Road Trip: Weatherford, OK

My husband Mike and I decided on the spur of the moment to drive over to Weatherford last weekend. We were going to eat at the DOWNTOWN DINER, (580-774-1234; 123 W. Main) owned and operated by a hometown guy, Steve Ralston, who grew up at Fort Cobb. His younger sister Brenda was in my Girl Scout troop and his mother Marjorie, also was a good helper with Girl Scouts. (Actually, I have older stories than that. His grandfather Tom used to work for my dad, long before Steve was ever born, plus I have a lot of memories of his grandmother's beauty shop, but that's another story.) However, when we arrived in town, we discovered that Saturday is the diner's day to close early, at either 2 or 2:30. I can understand that, a lot of small towns in Oklahoma have realized they aren't all that busy on late Saturday afternoons and have taken to closing earlier. So, I will have to go into more detail about DOWNTOWN DINER on our next trip to Weatherford, since the last time I was there, I was eating, not taking notes. Let's just say there are a lot of "retro, down home country cooking" choices with great desserts. There is so much to pick from I had a hard time deciding, but was happy with my Kitty Chicken Salad and Key Lime Cake. I called the restaurant to get the hours so you wouldn't make the mistake I made. They are open from 6 am to 2 pm Tues, Wed, and Saturday. On Thursday and Friday, they're open from 6 to 8. Go, you'll be glad you did.

Eyewitness News 5 made Weatherford one  of their 2011 Helping Hands Road Trip visits today and I think they were planning to make Downtown Diner as one of their headquarters, I saw a list of the planned agendas the last time I ate there. (Unfortunately, I have lost track of time while I fell into cyber-land today and forgot to turn the station in time to catch the 5 pm news. However, by 6 p.m. they had moved on to another location. I'm sure they will have some links on their website about it as well.)

On our way to the Diner, we stopped at a new store I've been wanting to visit, JUNKPILE STYLE. It's owned and operated by Sheila Meyer. The location is at 1010 E. Main St., Weatherford. Her phone is 580-772-2272. Her e-mail is Sheilarickaz@msn.com.  I will post some pictures...just as soon as I figure out how to e-mail them to myself from my Blackberry so I can access them off my computer. (I don't think I've mentioned it, but my technological skills are about on par with turning on light-switches and operating a washer and dryer.) JUNKPILE STYLE's hours are Monday thru Saturday from 10 am to 5:30 pm.

We really enjoyed looking around at JUNKPILE STYLE.  Sheila has only been open since June, but her store already has a nice homey feel. She really has a nice eye for display arrangements and has found some  nice pieces. One piece I especially loved was a painted dining room table with wallpaper squares decopauged on top. If you have a dyed in the wool Bing Crosby fan in your life, she has a great picture you need to get them. She has old school maps, a Coke machine, and lots of re-purposed furniture.  She told me she enjoys repurposing stuff and redoing furniture. So if, you find yourself out on I-40 in Western Oklahoma, make a point to take the Weatherford exit and go exploring. I really need to go back to Weatherford when I can spend some more time and give you a list of other places to visit while you're there.

Oh, and since we couldn't eat at DOWNTOWN DINER, we had to force ourselves to eat at LUCILLE'S ROADHOUSE (lol), which is also another good place to eat. We both ordered the Chicken Fried Steak and therefore had to have a doggy carton to take home. We had enough food to eat 2 more meals afterward. I told Mike the next time we need to get one dinner with 2 plates and we would have had more room for the Blackberry pie.  Of course, if we hadn't had the Fried Pickle appetizer, we would have had more room. When you go to Weatherford, plan on spending enough time to eat lunch at the Diner and supper at the Roadhouse...or have an afternoon snack at the diner, they have homemade pies and cakes.

I broke one of my rules that day...I took my husband. He is junking-challenged and has a bit of a problem with it. However, he does enjoy a good meal, so he was able to still find some joy in the experience.  Although really, shouldn't my stimulating wit and conversation have been enough? I highly recommend you get out on the road and head to Weatherford some day. In addition to several antique/junk stores, there are also some museums, the Stafford Air and Space Museum (580-772-5871) and the Heartland Museum  (580-774-2212),  Plus, my mother likes it because they have a Super Wal-Mart and a Stage....something for everyone.

Although I don't have any pictures to add at this time, I did decide to upload Sheila's business card for JUNKYARD STYLE. I was quite taken with it, it's very eye-catching.

Please disregard the www.junkpilestyle.com address. Sheila says for now that she can be reached at the Sheilarickaz@msn.com and 580-772-2272.

Road Trip: Cordell and Clinton, OK

When I'm in the mood for a little nearby junking, I run over to Cordell and Clinton for the morning or afternoon. I wander the back roads till I get to Highway 152, going west. Cordell is only about 35 minutes from my house and Clinton is 16 miles from Cordell, so it makes an easy and convenient day trip. For those outside the Southwest Oklahoma area, Clinton is 84 miles west of Oklahoma City, just off I-40. To get to Cordell from Lawton, take US 62 west from Lawton for 26 miles and US 183 for 49 miles.

CORDELL has two 2 second hand stores, both in the down-town area.
J & D's BARGAINS is operated by J. and Debbie Banks. Their store is jam packed, just don't go expecting a lot of furniture choices because they have limited floor space and have invested heavily in the glassware and cookware type of collectables. If you need a lid for a specific Pyrex dish, need a pie plate, or want to acquire a set of cornflower blue pattern Corning Ware dishes - J & D's is your go-to place. We all have our stories of the "one that got away", and one of my most memorable lost pieces was a storage shelf for $5.00 @ J.&D.'s.  I was in a car that day and didn't have room for a rickety shelf.  About 2 days later when I was back home I realized how and where I could have used it and how to reinforce it. By the time I got back over there - it was gone, of course. J & D's is stocked from the floors to the ceiling with stuff and lots of it. There is a book and cookbook section, 50's and 60's kitsch, dishes, pans, cast iron cookware, tools, basically, you name it...they may have it. They have things I don't even know the names of.  Just don't go expecting furniture because they don't have a lot of space to store it. However, the day I was in there in late June there were probably a half dozen pieces of miscellaneous pieces of furniture.

JUDA THRIFT STORE is operated by a local church ministry and generates income for their food bank program. In many ways, it's a typical church thrift store. Every time I'm there, I see a half dozen customers, so they seem to stay busy. They seem to specialize in standard economical clothing. I found a great pair of black gingham Capri pants for $1.00. However, I don't usually shop the clothing. I think if you were looking for basic clothing to cut up for making rag rugs or crafts, this would be the place to go. They usually have some furniture to pick through, as well as kitchen stuff. I did notice that whoever did the most recent pricing had used a black magic marker and actually wrote prices on the outside of items. I don't know if it was the type of marker that would scrub off - so that could be quite the detriment depending on the item. This place is quite the grab bag of assorted items. I either find nothing...or several items of interest. The last time I was there, I found a heavy duty stainless cooker/strainer for $2.00 that fits down inside a stock pot and the complete collection of Beatrix Potter in one book that was in excellent condition. This is one of those places you really have to filter out the junk. Of course, they are beholden to their donations, which are often probably the leftovers from garage sales.

When I'm in Cordell, I also like to drop by THE TANGERINE DOOR@ 217 E. Main, 580-832-2786. It definitely isn't bargain shopping, but they do have neat and interesting merchandise. I can always find something to buy and put away for future gift giving or use for my own enjoyment.

When I drove on to CLINTON, it was with the plan to go to THE MULBERRY BUSH. However, when I drove by the store that had been their location, it was empty with a For Sale sign. Realizing it was Sonic Happy Hour, I went there to regroup. Aren't cell phones with data plans wonderful? I looked up yellowpages.com and found the current phone number for THE MULBERRY BUSH ANTIQUE MALL AND VINTAGE MARKET @ 604 Frisco Ave. When I called, I discovered that they had just been open at their new location for 3 weeks, after having been closed since October of 2010. (I had not realized how long it had been since I'd been able to run over to Clinton.) Their new location is great. It's 2-two floors of booths & vendors. The location is very interesting. Posts have been created out of tree trunks and there is an old time store's decorative display area on the 2nd floor. Cheryl Crane McCullers is the owner. She is open Mon. thru Sat from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. She also goes to Canton, TX. Her Facebook page is listed as The Mulberry Bush Vintage Market and she shows lots of current pictures of current stock. She also has a website at www.tmbgifts.com.

Down the street, also on Frisco Ave, you will find MEMORY LANE ANTIQUE MALL @ 624 Frisco Ave. Memory Lane has two store's worth of booths and NANA'S ANTIQUES AND GIFTS @ 706 Frisco Ave. Nana's has booth vendors also, and quite an assortment of colorful refinished furniture, that's different than anything I've seen elsewhere. Her rescued counter top with stools is a great place to rest while you're checking out at the register. Nana's is also on Facebook listed as Nana's Antiques-Gifts. 

New Okla. City Antique Stop

I ran to OKLA. CITY this week to take care of several things and discovered a place new to me that will join my "must visit" list in the future: The RED ROOSTER ANTIQUE MALL at 305 SW 89th Street. From the street it doesn't look like a very big place, but once I got in there, I realized it was huge with lots of vendors. Several were having pretty good sales. Booth 88 was having a 50% off sale (scored a large cardboard Coca Cola sign for my collection). One room had a $3 table. Found a couple of unique things. I found a neat Walt Disney collectable that I will have to take a picture of to show, mere words will not do it justice. I also loved the little picture display I bought that had a criss-crossed spoon and fork in the front.  If you are into retro clothing and shoes, they had the biggest selection I've seen in years. Anyone need a retro prom dress to display for their bedroom or sewing room? The owner was very friendly and helpful. This will definitely not be my last trip to this shop. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of the outside to help give you an idea what to look for if you decide to go there, but it was another one of our Oklahoma 100+ days and I think I was brain dead from the heat by that time.

After I left the RED ROOSTER I cut over to Shields Blvd to get cheap gas and cut through the down-town area so I could get over to BIG TRUCK TACOS at 530 NW 23rd Street. I had to order my favorite - the Flaming Lips tacos. Before the day was over I checked the sales at Joann's and Michaels. Found lots of useful stuff in the $1 sections at Michaels. It looks like it won't be long before the new Outlet Mall will be finished out on west I-40. I also got a new hair cut which looked amazing that day at the salon. Unfortunately, not so much now that I'm doing it myself. Unfortunately, while I was shopping I accidentally deleted my OKC memo on my Blackberry - so I lost lots of important info I will have to recreate. All because I thought I was deleting one word. There's lots to do and see in OKC, but that will have to be save for other days.