Steve Mason has a new tenant on 9th. Perch'd modern Design should be open by Friday next to S&B's Burger Joint and across from the The Womb and Iguana on 9th Street.

I did a search for "shipping containers" but did not see a response as to this project although there has been a great deal of talk about shipping containers on OKC Talk and OKC Central. Either way, as far as I know, this is the first bona fide project using one in recent memory near downtown as a store.

I am sending the pictures I took this morning to Pete. I didn't see an address for the record posted on the building itself as of yet.

The proprietor is apparently the former sales manager for Dwell Magazine.

https://www.facebook.com/perchdmodern

Great addition to an already interesting street. Any permit issues with the city to use a shipping container like that?

Trying to think where this. Just west of S&B?

Trying to think where this. Just west of S&B?

just east of the S&B parking lot .. facing west ..

Perchd Modern website (http://www.perchdmodern.com/)

Perchd on Instagram (http://instagram.com/perchd)

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/perchd.jpg

Here are the photos from Urban Pioneer:



http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/perchd2.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/perchd3.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/perchd4.jpg


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/perchd5.jpg

Thanks for the pics UP!

This along with the new flex office space on NW 13th are starting to show the shipping crate craze popping up on the local scene

I know shipping containers are somewhat standardized in size and research says that they tend to be about 8 feet wide, 8 feet tall and 20 or 40 feet long (this one appears to be a 40).

Yep - that is a 40ft container. There are some "hi-cube" containers that are 8'6" tall. Domestic containers can be as long as 53 ft. The international containers are either 20 or 40 feet in length.

Yes, how about modifying the Better Block and pop-up shops model to make some of these semi-permanent in the huge amount of empty space in Midtown??

Could be the retail equivalent of food trucks, although not quite as mobile.

You could take one of those empty lots and/or parking lots and put in some temporary restrooms and some benches and tables, set up these semi-finished containers and invite some food trucks as well.

One of the great things about containers is that they are easy to lockup very securely. Way better than tents, canopies, etc. Plus, more protection from the elements if needed.

Now hold on guys. A few would be cool, but we don't want metal buildings taking over downtown just because it's the new fad.

I'm just worried that if we started to gain a lot of these in lieu of constructing actual buildings... it might start to look a little cheap

Lot of interesting things happening with containers in recent years, including housing, both dorms and residential. Not too much locally beyond storage thus far. Could get interesting though..

Gotcha. I'd share your concern if the program wasn't managed as a temporary thing. Which is why I'd want to see someone like Shopcrawlr, who would be financially invested, to be a part of it.

That would be pretty cool. Don't want anyone to mistake me for knocking this project!

I'm just worried that if we started to gain a lot of these in lieu of constructing actual buildings... it might start to look a little cheap

But it could be cleared up in about 24 hrs if need be. Crane and flatbeds and the issue would be settled.

But it could be cleared up in about 24 hrs if need be. Crane and flatbeds and the issue would be settled.

Kind of like Stage Center.






Lol. j/k. I like Stage Center.

I was over there today... and at first I thought it was a trash dump. I am very open minded and love creative things, and I'm sure it will do well... but it doesn't look good IMHO. It looks cheap and trashy. This is probably enhanced because the surrounding area is a bunch of gravel and dirt instead of a paved lot. Why have the lots in this area not been paved and landscaped yet? Again, I hope it works, but I first impressions wasn't good.

I was over there today... and at first I thought it was a trash dump. I am very open minded and love creative things, and I'm sure it will do well... but it doesn't look good IMHO. It looks cheap and trashy. This is probably enhanced because the surrounding area is a bunch of gravel and dirt instead of a paved lot. Why have the lots in this area not been paved and landscaped yet? Again, I hope it works, but I first impressions wasn't good.

I drove by yesterday and thought the same thing. Why don't they do something about the parking lots? I thought I liked the idea of this place, but the trailer looks cheaper and trashier than I was expecting.

I believe the reason why the parking lot in front of S&B's is gravel is due to parking issues. If they paved and striped their lot then they would have been required to have more space for parking. With a gravel lot, you are not required to make it fit a certain amount of cars. I don't know about the dirt parking lot on the other side.

I believe the reason why the parking lot in front of S&B's is gravel is due to parking issues. If they paved and striped their lot then they would have been required to have more space for parking. With a gravel lot, you are not required to make it fit a certain amount of cars. I don't know about the dirt parking lot on the other side.

Interesting. Thanks for the response.

Actually the lot in front of S&B is paved now. I think they must've received a temporary variance on the gravel lot when they opened, but I believe these days code calls for all accessory lots like that to be paved, which they did several months ago. The lot NEXT to S&B is still gravel, but no permanent improvements have been made on that property at all.

I'm not sure if I'd like to see a lot of this either, but it would be a great way to "beta" test retail in some areas. Owners just sitting on land could do this to see how a dense development of retailers would perform in a given location before going "all in" on new construction.

Urbanized - thanks for the update. When I was last down at S&B, when they first opened up, it was still a gravel lot.

Perchd had a soft opening last Friday. I went in on Saturday afternoon. It's a really nice space, and fits into the area very well. Interior finishes were pretty impressive. The owner said total buildout, including the used 45x8x9 container, was about $15,000.

The owner is still associated with Dwell. That is a part time position. She moved here from Venice, CA.

We went to Plenty Merchantile, Shop Good, Dwelling Spaces, and Perchd, and it made for a very good afternoon. This is turning into a very fun part of town.

Thought this was an interesting SF extrapolation on the same "container store" concept:

http://vimeo.com/58743200

I like that (on vimeo). The context of the surroundings and the stacking/glass placement, etc. made it unique, cool and functional at the same time. The issue I have with these in OKC is that if we aren't careful and we just plop them down anywhere, they won't look cool, but look like cheap temporary pods. I think context is essential. Putting one on an urban corner is one thing. Putting them on a gravel lot is another. Using several together to form a unique and graphic image is cool. Using several single ones in a parking lot (particularly gravel) will look like a trailer park. I also liked the industrial grey in the video playing off the industrial tech vibe vs. a funky color that will show every dent and ding on a used container, as well as be incongruous with the building itself. The bright, scream at you colors of the womb there work. I don't think a bunch of containers that scream at you will work the same.

Just my opinion. Really like the idea, but concerned about the execution.

It'd also be nice if they would update their site and social sites better so you can halfway see what they offer.

Good review here (with lots o' pics):

Thoroughly Modern (Millie) | We Heart OKC (http://weheartokc.com/thoroughly-modern-millie/)

http://weheartokc.com/wp-content/uploads/perch_1.jpg

http://weheartokc.com/wp-content/uploads/perch_2.jpg

http://weheartokc.com/wp-content/uploads/perch_7.jpg

Wow, that is awesome!

Bought a nice little fancy rubber bluetooth speaker in there the other day. Tons of great design-based housewares, decor, etc. The place is great.