Why Oklahoma City?

So, out of the many places we could go to start a new Cafe Evoke Catering, why choose Oklahoma City? There is a lot going on in the capital city of Oklahoma these days. The town is rebuilding and while it is not an Austin, TX or Nashville, TN - it is well on it's way. If you head downtown, you will find yourself in a community that is budding. The area is known as Bricktown and is where new trendy clubs, galleries, restaurants, and event centers are going in. You can check out their website and click the photo gallery page for images of life in Bricktown. I am not sure if this is the official site but it is way better than the one label offical. At Cafe Evoke, we have always dreamed of being on the edge - being one of those businesses that helps get the wheels turning in a community. One that can make an impact like I talked about yesterday. We fell that we are doing that in Bozeman - being a company owned by a young couple doing something that has not been done very many times before. We had a window in Bozeman to open our cafe and it has just not been able to get off the ground. The great thing about Oklahoma City is that this cafe could very well be opened in a time frame that we are happy with. Here are some things we are excited about: Young Coffee Community: Oklahoma City has a young coffee community. While there, I was able to find a handful of places that served coffee and only a few of those were worth anything. I don't think this is going to stay this way for long but the town is ready and waiting for quality coffee that Cafe Evoke and Cafe Evoke Catering can cater to. This is an interesting point because Tulsa, OK (about 100 miles from OKC) has a great coffee scene. It has just not made it to Oklahoma City - yet. Changing City Scene: I have said it before - this city is changing. Check out the new water taxi that moves on the Bricktown Canal. There are LEEDS Certified devolopements going in like Block 42 and much more. It seems that everytime I talk to someone from Oklahoma City, there is something new going on - NBA Basketball, huge concerts, arts, and other community events that are making this a city on the verge of something new. Deep Network: I am from Oklahoma. My network is deep in this city which can only help our efforts to get Cafe Evoke Catering up and going in the capacity we are looking for. We are hoping that by volume alone we will hit that monthly breakeven point to let us operate at least at cost. That is why we are going, however, in a few weeks. We are going to try and build a professional network that can help us make this decision. We will be catering events while we are there, meeting with wedding and event planners, and looking around the city. Location: Ok, hear me clearly. Mountains are our home. I have had a great time here and being in this part of the country is where I feel the most comfortable. But, we have big plans for Cafe Evoke Catering and being centrally located would probably help our future plans. We are also close to other big cities including Dallas and Fort Worth which could help. I am not so excited to be back in OK weather but that just comes with the territory. Most of our decision rides on how our trip goes after Thanksgiving. We do not know how people will take us, if they will want to hire us, and if it can be sustained. The good thing is that there is another coffee caterer in the city who keeps very busy. We are different enough that it will be fine for both of us but it gives us some hope. We still have quite a bit of work to do in order to make this decision and I am working daily on paperwork and planning for our future. We want to make an educated guess as to where to be. I will keep you updated. More about the Bozeman market in my next post. ...be bold Tagged: cafe evoke, coffee catering, coffee, espresso, oklahoma, bricktown, oklahoma city The Global Exchange Fair Trade Store is your Online Source for Socially Conscious Gifts