Tulsa's rapidly escalating cultural-residential-nightlife renaissance has been nothing short of fantastic the past couple of years...miraculous even. Restaurants, clubs, galleries, hipper-than-thou apartment lofts and a massive arena have sprung up, weed-like, in an area that was officially dead and forgotten less than a decade ago. (Isn't it amazing what a few forward-thinking people with money can accomplish?)
One important piece of the economic puzzle has yet to fall into place, though: retail options. Despite all the impressive renovations and new business development, downtown still isn't a destination for shoppers. Catch a rock show? Yep. Get some sushi? Check. Pay that overdue parking fine? You'd better. Browse for cool furniture? Um...better head south for that.
Enter Mary Beth Babcock. Her new 2,000 sq. ft. "lifestyle" emporium, Dwelling Spaces, is bucking the current retail trend in more ways than one. Not only is her location at 119 S. Detroit Ave. right in the middle of downtown's burgeoning Blue Dome District (her shop is adjoined to Tsunami Sushi), her product line simply defies easy classification.
Featuring everything from whimsical home décor, local art, and left-of-center furniture to glassware, greeting cards, skincare products and clothing (Dwelling Spaces is the only store in town carrying the popular Louis & Cluck "I Heart Tulsa" and "I'm Down with T-Town" shirts) the single unifying theme here is coolness...in a lighthearted way.
"I just want to provide a cool shopping environment for people who want cool stuff," she says. "I want people to feel comfortable here...to enjoy their experience, visually."
Babcock, who graduated from Bartlesville High School in 1990 and went on to get a degree in retail merchandising from Oklahoma State University, is no novice when it comes to retailing and promotion. After graduating from OSU, she spent time working for the corporate visual department at Neiman Marcus in Dallas, an eye-opening experience that helped hone her design sensibilities...and her ability to accept criticism.
"I got criticism from everyone at that job," says Babcock. "Everyone had an opinion. It helped my shell to become a little bit thick. I learned so much from it all...I got to go to market and see how the business works. It was a lot of exposure."
Citing an acute case of homesickness, Babcock eventually moved to Tulsa to be near her family and friends again. After a management stint at Banana Republic ("I admit it...I worked at the mall," she laughs guiltily), five years working for Aveda and a few months at Ihloff Salon, Babcock came to a career crossroad.
"I was 34," she says. "I realized I needed to figure out what I was going to do with my life. My goal had always been to have my own shop. I talked to my parents a lot about it--my dad's an accountant--and eventually got their support. At first they were a little sketchy, though...they weren't sure about the area."
As it turns out, her initial retail concept was quite a bit simpler. "I just wanted to open a gift store," says Babcock. "But that changed."
What brought about that change? A case of fortuitous timing...and an old college connection.
While attending OSU, Babcock had befriended fellow student Jack Allen...who would go on to open Dwelling Spaces, a furniture-only store in those days, at its original location at 36th & Peoria behind Charleston's. Babcock decided to drop by one day and visit Allen to ask his advice on how to open her own shop.
"He told me he was getting ready to close his shop down," says Babcock. "He's a realtor, he's got a family...two kids. I think it was just more than he wanted to deal with. So in the middle of the conversation he asked me if I wanted to go in together with him on Dwelling Spaces. I said 'Are you sure about this?'"
He was. After many months of hammering out details, Babcock agreed to buy the inventory and store fixtures from Allen and take over 90 percent of the business...which explains how Babcock's little gift store concept morphed into a lifestyle emporium. Allen remains as her 10 percent silent partner.
"He's being very cool about the whole thing," says Babcock of her new business colleague. "I don't think he ever imagined he'd ever have anything to do with "I Love Tulsa" T-shirts. He called me one night after our grand opening, though, and said 'I just want to tell you I'm proud of what you've done with the store.' That meant a lot to me."
Indeed, Dwelling Spaces inventory has expanded well beyond couches, coffee tables and beds these days...though those items are still a prevalent part of the store. Babcock says some of her hottest sellers these days are products from Alessi, an Italian line of fun-yet-functional flatware, pots and pans, and household items such as the Magic Bunny toothpick holder, Mr. Suicide bathtub plug, and Mr. Cold soap dispenser.
"Alessi is known for their stainless steel," says Babcock, "but they partner with different designers to come up with all these quirky household items. It's a pretty big deal for us...they're our top seller."
Over the years, Babcock's keen interest in design and merchandising led her to keep a mental checklist of product lines she would like to carry when she finally opened her own store one day. Not surprisingly, coolness played a huge role...
"We have a body care line we carry called Red Flower, they're out of New York," she says. "A friend had given me a Red Flower candle many years ago. The box was just cool. It came with a mini-book of matches, so I kept them. When I opened the store I decided to contact them about carrying their products."
Dwelling Spaces also stocks plenty of other cool gear...like stainless steel jewelry from Spexton (a Eureka Springs company that got its start in Tulsa); Tongue-In-Cheek, a line of knitted scarves and hats by Dallas-based seamstress Michelle Balis; Sailor Jerry tattoo T-shirts; Fat Boy bean bag furniture ("The modern bean bag chair," says Babcock); a variety of Lomography cameras; bracelets by Stephen Hartzler, a Dallas designer who makes wrist art from old street signs; and Ugly Dolls...fabulously weird-cute little stuffed plush creatures with eccentric names and personalities dutifully described on an attached card. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of these critters goes to tsunami relief in Asia.
Local artists are also well-represented on the walls and shelves at Dwelling Spaces. Glass pieces from Tulsa Gathering Place as well as art from Live for This, Halftone Photography, Zuri Louis of Field trip Studios, and Steve Cluck are prevalent throughout the store.
Cluck was the first local artist Babcock decided to carry. She discovered his large, vivid paintings while browsing Myspace.com.
"When I saw the colors in his work...that's what caught my eye," she says. "I immediately contacted him and asked if he would be interested in putting some of his work in my store."
This led to another unexpected boon for Babcock. Cluck had recently partnered up with friend/fellow artist Zuri Louis to start creating their Tulsa-themed T-shirt line. As soon as Babcock saw the designs, she knew they would be a perfect fit for Dwelling Spaces. She was right, of course, and the ever-increasing popularity of the shirts has kept her cash register ringing.
"I really like 'em...they're quirky but sincere," says Babcock. "People come down here just for those T-shirts, and then they see what else is going on at the store. I think with my location--downtown near all the entertainment places, the PAC, all the businesses--it's smart for me to carry something Tulsa-oriented."
Babcock says she enjoys supporting the Tulsa arts scene in her store when she can, though she admits she initially wasn't sure how much local product she would end up carrying. "As the ball rolls it just keeps getting bigger and more exciting," she says. "Of course, I'm more passionate when it's people I know. It's easier for me to sell stuff that I have a connection with."
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