Last weekend I had the opportunity to go shop--and spend quite a few dollars more than I intended to--in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. With my mother as my trusty sidekick, we left Claremore about 9:30 Saturday morning and found our way up Highway 75 and over to Bartlesville's downtown district--and that's really what you're shopping in Bartlesville. It isn't just one street, but a conglomeration of streets within about a two block radius with a number of delightful boutiques.
After driving down Johnstone, Dewey, and Frank Phillips streets to figure out the lay of the land, we parked at Dewey and Frank Phillips and began our shopping excursion--and my spending foray--at The Cottage Door and Curbside Closet. These two boutiques are housed within the same space. Curbside Closet, on the left, is a ladies boutique with great upscale clothes--and some pretty good sales racks to boot. There were a couple of shirts, a fringe number and a sequin with an art deco sort of motif number (in the picture below) that may not have made it into my bag, but have definitely made it onto my Christmas list. On the right side of the space is The Cottage Door which contains everything from baby clothes and gifts to women's clothes (including a totally adorbs dress that I wore for Thanksgiving and got a number of compliments on) to a touch of home décor.
With purchases in hand, my mom and I headed toward Frank Phillips Boulevard and Lubella's Boutique. A spacious little shop, Lubella's carries a great line of women's clothes as well as Rustic Cuff--one more item off my daughter's list, now. It even had some really cute dresses for all the OU and OSU fans out there. Just down from Lubella's is a home décor store called the French Nest. Walking through the door was like walking into a crystalized winter wonderland. Every nook and cranny in the front of the store was filled with Christmas figurines, ornaments, floral arrangements, serving pieces, jewelry, candles, and more. The back room housed a clearance space, flowers, and a shelf full of the every popular Annie Sloan chalk paints. It was a delightful store that I could have taken turn after turn through, and that definitely put me in the Christmas spirit.
After leaving the French Nest, we decided it was time to have some lunch. Just down the road was the ever popular Hideaway Pizza, which I am always game for, but wanting something I couldn't necessarily get in Tulsa, we continued on down Frank Phillips Boulevard to the Painted Horse Bar and Grille. I was in love from the moment we walked in the door. A spacious affair with a massive bar in the center and seating both downstairs and upstairs, it had the perfect ambiance for hanging out with family or friends while enjoying a great meal. And a sucker for quirky, creative names, I fell even more in love when I saw the menu. With names for burgers like Fungus aMungus and Cheesus! (take the wheel) and for their Mac and Cheese like The Cluck and Squeal Mac (my meal of choice for the day) and Inner Out House, who wouldn't fall in love. Of course, it helped that the food was just as great as everything else about the place. I can't wait to go back and try the Drunken Mushroom.
With full bellies and doggie bags, we made our way to the first of our last two stops, Sweet P's. Another home décor and more store, Sweet P's sung Christmas from the moment we walked in the door. It is the perfect store to shop this time of year for some Christmas rejuvenation. Greeted by Santas and nutcrackers, we browsed the shelves picking up perfect little items for gifts. Sweet P's had many things to offer from ornaments to figurines and dolls to beauty care to kitchen gifts and gadgets to cards. And about midway through the store, there was a walkway into the other side of the store, which housed a consignment area. Spaciously laid out and decorated, it seemed as much boutique as consignment. There were about three big ticket items in there that I would have loved to have had if I had the room in my home for them--well, okay, I don't think the gazebo was for sale, and it would have been at the top of my list.
Our last stop of the day was around the corner from Sweet P's, a little toy store called Kidz Korner. This was a quaint little store with amazing stuffed pets that would wow the children on any list and selection of preschool products by the likes of Melissa and Doug. While not overly large, the store had a quaintness to it that makes it worth stopping in.
All in all, my mom and I found the downtown district of Bartlesville a lovely place to spend a Saturday. While it is certainly still in the process of being revitalized, there are plenty of stores that are already breathing life back into this district and that have done a wonderful job at restoring these quaint store fronts. So, if your holiday gift list has you seeking items that the mall just won't deliver, get away from the grind, shop small, and try Bartlesville. You may just discover why they say they "Love the Ville."
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