It’s the New Year, and with that comes New Year’s Resolutions, which often include learning a new skill or finishing that remodel that was started a while back.

While resolutions often come and go before the first month of the year is over, downtown Claremore offers the opportunity to get involved and cross some of those resolutions off your list.

Several businesses offer classes to help refurbish an old piece of furniture, improve your art skills or teach young ones how to bake.

Click “Read More” and scroll through some of the offered courses and see what might fit your goals for 2016.
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“Bring Your Own Piece” Chalk Paint Class
Who: Adult, all ages
What: Students learn to paint and wax their own pieces of furniture during the two hours of hands-on instruction.
When: Monday evenings, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Vintique Charm, 323 W. Will Rogers Blvd.
Why: To turn that old piece of furniture into a beautiful home creation
How Much: $125, but cost includes $90 worth of supplies (quart of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, can of wax, 2-inch flat brush)
Additional information: Students must sign up in advance due to class sizes. Call (918) 923-6222 or stop by to register!
Note: Vintique Charm also offers various DIY projects, including signs, orchard ladders and trays. Check their Facebook or visit their website for dates.

Kids Baking Class
Who: Children, ages 5+
What: Children will get the opportunity to bake from scratch and decorate two cookies or two cupcakes – one to eat on the spot and one to take home for later.
When: Saturdays, twice a month
Where: Caboose Bakery & Café, 522 W. Will Rogers Blvd.
Why: To learn a necessary and fun skill at a young age
How Much: $20 a class with discounts for repeat attendees
Additional Information: Children must be registered before the class to ensure enough supplies are provided. To sign up, stop by or call (918) 923-6556.

Adult Art Classes
Who: Adults, all ages
What: Mixed media painting on gallery wrapped canvas
When: Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.
Where: Studio B Artworks, 422 W. 4th St.
Why: To cultivate a new skill or improve your painting abilities.
How Much: $100 for six weekly 90-minute classes. All supplies are included.
Additional Information: To register, stop by from 1-6 p.m. Monday through Friday or call (918) 443-7278.
Note: Join Friday Night Painting on January 29 from 6:30-9 p.m. for Alabaster & Jade, a floral still-life created with palette knives. Regular Friday Night Painting classes are offered. Follow Studio B on Facebook for more details.

Children’s Art Class
Who: Classes offered for preschool (Mommy and Me), K-8th and homeschool
What: Various art classes tailored specifically for the age group, six weekly classes
When: Classes vary in time and day of the week depending on age
Where: Studio B Artworks, 422 W. 4th St.
Why: To give children that extra attention and boost of confidence when it comes to art
How Much: $65-75, depending on age
Additional Information: Follow Studio B on Facebook or call (918) 443-7278 for more details or to register a student.
Note: Studio B does birthday parties! Parties start at $150 for 10 painters. Private lessons are also offered for all ages.

Plaster Paint 101
Who: Adults, all ages
What: This course teaches the basics and fundamentals of using Plaster Paint and its products, including layering, distressing and using magic seal.
When: Feb. 9, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Willow Tree Mall, 409 W. Will Rogers Blvd.
Why: Enjoy a fun night out while learning some new techniques to revitalize old furniture
How Much: $25, all supplies included
Additional Information: Stop by or call (918) 404-9905 to reserve your space today. Also, join the Facebook event for details.

Kathy Glover walked into her new store in Tulsa on its opening day, full of the excitement and anxiety that goes along with starting a new business.

But the first day didn’t quite go as she had planned.

“I’ll never forget,” Kathy said. “I came downstairs, turned the TV on and there’s all this going on.”

It was Sept. 11, 2001.

While the whole country sat glued to the television, Kathy waited for her customers. It was one of the slowest days in her 14-year run as a store owner.

Fortunately, business picked up as life began to get back to normal after 9/11. Kathy, owner of Cozy Cottage at 514 W. Will Rogers Blvd., maintained her successful business in Tulsa until two years ago, when she moved the operations to downtown Claremore.

“And I love it. I wish I’d done it years ago,” she said. “I was nervous about moving the store because I had been in Tulsa 12 years, so when I moved here, it was like starting all over again … But it felt comfortable; it felt like a good move.”
​Kathy, who had moved her home to Claremore a year previous to the store’s move, jumped right into life in Claremore. She serves on the Committee for the Festival of Trees for Safenet and on the Decorations Committee for Rogers State University Foundation Auction, decorates the Belvidere Mansion each Christmas, is the President of the Downtown Merchant Group and serves on the Claremore Main Street, Inc., Board of Directors.

“I’m really excited about the direction that Main Street is going. I think a lot of good things are going to happen and are happening,” she said. “I just love the charm of downtown, the old buildings.”

The Cozy Cottage is an antique-style store that focuses on home décor pieces.

“It’s old and new,” Kathy said. “We try to find the usual and the unique. It’s kind of an eclectic mix.”

Kathy doesn’t have any vendors and finds all her pieces herself, which is something she said she enjoys in her business.

“I want to take a lot of them home,” she joked. “It’s a fun thing to do. The thrill of the hunt is fun, and then finding different and unique things.”

In addition to hunting for the top items to bring back to Claremore, Kathy likes the freedom her own store provides and the comradery she gets with her fellow merchants as well as her customers.

“I like being able to talk to people, to enjoy people. That’s one of the best things,” she said. “The friendship you acquire through the store.”

Brenda Reno had been into antiques, auctions, collectibles and decorating since she was young, something instilled in her by her father, who was her partner in crime at auctions and farm sales.

Nearing retirement from her corporate job, she found herself in a position to pursue a lifelong dream, and she jumped at it.

Brenda, owner of Sailor Antiques and Collectibles at 420 W. Will Rogers Blvd., was a dealer in the store previously at the location, Emerald Antiques.

“When life changes for the owner occurred, I was offered to purchase the business, which I was thrilled to do,” Brenda said.
​“My family was my support system. I was going to be leaving a corporate world as human resource manager and taking on this lifelong dream that I had to own my own antique store.”

Family also played a big part in naming the store. Brenda and her sisters had been hoping one of her kids or one of her nieces and nephews would name a daughter Sailor, but it never happened.

“When we started this business, we felt like it was our new baby, something we’d never done, a new adventure, so we started calling her Sailor,” Brenda said.

Brenda took over the store in February of 2013 and continued to work full-time in her corporate job for a year, pulling double duty and going seven days a week to manage both roles.

“It was a lot of work, but in the same instance, it was a lot of fun,” she said.

Brenda said two of her favorite things about her business are her customers and dealers, all of whom she considers friends. The other is hearing the stories from visitors who shopped at Wilson’s Hardware, the store that occupied the space for more than 80 years.

“It’s fun to be in such a historic building for Claremore natives,” she said. “They’ll come in, and they’ll just walk through and reminisce and tell you stories. It’s like they’re coming home when they come in.”

Brenda serves on the Claremore Main Street, Inc., Board of Directors because she said she wants to ensure the very best for downtown Claremore.

“I’m very passionate about things succeeding. I want to do really well, and I want everyone else to do really well, and I want it to be a destination to go to when people come to town.”

Follow Sailor Antiques and Collectibles on Facebook!

Watch Claremore’s past come alive and give your curiosity a scratch with a chance for a special peak at the historic upper-floors of five downtown Claremore buildings this weekend.

Claremore Main Street offers Tales from the Top tours during the annual Dickens on the Boulevard on Nov. 20-21.

The tour will guide guests through five buildings while costumed performers portray characters from Claremore’s past.

During the tour, you’ll get to meet a grandmother who’s heading west, watch a turn of the century city council meeting and maybe even stand face-to-face Oklahoma’s favorite son, Will Rogers.

​Then, grab a flashlight to explore the dimly-lit abandoned areas on your own.
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The entire tour, which begins promptly at 6 p.m. each night, is roughly an hour and a half, finishing up just in time to catch the Territorial Marshal and Tri-State Gunfighters’ re-enactment on Will Rogers Boulevard.

Tickets for Tales from the Top are $10. They are limited and can be purchased in advance at Claremore Main Street’s office at 419 W. Will Rogers Blvd.

Tales from the Top is part of Dickens on the Boulevard, hosted each year by Claremore Main Street, Inc., on the weekend before Thanksgiving. For more information, tap here.

The holidays start a little early in our downtown as the 19th annual Dickens on the Boulevard brings the 1800s alive in the heart of Claremore on Nov. 20 and 21.

The Victorian-themed Christmas festival is a town favorite and is free and open to the public. It begins at 6 p.m. each night.

“Dickens on the Boulevard is such a fun event for us to create for Claremore, and guests always seem to have a great time being propelled back in time for this annual Christmas kick-off,” said Denise Lawrence, chairwoman of the Dickens planning committee.
Fun for all ages, the festival features a Victorian stroll and dance, living windows, Territorial Marshal re-enactment and a salute by the Tri-State Gunfighters. Also, guests can enjoy live street entertainment, pictures with Santa Claus, an interactive live nativity, wagon rides to the Belvidere Mansion and Claremore History Museum and local author book signings.

Before each night is out, there will be a best-dressed Victorian costume contest and more than $400 in prize giveaways, referred to as ‘Dickens Dollars,’ to attendees who enter to win.

“As a store owner, I love this event each year,” said Chelsea Mize, owner of The Cranberry Merchant. “We are lucky enough to get to host Santa Claus, and I love to see the look on the kids’ faces when they see him. All in all, this is one of my favorite things we do in downtown Claremore!”

For those who want a peak at some of the historic upper-floors of the downtown buildings, ‘Tales from the Top’ will guide guests through five buildings while costumed performers portray characters from Claremore’s past.

“’Tales from the Top’ is a definite favorite among guests,” Lawrence said. “To get a chance to see the upper-floors as they look today but also get a glimpse of their history is a rare opportunity.”

Tickets for ‘Tales from the Top’ are $10. They are limited and can be purchased in advance at Claremore Main Street’s office at 419 W. Will Rogers Blvd.

Guests are encouraged to come hungry to Dickens on the Boulevard as delicious fare of stew, cornbread, hot dogs and kettle corn can be purchased. The stew and cornbread will be provided by Dot’s Café, a downtown staple. A full meal can be purchased in the 400 block of Will Rogers Boulevard for $7.

Dickens on the Boulevard is hosted each year by Claremore Main Street, Inc., on the weekend before Thanksgiving. For more information, tap here.
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​#DickensBlvd2015

Owning her own boutique had always been a pipe dream for Katrina Pope, a preschool teacher by day.

But through encouragement from her husband, Bobby, Katrina opened The Burlap Closet at 405 W. Will Rogers Blvd. in August of 2014.

“It was one of those ‘someday, I would like to if I could.’ My husband just pushed me into it. He said, ‘this is what you were born to do,’” she laughed. “Because I love shopping; I love putting outfits together, and I love helping people put outfits together.”

“So, after a few anxiety attacks … we got this place.”

Katrina said she knew she wanted her store to be downtown. So where does a school-teacher go to get advice on how to get in downtown?
She went straight to Chelsea Mize, owner of the Cranberry Merchant and Katrina’s child’s former teacher. Chelsea gave her a heads up on that 405 W. Will Rogers was opening up, and Katrina was sealing the deal that night.

“I love what downtown is turning out to be. I can see where it’s going,” she said. “Everyone is different. No one is the same … you get to show more of your personality, and it’s like a little community.”

Katrina, a mother of three, had little experience as a store owner. She was a loan officer prior to having children, stayed home with her littles one until they went off to school and then became a preschool teacher so her hours mirrored those of her children.

“It was a huge learning curve,” she said. “But I love this. My kids can come up here to help me …

It’s something that as they get older can be a family business.”

Her two girls are already talking about follow in their mother’s footsteps – They plan to open their own boutique during college – about seven years from now.

Follow Burlap Closet on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

In the summer of 2013, Amy Cannon was looking for a change in her life.

“I had done nonprofit fundraising for a long time … and was needing something different. We just began to pray about a door opening and The Willow Tree came available,” Amy explained. “Within two weeks, I quit my job and started running a business.”

“Everything I’ve done in my life has led to this place where I am now,” she said.

A year later, Amy needed to find a business partner to help with the store, and again, fate gave her exactly what she was looking for. Elementary school teacher Rhonda Cole, who had a booth in The Willow Tree, jumped at the opportunity. Cole retired from teaching to work full time in the store in May of this year.
“That’s how we met,” Rhonda said. “We found out a lot of things about us that are similar.”

The similarities go back to their childhoods. Both women grew up in southeastern Oklahoma, less than 30 miles from each other. They knew some of the same families and share a passion for what they do.

“It’s a small world,” Amy echoed. “It’s a plus that we’ve gelled so well together. If I have a weakness, Rhonda is usually strong in that area.”

“Oh, you mean like balancing a checkbook?” Rhonda joked.

While the two were mere acquaintances prior to the business partnership, they became fast friends. Watching them together at the store, the women laugh and joke as if they’ve known each other a lifetime instead of 15 months.

Rhonda and Amy describe the store as a “family affair” because their husbands and children can often be seen behind the cash register.

The mall, which touts itself as the “mall with it all,” houses about 70 vendors, including paint, dips, holiday decorations, clothing, antiques and household décor.

“We are a praying group. We prayed about everything,” Amy said. “We were putting a lot of faith in God … we felt like we were being led to do what we’ve done.”

“It is amazing how every detail has worked out for it to be perfect,” Rhonda said.

The Willow Tree is participating in the first Highway 20 Junk & Drive, which is a 45-mile junk sale including four communities – Skiatook, Collinsville, Claremore and Pryor. It began Oct. 22 and extends through Oct. 24. Hundreds of antiquers from across the tristate area are expected to make the trek down Highway 20 this inaugural year.

Visit Willow Tree on Facebook!

While each holding a full time job, Jeannie Smith and Richard Bowen spent two months tirelessly renovating 404 W. Will Rogers Blvd., now home to their store, The Grapevine.

“We wanted to make each individual booth creative in itself,” Jeannie said. “So every time we went to build one booth, we were specific to that one; ‘what can we do in this one that is different?’”

When they had a power surge, blowing out all their lights as well as their heater, they put on multiple layers and coats and continued to work through the setback. After two intense months of late-night renovations, the Grapevine opened in April of 2014.

Looking around the store, the owners’ effort and detail are apparent – from the paint colors that mimic the store’s name to the front counter made by hand.

The original plan was create a home for people to sell items they’ve created or repurposed, which was what Smith and Bowen like to do in their spare time.

“Then after a while, we just started expanding with different things coming in and making it more of a variety,” Jeannie said.

The Grapevine now supports 45 vendors, each bringing a different type of product, including jewelry, dry rubs, pet clothing, wood cutting boards, hand-sewn items and household decorations.

“I like to see the creativity … It’s amazing,” Jeannie said. “People are so creative and to see the uniqueness and the way each individual person can take something and see if different than somebody else.”

The crafty boutique is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Follow The Grapevine on Facebook!

Matt and Chelsea Mize were in the process of downsizing when opportunity didn’t just knock but rather pushed them through a number of doors that have led to the life they feel fortunate to now have.

“I love what I do. I feel very, truly blessed,” said Chelsea Mize, owner of the Cranberry Merchant, 417 W. Will Rogers Blvd. “We don’t know for how long or what reason, but we’re here.”

Intrigued by the building at 417 W. Will Rogers Blvd. on a drive one day, the Mizes stopped by the antique store and visited to the owners, Ken and Peggy Combs, and asked if they’d ever be willing to sell it. The Combs decline.

“They called us a week later and said they’d changed their mind,” Chelsea recalls.

From there, everything just began to fall into place. Each step of the way, the couple gave themselves an out but never needed to cash it in.

“Every expectation, every bar we set for ourselves, there was just an open door,” she said. “God was good and opened every door in front us.”

The Cranberry Merchant will celebrate its third birthday on New Year’s Day. Building from four dealers, the Mizes now house a total of 83 different vendors, bringing variety of great antique finds to the store.

Antiquing runs in Chelsea’s blood. Her grandmother owned an antique booth in downtown Claremore, which Chelsea took over when her grandmother passed away 10 years ago.

Not only was her grandmother an inspiration for the business, but also for the store’s name. When Chelsea was growing up, her grandmother used to say she was “busier than a cranberry merchant.” It was another thing that just fell right into place.

Follow The Cranberry Merchant on Facebook!

Sheila Giannelli never saw herself as a boutique owner but after earning a paralegal degree and spending 14 years as a homemaker, things fell into place and she opened Vintique Charm and Boutique, 321 W. Will Rogers.

“I just feel blessed. I’m very, very, very absolutely 199 percent thankful every day that I can do this,” Sheila said. “I never really thought this would happen for me … it just happened.”

“My whole life just changed when I opened the store, so I have a lot to be thankful for.”

Originally focused on chalk paint, the businesses grew to include handmade furniture pieces, refurbished items and clothing.

“We just wanted to carry one of everything if we could,” Sheila said. “I really want thing that are handmade and just things that catch the eye, things that are different. I’ve never wanted to carry what anybody else has.”

One of her favorite aspects of the store is the chalk paint classes, she said. Chalk paint, which celebrates its 25th anniversary today, has key benefits for remodeling projects, such as it can go over existing paint, gives a distressed look and coats evenly.

“That has probably been my biggest success,” she said. “I owe everything I have really to the paint.”

Sheila offers various classes, including a “Bring Your Own Piece,” which is $125 for about three hours, a can of paint and a couple painting essentials. She also teaches smaller, instructional classes for $75 and hosts Pinterest parties, which range from $25-$40.

She said she tries to host at least one class every other week in Claremore as well as at her Tulsa store. Follow Vintique Charm on Facebook for class details.

Sheila also does a lot of custom-made items, including T-shirts, signs and wine glasses. Vintique Charm opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.