NEVER WONDER TO DO

March 20, 2012 at 9:03 pm · Filed under antiques, Art, Art Gallery, BED & BREAKFAST, Central Oklahoma, chick trips, Guthrie, Interstate 35, jewelry, Oklahoma, Simply Oklahoma, Susen Foster, travel and tagged: antiques, Art Gallery, arts, BED & BREAKFAST, chick trips, FRIENDS, getaways, Guthrie, Interstate 35, lodging, Pauls Valley, Pecan Cottage, Planet Earth Jewelry, Simply Oklahoma, Susen Foster, travel

When you stay at Pecan Cottage you can sit around enjoying the semi-solitude or you can wander all over Central Oklahoma and find adventures in town or an hour away.

Guthrie is an hour away – but plan on staying a few hours. Here’s one reason why.

A Special Duo & Their Dream for Guthrie
By Susen Foster

As the economy began shrinking a few years ago, so did checkbook balances. Business owners renting office spaces found themselves needing to save a few dollars by moving their offices to their homes; thus leaving many empty spaces within what were once thriving business communities. As the exodus to home offices was going on, building owners also had to get creative and look for solutions.

Randy Robison and wife Carie are two of the lemonade making type of folk. They discovered that what some might consider a depressing dilemma was in fact an opportunity to do something they had wanted to do for a long time.

A joint dream of this couple had been to share with the general public, the wealth of arts and crafts created by Oklahoma residents. Their beautiful two-story historic brick building at 108 S. Division in Guthrie was one of those left awkwardly emptied. But they remembered their dream and decided the time was ripe to build a showcase for Oklahoma artists.

Though both had fulltime careers, they put all their spare time into renovating the 12,000 square feet building and contacting artists and artisans they knew and admired. The concept caught on like wildfire and soon word of mouth brought many, many works of art for them to look at. Then they began an artistic endeavor of their own; hanging and displaying the various artwork of all mediums in a manner pleasing to the eye. And in time their dream became a reality.

In 2008, Simply Oklahoma opened its doors and now several thousand works of art by over 150 artists are on display for all to see. From pottery to mosaics, oils and acrylics to watercolors, natural stone jewelry to hand-carved items filled the space upstairs and down; so much so that soon the Robisons determined the downstairs should be a taste of the fine art collections upstairs as well as home for the broad collection of handcrafted merchandise; thus began The General Store while the upstairs became known as The Gallery.

The concept of promoting only products and art from the hearts and hands of everyday people in a static environment was unique; and the Guthrie, Oklahoma location a perfect spot since the town had long developed a healthy reputation as a tourism destination.

Though some of the artists are well known and their art recognizable, the majority of artwork and crafts come from people who produced as a hobby, not a business. With the economy still on a slippery slope, the opportunity offered by Randy and Carie Robison was well met by these people. In addition, having their heartwork on display was validation and encouragement especially when a visitor found something they loved and took it home.

Whether the thousands of visitors who enter Simply Oklahoma’s portals since their opening are from far away or just down the street, they more often than not find at least one or two items they cannot live without and there begins another legacy the Robison’s hoped to see blossom.

For a virtual visit see www.soartgallery.com. For event information call 405/260-1558 and to see the dream in action come to 108 So. Division in Guthrie, OK.

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