Story by The Claremore Daily Progress, Staff Reports

It was a year of growth and transition for Claremore Main Street. 
On request of Claremore City Council, Main Street Executive Director Jacob Garrison provided a look back at the successes of the program in the last year.

First, he noted, that the organization is funded largely through partnership drives. In the 2016-2017 year the drive brought in $22,495.00 and in the 2017-2018 year it brought in $20,379. The following year, 2018-2019 it raised $16,795.

In the 2019-2020 year, when Garrison began, it doubled to reach $30,168 and in 2020-2021 it hit $40,029.

“I was worried because many of our events serve as fundraisers, which were impacted by COVID,” said Garrison. “But this is an increase of about $10,000 that’s going to stay in our downtown, go to our businesses through grants through the organization.”

In the past year Garrison said they welcomed 6 to 10 new businesses to downtown.

“We’ve also had a façade grant expansion, previously we could give up to $2,000 to businesses who wanted to upgrade their façade and we’ve doubled that to $4,000,” he said, adding that additional, new micro-grants are in the works.

“We’ve worked with CIEDA on a building database to be able to know who owns the buildings, what they’re looking for in terms of tenants, what buildings might be coming available for purchase or rent,” Garrison said. “All of which is helpful to know at a glance for development purposes.”

He said the color-coded, detailed downtown map was another success this year.

“It was a seemingly small thing but we incorporated the map in several ways to help promote businesses downtown,” he said. “We also completed the map kiosk. This was something we worked really hard to get completed. There’s new landscaping, rock, benches, a large map kiosk that shows where businesses are. We took a corner with no aesthetic offering and we took it over.”

Another project saw the windows of Ann’s Cleaner’s wrapped with historic Claremore photos.

“Again, this was a relatively simple thing that added a lot of impact,” Garrison said. “The military banners were also a hit.”

Towards the end of the year Claremore Main Street announced the completion of a project that was more than a year in the making—Christmas lights lining each downtown building.

“Main Street’s purpose is to bring people downtown so we want to be very strategic about that,” Garrison said.

That said, Garrison said two new events were added to the programming this year: Paint the Town and Corporate Olympics.

Paint the Town partnered downtown merchants with RSU student organizations for a window decorating contest during RSU homecoming week, with paint provided by Spectrum.

“We named a winner during the halftime game,” said Garrison. “We wanted to bridge that RSU/Downtown gap and we’ve seen more involvement from them since. Also, Corporate Olympics started this year and will be every spring. We had nine different participants and will grow every year.”
In 2020, Claremore Main Street added a new employee to the team, rolled out new branding, and moved into a new office space.

Garrison also shared what they are looking to accomplish in 2021.

“We are in communication with Cherokee Nation about a mural downtown, along Main Street Tavern. I think that will be a great visual,” he said.

Garrison said partnerships with CIEDA and the city of Claremore will continue to be vital.

“We are working on a vision plan for the next year,” Garrison said. “We don’t want anything to be dusty, on the shelf, or out of date for 10 years. We want a vision plan that doesn’t just sit on a shelf but that guides the ways we can continue to show our value and benefit our main street and city.
”

Garrison said other goals for 2021 include: 
*Secure long-term funding for staffing
, continued focus on community partnerships, evolving their 4-point approach
 and increasing their web and app presence.

Executive Director Jacob Garrison and Executive Assistant Shiloh Johnson stand outside the new offices of Claremore Main Street.
Chelsea Weeks / Progress photo 

Story by The Claremore Daily Progress, Chelsea Weeks/ News Editor

Claremore Main Street’s downtown footprint grew in an effort to match its ambitions when the organization moved into its new offices Monday.

The office, located at 412 W. Will Rogers Blvd., is 1,100 square feet. Main Street occupied office space — about 100 square feet — in the Claremore Chamber of Commerce building.

“This space is going to be great for the next few stages of growth that our organization can have,” Executive Director Jacob Garrison said.

Garrison said the most important aspect of the new building is having a visual footprint downtown.

The process of looking for a new building began in November after the board hired Shiloh Johnson as Executive Assistant.

“At that point, growing to a second employee, we began looking at those long-term goals of where we would like this organization to go,” Garrison said. “This has always been a vision of mine to see our organization have our own location and have the need for it — have the need for staffing and space.”

Garrison said he knew the new office space would become available soon and by Dec. 1 they had started renovation.

“It’s going to consolidate so many things and simplify so many things that will make the sufficiency of our organization a lot better,” he said.

The building offers a storage room in back, kitchen area, two offices, a board room and a reception area.

Garrison said they went from an empty building to a functional office in one month.

“It was very humbling to see how many people wanted to pitch in,” he said. “The time frame and cost that it would take to do this would be much larger than what we would be able to to.”

Whether it was financial contributions or time and talent, Garrison said the contributions of many is what helped make this happen in a short amount of time.

“We’re in here and we’re excited,” he said.

Garrison said a few of the contributors include Tim Nichols with Capital Roofing, Gaylord Construction, Lyon Construction, CRV Demo and Roll Offs, Charlie Brown Electric, Spectrum Paint and Bob Hawkins.

“These people are so excited to help us and it makes us excited to go forward with what we’re doing,” he said.

With the new space, Garrison said he’s able to focus on the longterm goals of the organization.

“This has and will expedite the growth of our organization,” he said.

Garrison said there is not a vacancy problem downtown because people want to get in. Looking forward, Garrison said they’re not focusing on if they can fill the buildings but what types of businesses they’d like to see downtown.

Garrison said they will be working with Claremore Collective to create think tanks and see that what the citizens of Claremore want to see within their downtown and community.

We would like to announce and recognize our 2021 Claremore Main Street Partners! Main Street relies on the support provided by businesses, organizations, and community members alike to improve downtown Claremore and make things happen. We couldn’t put on events, support our small businesses, or maintain Historic downtown without you. Thank you, each and every one of you, for supporting our organization!

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself, and your family:

We are a large Marine corps veteran family with myself, my husband, 5 children, and 3 fur babies. The kiddos are 6, 9, 11, 12, and our oldest would have been 16. (Lost her due to a seizure disorder a few years ago). I was born in Oklahoma, lived here most of my life, graduated from Mannford HS. My dad has lived in OK all of his life. My husband and I met in NC where he was stationed at Camp Lejeune. We got married, I adopted his older daughter, he adopted my three, and another little girl lives in NC with her mom, and have a beautiful blessed blended family. We moved back here to OK 2 and a half years ago, and love living in Claremore.

2. What is From Halos To Tiptoes?

I started From Halos To Tiptoes because I had two little baby girls and loved frilly cute things, but when they were little, I became a sing mom of three, and could not really afford to buy them, so I started making them myself. I am self taught on all that I do. I started out making bows and tutus, people saw some things that I had made for them, and went from there. As I grew little by little, I knew I wanted to make all kinds of stuff girly, cute and sassy from head to toe, sparkles and fluff and all of that, but I am from Oklahoma, so I have always had a little bit of country in my designs. (Hence the boots and hat 😊.) I added the halo to honor our sweet daughter, and that is how the name came about.
After many years of making and selling little bits of what I loved, and not always being successful, I spent a lot of time trying to decide how I could help other crafters who struggled like I have. Now, I have this great little store to do just that! I sell a variety in my store. We have craft vinyl, blank shirts, ribbon, tulle, and other things that are tools for people who make. I also offer classes, tutorials, and workshops to help my makers develop their craft. I also sell things that are already made, and have a few vendors that sell their already made goods for those who don’t craft. One of my most important services in my store, is CUSTOMIZATION. I want people to get things just the way they like. I can put names, monograms and so much more on just about anything. I can create custom designs for anything. I also have printable calendars and planners on my site, and sell SVG’s as well.

3. Tell us a little bit about the response to your new business since it has been announced.

People have certainly taken an interest, I get a lot of compliments on the store and things that I’ve made. I have found that there are a lot of people who don’t know what we do, or what we offer, so I am trying to get the word out about that. Of course with covid, it is a little slow going, but we are trying to grow our online options as well for those who don’t feel comfortable coming in yet.

4. What about downtown Claremore made you want to open your business here?

It was a very spontaneous decision that we just kind of felt lead to make. We love the feel and the atmosphere here. When we saw the shop was available, we decided that we really wanted to be a part of this. Reaching out community is important to us. Between all of us, we have a few different disabilities, such as autism, deaf and hard of hearing, EDS, and a few other things, so we are excited about having this platform to reach and support other people with what we do. We will be having events that will be focused on supporting some of these foundations.

5. What else would you like for the community to know about From Halos To Tiptoes?

We are very excited to be a part of Claremore! I am looking forward to getting to know more of the people here, and providing both products that people can enjoy, and tools and services that other makers can use to thrive in their own venture! I love to teach, and I also love to learn!

From Halos To Tiptoes is locate at 404 W. Will Rogers Blvd, in Downtown Claremore.

Due to the recent surge in COVID numbers in area, Main Street has made changes to this year’s 25th Annual Dickens on the Boulevard, Sponsored by RCB Bank.

Tales From The Top and the street dance will not be held this year. Additionally, to keep both Santa and the children at safe distance, Santa will be sitting inside the window of Fortna CPA. People will be able to go visit him there to snap their own photos.

Reminder, we will kick off the first night at 6:00pm with the lighting of our new downtown lights, made possible through the generous contributions from GRDA and The City of Claremore Power and Light. We will have plenty of great activities still going on, we look forward to having everyone out for the biggest event of the year!

CLAREMORE – The air is getting cooler and soon Santas, snowmen and holly will be popping up everywhere. The onset of the holiday season in Claremore brings a historic flair as Dickens on the Boulevard hits the streets of downtown Claremore for the 25th year.

The Victorian-themed Christmas festival in the heart of downtown has been the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season for decades and comes back to Claremore on November 20^th and 21^st. Donning historic attire, the streets of downtown are flooded with shoppers enjoying the crisp winter air, holiday music and historic re-enactors.

“This event has always been a favorite, and to be able to celebrate its 25^th anniversary makes this year’s event extra special for us” said Jacob Garrison, Claremore Main Street Executive Director. “We are excited to kick off the Christmas season in Downtown Claremore.”

To mark this special anniversary, an exciting new addition will be unveiled on Friday night. Thanks to the generosity of Grand River Damn Authority, along with the partnership with The City of Claremore Power & Light department, Claremore Main Street will be unveiling new, all-season lights that will light up the rooflines of the buildings along Main Street. These lights will be lit up year-round, adding to the beauty of Historic Downtown Claremore.

“We are so excited to see our new lights turned on during the first night of Dickens.” Garrison said. “GRDA, and the City of Claremore, are great partners of our organization. Their generous contribution to this project will be enjoyed for many years to come. I could not think of a better way to show off our new addition than at this year’s 25^th Dickens on the Boulevard.”

Visitors will be greeted by actors in a “living window,” street urchins and even a chuckwagon feast to fill the three blocks of the historic downtown. Take a carriage ride through our downtown and stop for a drink of sarsaparilla at our saloon, – Wantland Public House — and a chance to play cards with the Territorial Marshals gives guests even more of that Victorian spirit.

Gearing up for Christmas, Santa Claus himself will be on site at 320 on Main for photos for $5, and just across the street will be a living nativity by Shepherd’s Cross.

A free Kids Zone will be available both nights, sponsored by Cedar Point Church.

Saturday only, Dickens on the Boulevard will feature a Dickens of a Cook-off Chili Cooking Contest. Participating businesses, nonprofits and individuals will begin in the afternoon and cook through 6 p.m., at which time public tasting will open. A limited number of tasting kits will be sold starting at 5:30 p.m. for $5 while supplies last.

Stores stay open during the event. Shoppers can qualify for the Dickens Dollars drawing by visiting each of the participating stores and asking for their complimentary ticket. Additional tickets may be available with purchases.

Dickens Dollars are gift certificates that spend like cash at participating stores. There are multiple drawings each night. Winners receive Dickens Dollars, which are good to spend through Christmas Eve.

The Schedule
At 6:15 p.m. both nights, the stage entertainment will kick off with live music from Jerry Pringle.

Follow the stage entertainment, the annual shootout will take place at 7:45 p.m. by the Territorial Marshals.

Each year, the event features a Victorian costume contest with categories for different ages and genders as well as for the best dressed couple. Those interested in entering can visit Bike About Bicycles between 5:30-8:00p.m. each night to check in with the judges.

Following the costume awards presentation is the festival’s nightcap – the Victorian Stroll and Street Dance. The stroll is the perfect opportunity for young and old to get together on the street and enjoy the old-fashioned entertainment. A caller will explain each dance, so community members of any experience level can take part.

Special Tours

The Tales from the Top will be back this year as well. It is a ticketed tour that takes guests through the upper floors of five downtown Claremore buildings. A short play will take place in each one, and guests may have an opportunity to poke around the 100-year-old buildings.

The tour begins at 6 p.m. and lasts about an hour. Tickets are $12 and are limited. They can be purchased beginning on November 2nd at the Claremore Main Street office, 419 W. Will Rogers Blvd.

For historic buffs, Claremore Main Street also offers a daytime Historic Walk through downtown on Saturday afternoon. The approximately three-quarter mile walk takes guests from the Will Rogers Hotel to the Belvidere Mansion while relaying aspects of Claremore’s history and telling stories that most Claremore residents don’t know.

Tickets for the Historic Walk are $8, are limited and will be on sale at the Main Street office November 2nd. The tour will be at 1 p.m. November 21st.

Dickens on the Boulevard is hosted by Claremore Main Street and sponsored by RCB Bank. The event is also presented by the Grand River Damn Authority, and the City of Claremore Power & Light.

For more information, visit downtownclaremore.org or call 918-341-5881.