HOBBIES TO BUSINESSES

Edmond Seafood & Paint Your Art Out

By Rose Drebes

At the corner of Boulevard and Danforth, one will soon be able to enjoy an artistic experience and buy seafood.

The building is owned by Renee and Ben Deakle. They are in the process of renovating the east side of the structure into their Paint Your Art Out which was formerly located in downtown Edmond.

On the west side, the couple is selling fresh seafood, native to where they were raised in small towns on the Gulf Coast of southern Alabama.

“Like most people in those parts, fishing, shrimping and crabbing started as a hobby and eventually became a side hustle to fuel my pastimes,” Ben said on their edmondseafood.com website. “My wife, raised on Dauphin Island surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay, had her own close ties to the water and came up like every other island kid working in bait shops and local restaurants.

“When we met and built our own family, the things we did to make money as teenagers became our hobbies as adults. We bought a house, bought a boat and raised our kids just north of the island where we could conveniently spend all of our free time boating, fishing and immersing ourselves in the unique and fruitful ecosystems.”

In 2007, Ben’s former career in concrete brought them to Oklahoma where he said they fell in love with the comradery and community and ultimately, decided stay in Edmond.

In 2009, Renee started Paint Your

Art Out (PYAO), the first wine and paint studio in Oklahoma.

After over a decade of living in

Oklahoma, the couple had yet to find the quality of seafood they were accustomed to.

“While we certainly consider ourselves Oklahomans at this point, one thing that hasn’t changed is our diet,” Ben said. “We have searched high and

“We want to bring the full-flavored Alabama cuisine experience straight to your kitchen,” -Ben Deakle

Page 22 At Home in Edmond Fall/Winter 2022 Hobbies to Businesses continued from Page 20 low, but short of hauling it back with us from trips home, we’ve been unable to find what we are looking for in the Oklahoma City area (if you know, you know). So, after much consideration, tons of setbacks, and two years of looking at real estate, we are finally ready to bring back enough for everybody.”

After 14 months of work and installing the highest quality equipment to ensure the freshness of the product, Edmond Seafood is up and running. They offer shrimp, catfish, flounder, grouper, red snapper, seasonal fish and seasonal shellfish, as well as andouille sausage, boudin, thick cut-smoked bacon, hot jelly and much more. Edmond Seafood is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit edmondseafood.com.

Paint Your Art Out is planning to host off-site events while renovations on its side of the building are completed. Art and entertainment meet at Paint Your Art Out. Friends and family discover their inner artist and creativity, Renee said. “You will be amazed at your own creativity as our local artists guide you step by step in painting an acrylic masterpiece on pre-stretched canvas,” she said. “Adding your own personal style makes each piece uniquely yours.” For more information, visit paintyourartout.net. “It’s the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!”

-Winnie the Pooh