CoCo Flow coming to Bricktown?

[metro]

http://newsok.com/details-no-longer-...lick=columnist


Excerpt from full article:

Details no longer flowing on Bricktown candy shop
BY STEVE LACKMEYER
Published: June 2, 2009

It’s the story that Bricktown Association director Jim Cowan and property owner Gary Berlin can’t wait to see become a reality. And at first, Gene Leiterman couldn’t say enough about his plans to open Coco Flow and his handmade chocolate truffles, pralines and bonbons, in the former Uncommon Grounds space in the Mercantile Building.

But after doing a full set of interviews and writing the story, Leiterman’s wife, Kim, called me and asked for a favor: Could I please hold the story for a week or two?

[kevinpate]

I know my moral compass doesn't exactly point due north, but... if I say something's wrong, something's wrong.
- Casey

[SoonerDave]

There's absolutely no reason whatsoever a new place like this in Bricktown would turn down the free publicity they're being offered, let alone purposely seek to avoid it. There's got to be a reason.

Could there be some bizarre, straggling issue with the former occupants (the coffee place)? Can't imagine what it might be, but short of financing and/or other credit issues, I can't think of what else might be at hand. I remembered reading the stories about how Uncommon Grounds was unceremoniously dumped, and guess I held out some sort of hope they might reopen someday, somewhere, but that's beside the point now, I guess.

I was not aware the Coco Flow store on N. Western had closed until I (finally) took my wife over there for a chocolate goodie, only to find it locked up and empty.

[soonerguru]

What happened in the "dramatic robbery" Steve was talking about?

[LakeEffect]

What happened in the "dramatic robbery" Steve was talking about?

I believe one of the staff was assaulted in the robbery... tried to find the story on NewsOk.com, but I couldn't.

[soonerfan21]

if memory serves me right, the owner was pistol whipped by the robber in front of his wife and baby. sounds very traumatic

[soonerguru]

That is scary.

[diesel]

its now in deconess hospital from what i have read...

[lhendrix]

Coco Flow has some of their signs up and lit.. The Chocolate Sign looks awesome .
Drive by the Mideke and check it out.
Hopefully the smell of Chocolate will be floating thru the air in Bricktown soon now.

[Steve]

Pretty soon Bricktown will be quite appropriately, history considered, THE PLACE to satisfy one's cravings for sweets.

[kevinpate]

Nice to hear!

[betts]

Great news! I used to stop by their store on Western from time to time, and now it's just a short walk for me. They've got very good coffee as well as chocolate.

[Spartan]

Pretty soon Bricktown will be quite appropriately, history considered, THE PLACE to satisfy one's cravings for sweets.

Yeah you can get office space in a building called "Candy Factory Lofts."

So is Avis Scaramucci the land lord here? Did she do much to "make this happen" ?

[LakeEffect]

Yeah you can get office space in a building called "Candy Factory Lofts."

So is Avis Scaramucci the land lord here? Did she do much to "make this happen" ?

No, Avis isn't the landlord. What's up with the quotations?

Also, Steve's probably referring to Bricktown Candy Company...

[Steve]

Damn Spartan, you're pretty jaded today. What's up?

[donbroncho]

Damn Spartan, you're pretty jaded today. What's up?

Jaded is an understatement...

[Spartan]

The funny thing is that post really wasn't that pessimistic. I had one pot shot at the Candy Factory Lofts deciding to go from all-lofts to virtually all-office, but I was sincerely asking about Scaramucci..and I wouldn't say anything negative about her! I remember for some reason her buying one of those old buildings along Oklahoma, and I was curious to hear more about her role in "makin it happen" for CoCo Flow..that's all. The idea of a chocolate shop seems like something right up her ally.

I didn't realize this was the same as the candy shop that was filling the old Uncommon Grounds space because these threads on OKC Talk rarely put that pertinent information upfront. I'm just way off base here...and now shrinking to any closets not being used by terrified Mike Leach players...

[kmf563]

So is this or is this not open and where exactly is it?

[Steve]

I think what's going on here is memories are getting confused - and that's quite understandable. It's easy to see how one might recall the proposal for the Candy Factory Lofts back in 2003 - but that was with different owners and developers who never got it off the ground. In contrast, Jeff Moore, Steve Hudiburg and Chuck Ainsworth never contemplated anything more than the "potential" for lofts on the top floor. They always saw it being retail on the first floor and offices for most of the remaining space. And they've done what they said they would.
I think I understand the Avis comment now that you've explained it. She's not involved with that block, however, so it came off in a different context than intended.
Clearly I need to do a status update on the district, which I'll do this weekend on the blog.

[betts]

So is this or is this not open and where exactly is it?

It's in the old Uncommon Grounds site (if I remember correctly). I walked by this morning and it had Christmas lights on around the doors and a Christmas tree in the window, but brown paper over the windows in the doors. So, I'm guessing it's not open yet.

[kmf563]

Betts, I'm sorry. I don't work or hang out downtown so I don't even know what uncommon grounds is or where. I know, I should.

Also, this is probably a dumb question...but is this not the candy store that is open downtown? Is there a separate place for that? Isn't that over by the ballpark somewhere?

[Urbanized]

It is not the candy store. The Bricktown Candy Company is on street level in the Fox-Vliet Drug Co. building (the building that houses Bourbon Street Cafe on canal level). The old Uncommon Grounds location is also on Oklahoma, but north of Sheridan. It is in the same building as City Walk, across the street from the Bricktown Brewery, and across the alley from the BACK of the Spaghetti Warehouse.

[kmf563]

It is not the candy store. The Bricktown Candy Company is on street level in the Fox-Vliet Drug Co. building (the building that houses Bourbon Street Cafe on canal level). The old Uncommon Grounds location is also on Oklahoma, but north of Sheridan. It is in the same building as City Walk, across the street from the Bricktown Brewery, and across the alley from the BACK of the Spaghetti Warehouse.

Perfect! Thank you.

[Spartan]

I think what's going on here is memories are getting confused - and that's quite understandable. It's easy to see how one might recall the proposal for the Candy Factory Lofts back in 2003 - but that was with different owners and developers who never got it off the ground. In contrast, Jeff Moore, Steve Hudiburg and Chuck Ainsworth never contemplated anything more than the "potential" for lofts on the top floor. They always saw it being retail on the first floor and offices for most of the remaining space. And they've done what they said they would.
I think I understand the Avis comment now that you've explained it. She's not involved with that block, however, so it came off in a different context than intended.
Clearly I need to do a status update on the district, which I'll do this weekend on the blog.

Ainsworth said the seven-story building will likely be divided into a few floors for residential use, several floors for office and a retail element on the ground floor.

Bricktown: Candy Factory Lofts renovations: 8 st: 14 units: 60,000 SF office

Here's one of many articles that alluded to more than one floor of lofts. I think that, because we urbanists love lofts more than anything it seems, we sort of saw that and reacted, "Oooh! Lofts!" but still, there were reasons we had that gut reaction. We knew there would be floors of office, but we still expected floors, plural, of lofts too.. Oh well.

Can't complain much honestly because it looks great, especially with the new signage. Once they sign some neighborhood retail services as Ainsworth had suggested he would go after, it will be a great project.

I think a Bricktown update would be really helpful. I'll be checking for that this weekend. You might read this, which I posted earlier this morning around 5..it's an analysis of possible upcoming Bricktown development, based on the suggestions of several that big development is indeed around the corner (when is it not lol).

A Downtown ontheRange: Bricktown says "stay tuned"

[lasomeday]

So is CoCo Flow going to close the Deaconess location?