and wine sales were miniscule back then. I still believed that was going to change. It was just too good in California and I could see people responding to it there. And quite frankly, I was persuaded by people in the business. Robert Mondavi was a passionate, ardent believer in the potential quality of his wines and the quality of California wines. You know, he would not let it drop. Every time someone gave him the opportunity to talk about it, he would bend their ear about how good his wines were. It paid off but it just took some time getting it going. Ok, so back to the previous question, how long did it take to change the culture and really introduce people in Oklahoma to wines? Well, it helped that we started to get some really good restaurants in the area. There were a couple, I believe John Bennett had one called the Grand Boulevard restaurant which was at the site at the present Flip’s and they had a great wine list. There was a restaurant called Casablanca which opened in the late 70’s to early 80’s and it was in Paseo, the country clubs began ordering and having special wine lists, and at that time it was illegal selling wine until about 1984 or 85. Wait. Restaurants couldn’t sell alcohol? No, not legally. You had to be a member of the “club”. There were all types of dances i.e. workarounds you had to go through. Depending on the mood of the enforcement people or the political pressure at the time, restaurants would get busted and their entire wine or liquor inventory would get confiscated and later
sold or destroyed. That didn’t change in Oklahoma until the mid 80’s. We started seeing more and more interest in wines and we started to build on that. It wasn’t until the late 80’s when people in the industry that would go out to California and tour the wineries. And the wineries finally figured out that Napa was kind of like adult Disneyland. They thought if they could promote Napa and their wineries, and sell direct to people, that they could make the whole profit. They would discount to the
wholesale marketer who would discount it to the retailer and with all noted mark ups, the wineries would still make a similar profit as at their winery. Well obviously if you don’t have to discount that, you can sell it there at the winery, you would make a whole lot more money. But beyond that, they also discovered the loyalty of people have toward certain wineries. People visit the winery, they have a nice experience, the hospitality, the wine, the ambiance, then people go home and they want to drink your wine. If you came home and the wine wasn’t available, people would come to me and say they’d like to request certain wines. So, people like me would go back out to California and see if we could bring those wines back and I did that quite a bit. With the rise of the tourism industry, with the avid amateur wine aficionado – people from Oklahoma started going out to California and educating themselves at different wineries, then they would come back home, entertain their friends, show off these wines, then their friends would want to do the same thing. This all started to explode by the middle 90’s here in Oklahoma and we were rocking and rolling in the wine business. So when do think the trend started in Oklahoma where people started to come in and request specific wines?
Probably in the 1980’s. By then most of the wineries had gotten established. The 90’s saw the rise of the high end, low production incredibly expensive wines like Screaming Eagle and Harlan, and some of those like Opus 1 who had opened up by then. It’s just been a steady development. I remember vividly going to Napa the first couple of times I went out and it was mostly horse country dotted by wineries, and now, you can’t find a horse farm. They also used to have walnut groves and olive groves there because you could make more money in that business than you could growing grapes. It’s really been fun to see that progress, and be vindicated in what I thought was going to happen. Did this trend catch all of the Oklahoma liquor stores off guard or do you think everyone just changed with the times? For the longest time, there was only about 10 or so stores that had a decent wine selection. I think that changed in the middle 80’s as at some point, it just couldn’t be ignored any more because it was becoming too pervasive and the demand got to a certain point. The other stores weren’t really educated, and I invested I don’t know how many trips out to California to get an understanding of winemaking just so I could be intelligent enough to talk with anyone who came into the store, well almost anybody. Let’s talk about the law. I know Oklahoma has a pretty strange history with alcohol. What are some of the laws that prevented you from doing what you wanted to do with your business? The most restrictive law that really kept us from getting bigger right off the bat was that we were not allowed to advertise. You could not advertise your store, and you couldn’t advertise liquor at all. The head of the ABLE Commission, that extended to not being able to have plants inside my store as the plants were considered an inducement inside my store to try to get people to come inside my store. What they really wanted for the longest time was just to have a store that sold nothing but alcohol and they didn’t want it to be a pleasant experience or a place that people would consider enjoyable to go into. I entered a lawsuit with the ABLE Commission, because my store faced west and I had these blinds that I would pull down to screen the store from the afternoon sun. At
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Edmond People that time there was a rule that stated that if you had windows you were not allowed to obscure the view from the outside of the store to the inside of the store. I could have bricked it up to stay within the law. For the 3 or so hours I would pull the screens, I actually had an agent come into the store and write me a citation. So I had to get an attorney. I went to court with another guy who participated with me who was in Lawton, and we had to get a court order against ABLE in enforcing the rule. The advertising issue was really hurtful. It was all word of mouth, I couldn’t do a newsletter, I couldn’t put posters on the window, I couldn’t hand out fliers and had to be really careful about what I said in public because theoretically they could have fined me for that. When we had sales, the lettering on the tags were only allowed to be an inch high. This really prevented me from growing for the longest time. What is the Blue Law now? What are you allowed to do and not allowed to do? We are not allowed to sell anything in the store except alcoholic beverages. No mixers, no glasses, no corkscrews, no cigars, just wines, spirits and beers. I am required by law to buy only from Oklahoma State Wholesalers. We can now promote via advertising through many outlets like our newsletter and Edmond Active, of course. You’re also not allowed to own more than one store, correct? That’s correct. We can’t own more than one store, well, actually my wife could own one so that would be 2 per married couple. So when are you opening your second wine shop? We’re working on it (laughs), but I’m a cautious guy. We were on the threshold of doing it in 2008, and then the economy went south. I am just being cautious about getting through this first. Also there is rampant talk about wine grocery stores, too, which would have a devastating effect
on our local homegrown industry here. What do you think about the big box stores wanting to move in and sell wine, spirits and 6 point beer? Well, they certainly want to sell wine, and they certainly want to sell strong beer, but spirits not so much. Now they do in some other states. 20 years ago no one was interested in selling wine in Oklahoma because there that much interest from the public. For those of us that have built up interest, it’s pretty hard to accept that someone from the outside like a corporation outside of Oklahoma can just walk in and take that from us. That’s the way I look at it. Do you think they will let, for instance, Walmart sell beer and wine and if so, wouldn’t that make the laws unfair and allow you to open as many stores as you wanted? Do you think it’s going to happen? Certainly it would, and I don’t know how that law could be changed to allow us to compete because we sell spirits, and obviously we couldn’t compete with that, it’s not a competitive situation. I don’t know, maybe eventually, I don’t really see the need for it. Obviously there was a need for liquor by the drink, and that hurt our business, too, because at the time pretty much everyone had to come here and take their bottles of wine home to drink, except for wines they sold in restaurants. It was obvious Oklahoma needed that to be competitive in tourism, convention purposes with states like Texas. I enjoy that and that’s great, but there is no obvious benefit to selling wine in grocery stores and it’s somewhat more convenient for some customers, but Edmond is dotted with liquor stores and wine shops. I was the 2nd store for awhile, then came a 3rd then a 4th, and it stayed that way for awhile. Now I think there are like 22 stores in the Edmond area. What qualifications do you look for in your employees (since there isn’t a lot of turnover here at your store), and how
does that benefit Edmond consumers and Edmond Wine Shop? We look for really solid people in knowledge but also in character and work ethic. Right now John is taking a beer education course, Amie has passed her initial Sommelier, the first of three levels. They’re both motivated individually to improve themselves in these professionally recognized titles, and they are not easy to obtain, these tests are very difficult. Our other employees, we encourage them to educate themselves as much as they can while they are here. We are working on ways to change this in the future and it’s our core of John and Amie who are currently working on that currently. Do you give them some allowance to be able to try different selections? We do. For weeks, we let them pick some things that they have tasted, and there are other ways for them to taste as there are industry tastings that are offered by some of our distributors that licesees can attend, so they’ll attend some of those. Or they’ll be at a restaurant or out someplace. We have something called Employee Picks and it changes every 4 weeks and it gives each employee a chance to contribute at their level of expertise and tasting style to contribute to the atmosphere of the store. A lot of people will follow a specific employee based on their tastes. It’s kind of fun to see each individual get a following based on that. What’s the most gratifying thing about owning Edmond Wine Shop? It’s really gratifying for me, after 40 years, that I wake up every day and I still look forward to coming to the shop. When you talk to most business owners they won’t say that. I enjoy what I do even though I went out on a limb 40 years ago to do this, but I followed I what I had in my heart and what I thought would work. I guess it put a fire in my belly when they said it wouldn’t work and I wanted to prove them wrong. I’ve been able to make a living doing it and that’s pretty cool.
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Edmond Sports
Midwest City Bombs The Wolves It was obvious from the first play, of the Santa Fe Wolves season opener at Wantland Stadium, that without Justice Hansen at the helm the team was out of sync. Nearly every Santa Fe drive in the first quarter was a 3-and-out. It was like the Midwest City Bombers defense had a crystal ball and could read every play that was coming there way. The Bombers held the Wolves’ offense to just 185 yards. Hansen was sidelined with a hamstring injury. The Wolves did make one drive at the end of the second quarter where they got within a yard of scoring a touchdown, but that
effort was also thwarted by the Bombers defense. On the bright side, the Wolves defense was just as effective as the Bombers and most of Midwest City’s drives were also 3-andout’s. Santa Fe’s defense held the Bombers to 169 yards. The only score in the game came in the 3rd quarter when the Bombers kicked a game winning 39-yard field goal. All is not lost for Santa Fe. Once Hansen gets back in game and fires up his offense the Wolves should have no problem putting together a winning season.
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Edmond Sports
Edlam Round 1: Memorial Vs. North The air was electric in Wantland Stadium for the first round of Edlam between Edmond Memorial and Edmond North as fans on both sides had high hopes for their teams. This was also the season opener for both teams. This season Edmond North has a new Coach, Scott Burger, and a new Quarteback, Stephen McClernon. In the first quarter North seemed to be suffering from the first-game-jitters as ball handeling left a lot to be desired. But McClernon did show his skills in the second quarter when he connected with Luke Rossi on a 26-yard pass. Unfortunately for North that was their top play of the game. Memorial’s top running back, Warren Wand, was key in helping his team gain field position in the second quarter to set up two touchdown passes. Wand had a great night, rushing for 158 yards. And Memorial’s new QB, Mick Mayerske, had a good showing with his pair of TD passes that led to a Memorial win over North 13-0.
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Mini Sprint Racing
I 44 Riverside Speedway: A Speedway Reborn On May 20th, 2013, the EF5 tornado that decimated Moore
time for the 14th Annual Mini Sprint Nationals.
also took out the metro’s only dirt track for cars, the I 44
Usually one of the biggest events of the year at the I 44
Riverside Speedway. The damage at the track was extensive,
Riverside Speedway, this year it was a more meaningful event
as it was all along the path of the tornado. The bleachers were
due to the labor of love that was put in to ressurect the track.
wrapped around the catch fence like a ball of foil. The frame
More than 160 racers from all over the region showed up to
of a mobil home was also twisted around the catch fence. All
support the race and close to 1000 race fans set up lawn chairs
the track vehicles were pretty much unrecogniziable. The catch
where the bleachers once stood.
fence itself was mostly destroyed. Needles to say, the track was almost beyond repair.
Judging by the size of the crowd it’s obvious that oklahomans love car racing, and what’s not to love; it’s loud, fast and dirty.
Track owner Mark Banister rallied his crew and sought help
The mini sprints definitely add to the excitement on this 1/5th
from the racing community and local disaster voulenteers to
mile dirt oval. They slide through the corners, spin out and flip
clean up the track. Just a few days after the devistating tornado a
through the air. It all becomes even more impressive when you
steady stream of voulenteers and workers helped remove debris
realize that a lot of the racers are just kids.
and haul off giant pieces of twisted metal. Most of the catch fence was cut apart, starightened up and welded back together.
To go see a race at I 44 Riverside Speedway you can check out their schedule at www.I44riversidespeedway.com
In less than 3 months the track was back into racing form. Just in
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Mini Sprint Racing
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Mini Sprint Racing
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Mini Sprint Racing
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Events Calendar
September 2013
28
Edmond Farmers Market @ Festival Market Place
28
Downtown Edmond Art Crawl @ Downtown Edmond
Aug 31 - Sep 3
28
Dennis Borycki Quartet @ UCO Jazz Lab
29
Edmond Bridal Show @ UCO
National Pasture Roping Championship @
Lazy E 3
Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered @ Armstrong
Auditorium
October 2013
4
Central Jazz Jam Session @ UCO Jazz Lab
5
Spider Douglas & Friends Benefit Concert @ UCO
1-31
Savion Glover in “Solo iN TiMe”@ Mitchell Hall
1
Jazz Lab 6
Theater - UCO 6
Shortt Dogg @ UCO Jazz Lab
7
Edmond Farmers Market @ Festival Market Place
7
The Jeremy Thomas Quartet @ UCO Jazz Lab
10
UCO Faculty Artist Concert Series @ UCO Jazz Lab
11
Central Jazz Jam Session @ UCO Jazz Lab
13
Singer/Songwriter Rick Price & Mark Galloway @
UCO Jazz Lab 14
Edmond Farmers Market @ Festival Market Place
14
Smilin’ Vic @ UCO Jazz Lab
15
Mountain Smoke @ UCO Jazz Lab
16
Beppe Gambetta and Edgar Cruz @ UCO Jazz Lab
17
Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered @ Armstrong
Auditorium 17
UCO Faculty Artist Concert Series @ UCO Jazz Lab
18
Central Jazz Jam Session @ UCO Jazz Lab
20
The Groove Merchants @ UCO Jazz Lab
21
Edmond Farmers Market @ Festival Market Place
21
Golf Family Fun Night @ Kickingbird Golf Club
21
4th Annual Pet Health Fair @ 1001 W. 15th St.
21
Krazy Kids Dog Show @ Shannon Miller Park
21
Boys Ranch Town, Edmond, Rodeo @ Boys Ranch
Town, 5100 E. 33rd Street 21
The Independent Artist Festival @ UCO Jazz Lab
22
The Hot Mamas Run & Baby Parade @ Mitch Park
23
Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered @ Armstrong
Auditorium 4
EvFest “Bands, Bites & Brews”@ Festival Market
Place 5
Edmond Farmers Market @ Festival Market Place
5
Oklahoma Walk Now for Autism Speaks @ UCO
7
Hungarian State Folk Ensemble @ Armstrong
Auditorium 7
UCO Jazz Ensembles Concert @ UCO Jazz Lab
8
Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered @ Armstrong
Auditorium 8
UCO Choir Concert @ Mitchell Hall Theater, UCO
10
Edmond Electric, Water & Public Works Open House
@ 2004 Old Timbers Drive 11-12
Cowboy Crossings @ National Cowboy Museum
12
Edmond Farmers Market @ Festival Market Place
13
2013 Couples Championship @ Kickingbird Golf
Club 15
Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered @ Armstrong
Auditorium 15
UCO Wind Symphony Concert @ Mitchell Hall
Theater, UCO 17
Vocal Jazz Concert @ UCO Jazz Lab
17
Guest Artist: Claude Chalhoub @ Mitchell Hall
Theater, UCO 18-20
Team Josey Barrel Racing Clinic @ Lazy E
Souled Out - Moore Tornado Relief Concert @ UCO
19
Edmond Farmers Market @ Festival Market Place
19
Guest Artist: Claude Chalhoub @ Mitchell Hall
Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered @ Armstrong
Theater, UCO
Jazz Lab 24
Chester’s Pumpkin Patch and 3-Acre Mystery Maze @
Piedmont
Auditorium
21-22
UCO Jazz Combos Concerts @ UCO Jazz Lab
22
Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered @ Armstrong
24
UCO Faculty Artist Concert Series @ UCO Jazz Lab
25
Central Jazz Jam Session @ UCO Jazz Lab
26
Enrico Valentino CD Release Concert @ UCO Jazz
23-30
Storybook Forest @ Arcadia Lake
24
Hearts Open Team Roping @ Lazy E
Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend @ National Cowboy
Oct 25 - Nov 2
Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company @ UCO Jazz Lab
25-27
Lab 27-28 Museum 27
Auditorium
USTRC Shootout Championship Team
Roping @ Lazy E Macabret: A Spooktacular Halloween Revue @ UCO
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Events Calendar Theater, UCO
Jazz Lab 26
Edmond Farmers Market @ Festival Market Place
Nov 29 - Dec 24 Select Your Christmas Tree @ Coffee Creek
26
Pumpkin Palooza @ Mitch Park behind the MAC
Farm, Arcadia
29
Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Discovered @ Armstrong
Nov 29 - Dec 24 Edmond Outdoor Ice Skating Rink @ Festival Market Place
Auditorium 31
Trick or Treat on the Street @ Downtown Edmond
Oct 31 - Nov 2
Measure for Measure @ Mitchell Hall
December 2013
Theater, UCO
November 2013
Nov 29 - Dec 24 Select Your Christmas Tree @ Coffee Creek Farm, Arcadia Nov 29 - Dec 24 Edmond Outdoor Ice Skating Rink @
Oct 25 - Nov 2
USTRC Shootout Championship Team
Festival Market Place 1-31
Edmond Christmes Light Displays @ City of Edmond
2
UCO Jazz Ensembles Concert @ UCO Jazz Lab
Theater, UCO
3
UCO Percussion Consort Concert @ Mitchell Hall
2-4
Turkey Shootout @ Edmond Soccer Club
Theater, UCO
2
UCO Homecoming Parade @Downtown Edmond
5
4
Jazz Ensembles Concert @ UCO Jazz Lab
Theater, UCO
7
Sir James Galway, flutist @ Armstrong Auditorium
5-8
UCO Jazz Lab Christmas Show @ UCO Jazz Lab
8-9
Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping @
6
UCO Winterglow @ UCO Campus
6-8
Boys Ranch Town Drive-Thru Christmas Pageant @
Roping @ Lazy E Oct 31 - Nov 2
Measure for Measure @ Mitchell Hall
Lazy E
UCO Wind Symphony Concert @ Mitchell Hall
8-9
Senior National Finals Steer Roping @ Lazy E
5100 E 33rd St, Edmond
10
CFAD Chamber Orchestra Concert @ Armstrong
7
Edmond Electric Parade of Lights 5100 SE 33rd St,
Auditorium
Edmond Downtown Edmond
11
7
Veteran’s Day Ceremony @ Plunkett Park, UCO
Cowboy Museum
Campus 12-14
Nothin Betta than Operetta @ UCO Jazz Lab
7-22
14
Wine Through Time @ Edmond Historical Society &
Edmond 7
Museum 15
Kids Old-Fashioned Ornament Making @ National
Small Works, Great Wonders Winter Art Sale @
Christmas in Downtown Edmond @ Downtown Mayor s Tree Lighting and Essay Contest Awards @
Shannon Miller Park
National Cowboy Museum
8
16-17
A-OK Alpaca Blast Off @ Lazy E
Mitch Park
18-19
Jazz Combos Concerts @ UCO Jazz Lab
12-14
UCO Jazz Lab Christmas Show @ UCO Jazz Lab
18
UCO Chamber Orchestra Concert @ Radke Fine Arts
13-15
Lazy E-Tri K Winter Barrel Blast #I @ Lazy E Arena
Theatre, UCO
14
Gingerbread House Contest @ Edmond Historical
21
Society & Museum
Chamber Music Concert @ Radke Fine Arts Theatre,
20
UCO 25
Toast to the Maestro @ UCO Jazz Lab
26
UCO Symphony Orchestra Concert @ Mitchell Hall
North Pole Holiday Adventure @ MAC Building in
Cowboy Christmas Ball @ National Cowboy Museum
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