Adventures in OKC

I spent the afternoon in downtown OKC and landed upon some great, authentic places I'd never seen nor heard of before. I've been complaining about this place needing some originality and BOOM, it's all fallen into my lap within a week's span. It was seriously a crappy afternoon turned into a "breath of fresh air". I often feel as though I'm drowning in a place of no creativity or room to breathe because of all the chain restaurants and typical shopping centers. But alas, OKC has not failed me yet. Here I am to spread the word on my new-found loves...

DNA Art & Apparel: think art in all forms possible, mixed with apparel all by local artists. This place is GREAT and the girl Amanda, whom I met today, is part owner alongside her hubby. All I could say was "this is so cool!" about every little thing imagineable. They have buttons, stickers, canvas art, art on wood pieces, art on skateboards, art on clothing and even feature out of town artists. I would post their site but I looked and couldn't find it. It's located in the Plaza District, which is a whole new experience in itself. Basically, if you want art & you want cool, original and one-of-a-kind clothing, this is your place!

Collected Thread: located beside DNA Art & Apparel, this is a unique little shop filled with ALL handmade items. From purses to scarves, to neck warmers, earrings, necklaces, JOURNALS!, vintage stationary, clothing and small art pieces by locals as well. I fell in love immediately. It is the perfect place to buy gifts. I mean seriously, handmade coin purses, bookshelves, EVERYTHING! It's a sweet little handmade haven. Again, I would list the site but they don't have one...however, they are on myspace!

Coffee Slingers: Apparently this place has been open for 6 months now. How in the world did I, as a coffee connoisseur, not know this place existed until now?! It's located at the corner of 9th & Broadway and sits in the area that is progressing in OKC. It's clean, it's original, it's simple. They sell local artists prints, it's vintage and it's a quiet nook, perfect for a rainy day or a much needed coffee break/relaxing time to read. There aren't too many choices, but that's the point. The service was tremendous and the music in the background was just as great! check em out: www.coffeeslingers.com

Tree & Leaf Clothing: Okay, I have to admit that today was not my first day to stumble upon these awesome guys. In fact, this little store has become quite the hero for my wardrobe life. I'm slightly obsessed with their designs and it's all on American Apparel shirts. I mean, what could be better than a combo of originality + American Apparel? I'm almost certain, that when it comes to clothing, the answer is nothing. Not only do they produce their own screen prints, they sell clothing made by other local artists as well. Yep, it's completely legit. Check em out as well : www.treeandleafclothing.com

Alright folks, that's all I got. Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay tuned and check out these awesome places while you're at it!

Ciao!
-Abby

PS--my new email address is abby@abbycoyle.com