Monday, June 28, 2004
Home-Grown Cool
Oklahoma City is not very cool, especially during this time of year. Things get warmer, and muggier, and some of us go a little crazy, engaging in activities we might live to regret. Partly because of this trend, some very uncool things have happened in Bricktown (some type of fishing store has apparently moved into town), on our airwaves (R.I.P. KSYY), and on our ballots (some bigotry dressed up as political discourse). However, there are a few brave souls trying to beat back the trend and bring some cool back to Oklahoma City.
The Shoe Gypsy on Western Avenue, for instance, has been known to invite musicians to play on some Saturday nights. Right down the street, Will's lends their walls to our local artists. Further down Western, Size Records boasts a humble yet effective gallery space, as does that perennial house of beatnik-cool on the south side, the Book Beat Book Co. For some reason, these business owners have chosen to share their revenue streams with artists, musicians, authors, and performers. Is it profitable? Short answer: probably not. People show up, usually don't buy anything, and leave. Long answer: definitely. People show up, look around, discover that the place has something to offer, go home, tell others, and people come back with money they want to spend. I applaud our local business owners for thinking ahead.
It is not always easy to look at the impact our daily actions have on the long-term. Shopping at Wal-Mart doesn't always make us think of American companies going under, just like we don't always see the importance of doing something instead of complaining about how there's not anything for us to do. This city, really any city, is what we make it. Let's keep making it better.
Oklahoma City is not very cool, especially during this time of year. Things get warmer, and muggier, and some of us go a little crazy, engaging in activities we might live to regret. Partly because of this trend, some very uncool things have happened in Bricktown (some type of fishing store has apparently moved into town), on our airwaves (R.I.P. KSYY), and on our ballots (some bigotry dressed up as political discourse). However, there are a few brave souls trying to beat back the trend and bring some cool back to Oklahoma City.
The Shoe Gypsy on Western Avenue, for instance, has been known to invite musicians to play on some Saturday nights. Right down the street, Will's lends their walls to our local artists. Further down Western, Size Records boasts a humble yet effective gallery space, as does that perennial house of beatnik-cool on the south side, the Book Beat Book Co. For some reason, these business owners have chosen to share their revenue streams with artists, musicians, authors, and performers. Is it profitable? Short answer: probably not. People show up, usually don't buy anything, and leave. Long answer: definitely. People show up, look around, discover that the place has something to offer, go home, tell others, and people come back with money they want to spend. I applaud our local business owners for thinking ahead.
It is not always easy to look at the impact our daily actions have on the long-term. Shopping at Wal-Mart doesn't always make us think of American companies going under, just like we don't always see the importance of doing something instead of complaining about how there's not anything for us to do. This city, really any city, is what we make it. Let's keep making it better.
