COMM U N I T Y
BY: LINDSAY CUOMO
NORMANITE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
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Robin Allen 34 | January 2021
hen Robin Allen first moved to Norman in 1981, she planned to go to nursing school, but she put that plan on hold. Robin’s decision would eventually change the trajectory of her professional career and lead her to impact many businesses in Norman as a business owner and an influential advocate within the Norman Chamber of Commerce. “My husband and I are originally from Illinois and we did not want to pay out of state tuition so I started working,” Robin remembered. “By the time I was going to go back to nursing school, I was making more money than I wanted to give up.” Taking inspiration from her parents who were also business owners, Robin and her husband, Don, got into the convenience store business in 1995 and operated three convenience stores in Norman for about 15 years, a role that connected the couple in the community. They also had a restaurant in Downtown Norman called Fancy That for a number of years. “You are kind of like the neighborhood bartender,” Robin confessed. “You get to know the best of the best and many of my customers are still my friends today.” In fact, one of the unique friendships cultivated in their rural store in northeast Norman led to another of the Allens’ business endeavors. “My husband got to be friends with Gerald Daniels, a big pool builder at the time, who was getting ready to retire,” Robin said. “He said to Don, ‘Don, you are very handy and I am going to teach you everything I know about building pools.’” Daniels mentored the Allens as they ventured into a new industry and they opened Signature Custom Pools in 2008, building custom residential swimming pools and renovating existing pools. Robin guides homeowners through the design process while Don and his team construct the custom creations. “Every pool we build is unique,” Robin shared. “It is so fun to go through the process. The homeowners are making such big decisions and it’s really fun to be a part of that. It is fun to see the cool things we can create for our customers and to see them satisfied in the end.”
