Collinsville's Main Street has been calling my name for a long time. I've driven down it several times and eyeballed the stores as I drove by with little time to stop and really take a look. Shortly after I had my son, I made the trek there to visit a store they used to have that sold all Thomas the Tank Engine items. I loved it and thought to myself at that point that I needed to get back out to Collinsville to see what they had to offer. But nonetheless, I got busy and that didn't happen. When my daughter was five we went to a birthday party at Parties on Main, a quaint, fun little place to have a party with a variety of options available to fit the needs of the customer. My daughter particularly loved the bathtub full of brightly colored balls and I found it very difficult to drag her out of it. I would have loved to have stayed and browsed the shops that day, but by the end of the party, I had a cranky five year old on my hands so I headed home instead.
So, finally, two years later and after a couple of postponed trips, I found my way westbound on Highway 20 to Collinsville, bound and determined that rain, snow, sleet, or hail, with friends or family or alone, I was going to shop Collinsville. While I may have found myself alone that day, fortunately, it was nice and sunny even if there were a few lingering mounds of snow here and there.
Once I found myself in Collinsville, my first order of business was lunch. I originally had my sight set on El Jalapeno, a delicious little Mexican restaurant whose food my school has catered in on a couple of occasions. But as I entered the downtown area another little place, a bit past El Jalapeno on the opposite side of the road caught my eye: Poppa Dave's. When I pulled up in front of it, there was a sign out front that read "Where Good Friends and Good Food Meet." With a mantra like that, how could I resist. And I'm glad I didn't. Poppa Dave's is a spacious restaurant that cooks up some excellent Gulf food and comfort food and that has a warm air of hospitality that makes you feel like family.
After a warm, friendly visit with Poppa Dave and after filling my belly, I was ready to take on the Main Street of Collinsville. And I have to say I really like their Main Street. They're different than Claremore in that some of their store fronts are office space and studios, but they also offer some boutiques and antique stores as well as a couple of great gathering places.
My first stop, being the clothes horse that I am, was The Gypsy Rose Boutique (thegypsyroseboutique.com). I was already a little familiar with this women's boutique because I had several friends who have liked her Facebook page and so occasionally I'd see a post with a cute outfit in it. The store did not disappoint. She had a number of items to offer from trendy outfits to cool boots to statement-piece necklaces all in a location with a cool aesthetic. I found a beautiful shirt while I was shopping and have found my mind going back again and again since I left to a plaid jacket that I loved.
From the Gypsy Rose I made my way to Creme de la Creme Boutique. This boutique featured numerous vendors all with something unique to sell. The store had any number of items women and girls of any age could want. There were booths with beautiful boutique clothes and booths with home decor. One offered supplies and treats for our spoiled four-legged friends. Another had a huge rack cheerleading bows with a range of options for many of the schools in the surrounding areas. There were even delicious looking popcorn treats perfect for a sweet reward for someone special or even as a little snack while shopping.
Not too far down the road from Creme de la Creme was another lovely boutique called Callie's Cache. Callie's offered a wide range of options in clothing in a variety of sizes for a reasonable price. The store was nice and invitingly spread out to allow for an enjoyable experience browsing the racks for clothes.
For budget-minded shoppers, though, on the opposite side of the road was Burd Nest Consignment and Boutique. They offer consignment clothes for women, men, girls, and boys, and everything from sportswear to formals. It looked like a wonderful place to find a gently used prom dress that had only been to one or two proms.
As I made my way out of the Burd Nest, I had time for one last stop and I made my way back across the street to a little store that had caught my eye, Plum Craft Crazy (www.plumcraftcrazy.com). In the front of the shop are pieces of furniture that the owner's husband makes. In the back are several large farm tables that are used for crafting, and along the walls shelves stocked with crafting supplies. The owner, Sharene Smith, offers crafting classes as well as crafting time where people can pay $6 an hour and use her space and her supplies to craft their own creations. I love the concept of her venue and equally love the fact that she is offering a kids crafting camp over springbreak, because I am definitely going to be looking for some fun activities to keep my kids busy that week.
Alack and alas, the afternoons never last forever, but I felt I was able to cover a good portion of Collinsville's Main Street. Perhaps the one thing I didn't get to partake in as much as I would have liked is the food scene. While I love Poppa Dave's and will probably find myself there on many a weekend, I know Collinsville has quite a few restaurants worth visiting. The Silver Dollar has long been a staple of Collinsville, and on more than one occasion I have found myself wanting to try Scoops and Grinds. But since I can't always hit everything in one day, that's a good reason to follow me on Twitter, where I tweet my experiences at Main Street businesses between blogs.
All in all, I enjoyed my afternoon in Collinsville. I look forward to getting back there sooner than later. I think many of you would enjoy it, too. It has plenty to offer from antiques to clothes and jewelry to home decor to party venues to tasty restaurants and cafes. I hope you'll find a day to take it all in yourself.
As usual, before I close, let me take a moment to encourage you to support your local downtown businesses. They are bringing life back to our Main Streets and restoring storefronts that were long forgotten. They're bringing life back to the heart of towns. And, as wonderful as our downtown business owners are, don't forget that there's also another group of people working behind the scenes to revitalize our Main Streets, too; so be sure to support your local Main Street organization as well.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @TheGirlonMain.
