OK, here we go!  We have lots of things planned for the Grand opening happening Thursday, May 31st and wanted to be sure everyone knew the what, when and where of it all.  First, though, we wanted to talk about our friends at OK Foster Wishes.  Here is a bit about them from their site:

To care for orphans is one of the most pure of causes. These children were taken from their homes by no fault of their own and because of this everyone feels an obligation, drive or burden to care for the orphan in some way, which creates the question of HOW?

We believe that, although not everyone is called to foster or adopt a child from foster care, everyone feels the calling to serve the orphan. OK Foster Wishes shows people ways that they can get involved with a foster child without the commitment of becoming a foster family. Most people don’t know that there are many ways to help a child in foster care like tutoring, buying a gift, or just taking them to the zoo for the day.

Through an integrated group of servant leaders, we hope to engage the community to interact while supporting credible existing and newly forming organizations, we call Impact Partners, to take the first steps toward caring for the foster children state wide. Each year we work with our partners and OKDHS to fulfill Wishes for children in foster care. Explore the Impact Partners page to learn ways you can get involved!

Why are we telling you all of this?  Well, partly because we have gotten to see some of the cool things this group is doing for foster kids in Oklahoma.  The other part is that 10% of profits from May 31st will go directly to OK Foster Wishes.  If you haven’t had a chance to get familiar with this group, head on over to their site to learn more.

Ok, here is the schedule for our Grand Opening Party!

• 7:00a:  OPEN!
• Noon - 1:00p:  FREE Family and Kids show by Grammer Award Winning Sugar Free Allstars
• 6:00p: Live DJ
• 7:00p: Registration Closes for Iron Tamper Competition
• 8:00p: Iron Tamper Competition begins
• 8:00p: Thunder v Spurs on the TV
• Midnight: CLOSE!

Remember, 10% of profits go to OK Foster Wishes. We will also have $2 PBRs from 4:00p to close! We will also have Hourly Prize Drawings (Fill out a card and drop it in the jar.  You do not need to be present to win) throughout the day.

EVOKE is located at 103 South Broadway, DOWNTOWN Edmond (in case you haven’t had a chance to get here yet).

Thanks to everyone that has been coming in since we opened and for those that already call us “home” for coffee, beer and wine.  We hope you will tell your friends and come say hi again soon!

Need a place to watch as our OKC Thunder take it to whomever in this years NBA Playoffs?  We have you covered!  We will stay open late(r) each night to be sure that every minute of action can be enjoyed from the comfort of our of our bar stools or tables.  Heck, you can even plan on standing around in front of the screen if you want to.

If a latte, pour over or iced coffee doesn’t sound good, then sip on one of our 15 or so wines or great beers including:

• Happy Camper
• Java Stout
• Horney Toad
• Torpedo
• Washita Wheat

We only have 1 rule for when you come watch the games: BRING FRIEND(S)!  We have plenty of fun things to eat while you are here as well including our popular table side s’mores or shop made salsa with chips.

We hope to see you Tonight, Friday or Saturday (and hopefully long into the playoffs) for some Thunder Basketball and good times.

What else do we do? Check out our food and coffee menus online and also check out what coffee’s we have “on tap” each day.

“…take these five tables for example. Here they are, on my roof, minding their own business. But in a couple of days they will be flying through the post, on a truck, on their way to Oklahoma. Yes! They are going to live happy little table lives in a sweet cafe called Evoke, where people will use them everyday, spill coffee, snack, and chat over them…”

Man, love that!

Quick little update on the new shop for you!  We have been working our tails off to get this place going and we think it is finally paying off!  While we still have a few weeks to go, this building that was once a travel agency is now looking like a cafe..  our cafe.  EVOKE!

After weeks and weeks of working on things that are crazy stressful, we have finally been allowed to spend our time on the fun stuff - tables, interiors, design, etc…. While we are going to unveil this place in grand fashion, we thought we’d show you a glimpse of what’s to come.

As Jenni was exploring design blogs - she came across an artist from Brooklyn.  Her name is Ariele Alasko and her company is called Brooklyn to West.  Ariele takes old wood from buildings in her area and makes - well, art.

After looking through all of her stuff, we new we needed some of it at the shop. So, we had her build 5 tables that you can soon sit at while sipping your favorite drink!  The quote above came from her blog post about the tables - we can’t get enough of it!

And if you think these tables look cool, you should take a look at the other awesome stuff Ariele has!  We also love her cheeseboards and hopefully will have 1 or 2 of them at the shop in the future.

Now, quit peeking!  We’ll show the whole thing off to you in just a few weeks!

November 22nd, 2011.  It’s strange when your year is flying by yet hardly moving all at the same time.  Know the feeling?

We are now within 2 and a half weeks until we begin what I will call the second stage in making EVOKE’s mobile coffee options an “every day from our own shop” option. What many people do not realize is that this has been on our plates, publicly, since the beginning of 2005.  6 years ago we began dreaming of EVOKE and what it would look like, taste like and feel like.  2 and a half weeks and we will begin to see it all come to life!

Well, things are moving forward step by step with the all new EVOKE coming to Downtown Edmond, OK.  We have been working tirelessly on the stuff that is probably the most exciting for you: the menu, offerings, design and other “candy” type stuff.  We aren’t quite ready to release that part of it yet but we think we will be soon.

Meetings have also been happening with our designers - FoundryCollective  - and our new look is on it’s way! By the way, have you checked out Foundry’s new site and work?  So, we are going to be doing some cool things between now and opening so here is what to expect:

1. New eNews Letter - we are going to get things rolling on a new newsletter (“new newsletter” - that’s kinda hard to say / write) program.  You probably want to get on that as soon as we release it so that you don’t miss a certain “invitation” to be a part of the first ever party at EVOKE!  Keep reading for when that sign up is available for you.
2. Teaser Video - we are teaming up with our great friend Matt Lowery over at Lowery Media for a cool intro project.  It’ll be fun!
3. New Brand Release - soon, very soon!
4. Progress Photos - we’ll show you around via images as we make a huge mess and begin cleaning it all up!
5. Vision Posts - we are going to start sharing posts here on the blog about what to expect at EVOKE and to talk about some of the finer details.  These will come here and there so keep checking back.

That is about it for the time being.  We again are super excited to have the opportunity to be your daily stop for coffee on your way to work or when you are out with friends.  Don’t forget, EVOKE Catering is still here to take care of all your mobile coffee needs!

Have a great Thanksgiving and we will talk with you soon.