Plaza District

[betts]

I'd still like to see a great breakfast place in Plaza District, Midtown or Deep Deuce.

Here are menus from two of my favorite Chicago restaurants that serve breakfast. They are always packed with people.

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurants/yolk/menu

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaur...oney-cafe/menu

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaur...go-room-2/menu

[kevinpate]

Any of those areas could greatly benefit by duplicating a place like Ozzie's or The Diner out of Norman. They aren't hip by any means, but they are just plain old delicious with an appropriate amount of retro. I'd just as soon eat breakfast at either as I would anywhere else in the state.

[ljbab728]

I'd still like to see a great breakfast place in Plaza District, Midtown or Deep Deuce.

Here are menus from two of my favorite Chicago restaurants that serve breakfast. They are always packed with people.

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurants/yolk/menu

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaur...oney-cafe/menu

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaur...go-room-2/menu

Reminds me of my favorite place to go for breakfast when I'm in LA. It has a very eclectic menu.

http://hugosrestaurant.com/menu/breakfast

I have to wonder if any restaurants in OKC have this designation in the menu.

- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-Free
() - Can be Vegan
() - Can be Vegetarian
() - Can be Gluten-Free
- Contains Nuts

[Questor]

Many restaurants offer gluten free menus now or notes on their main menu when an item is gluten free or can be made so. Same with vegan and vegetarian items. At least enough that I have noticed it while dining out. Unfortunately I can't think of any off the top of my head. I don't remember seeing any nut allergy warnings.

Oh wait, locally I think Coolgreens does something like this. I know I've seen something similar at the more modern and healthy places around town. National chains like BJ's and Outback do too. It's still not super common.

[bornhere]

Coffey's offered gluten free.

[Spartan]

Cafe7.

[warreng88]

Drove by yesterday and they had completed the bottom half of brick on Mule.

[Pete]

Just learned that Steve Mason just closed on the old Dye's Furniture building directly east of Saint's Pub at 1709 NW 16th.

Not sure of his plans but let's hope he brings some of his 9th Street magic to the area:

[dankrutka]

Sweet! That building has great potential. Saint's is a great place, the Mule looks promising, and all the local shops are great. If great owners can take over the last few remaining buildings then this district could really become special. I think the district needs a full time music venue...

[CuatrodeMayo]

This is great news. One of the problems we have in the Plaza District is a lack of continuity. There are "nodes" of activity separated by underutilzed properties. This purchase and the purchase of the laundromat are starting to close those gaps and fill in the holes in the neighborhood. Fantastic.

[OKC plaza]

Plaza District Seeks Ideas for New Development of the Coin Laundry Building

If you had the power to build a new place in your neighborhood, what would you build? This is the question posed by Popularise, a new platform that engages both the developer and community in the development process. With Popularise, developers post projects and share that power with the local community who can then submit ideas and vote for what they would like to see built in their neighborhood.

A new development in the Plaza District has been featured on this national platform which includes projects from Washington D.C. and Seattle. “We’re excited to see the community’s response and ideas for this building,” says Plaza District Executive Director Kristen Vails, “We are looking for creative ideas for the development of the space which will serve the neighborhood and Plaza District well.”

Since the 1950's, the Coin Laundry has served the Plaza District surrounding neighborhoods. With the youngest son working his way through college, and the elderly father too tired to run the operation, the family put the business up for sale. Knowing the building would be in good hands, the family sold Friendly Coin Laundry to Sweet Sixteenth LLC, a new group devoted to investing in Plaza District's continued revitalization.

While community input is encouraged, the platform also allows local businesses to submit their ideas, plans and concepts to be considered by both the community and developer. To show their commitment to local business, district sponsor Fowler Volkswagen of Norman is offering up to $1250 in rent support for first 6 months to the tenant selected by the developer. With this support, Fowler VW is both growing local business and spurring the Plaza District’s progress.

All are encouraged to submit, vote and become a part of the Plaza District dream team. Visit:

https://popularise.com/cities/4/neig...11/projects/13

[Pete]

^

The laundry is partially owned by Steve Mason as well.

His group just closed on it a few weeks ago.

[OKC plaza]

Yes! Sweet Sixteenth includes Aimee and Aaron Ahpeatone (Aimee is the Plaza Board President), Travis Mason, George Mason and Maria Mason. Steve will be coaching these new developers through the process. We are excited to see what happens!

[warreng88]

Property owners turn to social media for redevelopment ideas
By Brian Brus
Journal Record
Oklahoma City reporter - Contact: brian.brus@journalrecord.com / 405-278-2837 / https://twitter.com/JRBrianBrus
Posted: 09:29 PM Monday, June 4, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY – Property owners in the Plaza District have turned to social media to seek redevelopment ideas for the area’s empty buildings.

The 1,500-square-foot Coin Laundry Building near Indiana Avenue and NW 16th Street, for example, which still advertises on its dark windows “Dry 25¢” and “Wash 75¢,” might serve the community better as an arcade bar, tea shop or book store, online respondents said. Other suggestions have included a ramen bar, hat store and anti-gravity yoga studio.

Only some of the feedback on Popularise.com will yield commercially viable ideas, Plaza District Executive Director Kristen Vails said. Many of the submissions are merely wishful thinking, while others are linked to businesses that are already successful and might expand into the area. The important thing is that the Coin Laundry Building is on the drawing board and has already attracted so much community interest.

The Plaza District, just a few blocks south of Oklahoma City University, has struggled for years to find its identity in the older neighborhood, but is now attracting interest and some say it is on the edge of gentrification.

“The Plaza District is a neighborhood commercial district boasting Oklahoma City’s local arts flavor,” the merchants organization that Vails heads describes the district on its website. “Located on NW 16th between N. Classen Boulevard and N. Pennsylvania Avenue, the Plaza District is home to art galleries, studios, retail shops, restaurants, and creative services. Visit these local businesses owned by young, creative entrepreneurs and attend performances at the renovated Plaza Theatre for Lyric at the Plaza.”

Coin Laundry was sold a few years ago to Sweet Sixteenth LLC, a small group of local developers including Amy and Aaron Ahpeatone and Steve Mason and his children. Vails said the group is looking for creative ideas to fit next door to neighbors including PhotoArt Studios and Urban Wineworks.

Popularise.com is just a few months old and currently attracting projects and community feedback only in Washington, D.C., and Seattle. Oklahoma City is Popularise’s third drawing board site. But Vails said it’s already proven its worth in those communities and she expects the concept to grow quickly via word-of-mouth and other social media. At the very least, Coin Laundry has attracted 1,600 viewers.

“While community input is encouraged, the platform also allows local businesses to submit their ideas, plans and concepts to be considered by both the community and developer,” she said.

Fowler Volkswagen of Norman is offering up to $1,250 in rent support for the first six months to the Laundry Building tenant ultimately selected by the developer. By vote, an arcade bar is the most popular idea submitted so far, but it lacks a brand or label. A teahouse, possibly as part of The Art of Tea franchise, is the second most popular idea, followed by a Nani franchise sushi restaurant.

Around the corner, a light blue, two-story house referred to as “the barn” has also been placed on Popularise.com. The farmhouse was built in 1907 and purchased recently by Struble Properties. Its neighbors include Bomb Shelter Gallery, Sons & Daughters boutique and The Mule Public House. The 1,300-square-foot building is zoned for commercial as well.
Vails said the owners will wait a few months to shut down the Popularise.com sites and move forward with development based on feedback.

[Spartan]

An arcade bar could be awesome, I think Elliott Nelson opened something like that in the Blue Dome.

I actually think the Blackwelder farm house is the most interesting property on popularise. But what is Brian Brus smoking to say that the Plaza District "may be on the edge of gentrification" ?? I don't know what gentrification is supposed to look like for the older areas west of Classen, but I would argue that Plaza clearly is gentrified particularly if you go there on a Friday night.

The thing that amazes me about 16th now is that it really is bustling at all hours of the day, whereas just a year ago it was kinda dead during the day - the retail businesses are doing much better now.

[dankrutka]

An arcade bar could be awesome, I think Elliott Nelson opened something like that in the Blue Dome.

It is called The Max.

[EBAH]

I'd still like to see a great breakfast place in Plaza District, Midtown or Deep Deuce.

Here are menus from two of my favorite Chicago restaurants that serve breakfast. They are always packed with people.

My wife and I, along with a couple of partners are trying to get our idea selected in the contest for the coin Laundry building. It is right along the lines that you are describing. The posting on Popularise is here, https://popularise.com/cities/4/neighborhoods/11/projects/13/concepts/278 we also have a blog we will be posting our progress to @ http://coinlaundryokc.com/ We will have architectural renderings and CAD layout in the next couple of days. I'd love to hear thoughts...

[Pete]

This looks awesome! Love the idea and respect all the thought that went into this.

I voted for you on Popularise.


Look forward to the renderings.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Excellent proposal. I think this would be a great fit for the area. If this happens, you won't be able to keep me out. Good luck to you, sir.

[EBAH]

Thanks Pete! Yeah, we live on 16th St just a few blocks to the west and I've been wanting a good patio breakfast spot in the area since we moved in several years ago. In fact, I was interested in buying the building before and put out some feelers, but I think the current owners deal was already in the works. I Really think it could be a very strong asset to the neighborhood. It would be a really "unpretentious" menu of southern/okie classics with a little hispanic influence (and spice of course) in a modern, hip decor. It could really be great.

[Pete]

Love the late-night weekend hours as well.

Looks like your proposal is kicking tail with 46 votes and no other with more than a handful.



Let's take this little project as an opportunity to assess how far OKC has come in recent years:

1. District is brought back from the dead with lots of interesting local businesses, a well-organized merchants group, and a forward-thinking leader that has done a great job marketing through social media.

2. Local developer (Mason & Co.) buys properties with an eye to delivering what the neighborhood *needs*, as opposed to just a pure profit motive.

3. Collaboration between the district and developer leads to this promotion and competition; dozens of ideas are submitted, local business (Fowler) will help with initial rent.

4. Something great and unique is almost guaranteed to happen in this space.



Yes, it's just one small building but this type of thinking, collaboration and participation is what is going to make urban OKC a great place to live, and more of it is happening with each passing day. Very exciting stuff and shows the creative resources that already exist.

[Swake2]

An arcade bar could be awesome, I think Elliott Nelson opened something like that in the Blue Dome.

It's The MAX Retropub and it's owned by Tulsa city councilor Blake Ewing who also owns Joe Mama's Pizza, Boomtown Ts and Back Alley Blues and BBQ

http://www.themaxretropub.com/

[onthestrip]

Okc is desperately needing better breakfast options, therefore, you get my vote.

[EBAH]

Just got the CAD layout (rough first draft, of course) up on the blog for our proposal.

http://coinlaundryokc.com/2012/06/13...dry-cafe-plan/

[Larry OKC]

Serious question, since this is the Coin Laundry Cafe is it going to be retro styled...by that is it going to be like the buffeterias (a quick google search means I am prob not calling it the correct thing but that is what is stuck in my head right now) of days gone by where entrees, sandwiches, deserts etc would be in individual type compartments where you put in your coins and opened the windowed access door to get your stuff? But instead of the smaller vending machine style of today it was an entire wall, with customer access on one side and employee access to the compartments on the other for restocking. My mother talks about such a place at one of the big department stores that used to be downtown when she was growing up. I have seen them in old B&W movies, often in the "big city".