The Farmers Market District of OKC may be nearly 100 but it is full of new life with unique retail and restaurant businesses

The Farmers Public Market of Oklahoma City, built by John J. Harden, opened on June 16, 1928 and was originally created to help solve a conflict between farmers and the OKC business community. Before it was built, farmers traveled from around the state to bring produce and goods to sell on the streets of Oklahoma City, causing traffic problems and congestion in the downtown area. The Farmers Public Market building offered them a spot to sell their goods without troubling other businesses and city residents. It also created opportunities to host concerts, dances, boxing matches, roller-skating, and multiple other events on the market’s second floor, where the largest hardwood floor in the state is located.

Today, Chamber member the Farmers Public Market is a popular event destination for celebrations and wedding receptions, but it is also home to an antique mall, a weekly farmers market, and serves as the district’s foundation for a thriving group of unique retail and restaurant businesses. This area of town is for foodies, tasteful shoppers, gardeners, leather fans, and artsy-souls. There is something for everyone in the Farmers Market District. Locally-owned grocery store Urban Agrarian offers fresh produce and tasty prepared foods. Voight Knives makes unique and handcrafted chef, folding, and hunting knives. Loaded Bowl serves up comforting and nutritious vegetarian and vegan cuisine. You could spend a weekend enjoying the district’s offerings and leave the area with a happy stomach, full shopping bags, and a sense of pride for what this community has created for our city.

Local grocery store Urban Agrarian

Few realize the Farmers Market district is one of OKC’s largest districts. It is located on the southwestern edge of downtown, running east to west from Pennsylvania to Shartel and north to south from Oklahoma Boulevard to Interstate I-40. When you turn onto 2nd street in the heart of the district, you won’t miss the first two businesses near Klein Avenue, Trade Supply Co. and Palo Santo.

Trade Supply Co. began as a pop-up shop in the lobby of an empty office space on Broadway in downtown Oklahoma City in 2013. With the success of the popup, they opened their first permanent brick-and-mortar location in the Midtown District. They resided in Midtown for six years before moving to their current store, which has three times the square footage of their previous space. It officially opened to in-store shopping in April 2021 and not only has room for a sales floor, it also has room in the back for manufacturing products. 

Trade Supply Co. started their business production in apothecary goods and eventually added leather creations and apparel to their list of retail items. The store’s layout is as intentionally curated as the products within. Each clothing item is neatly spaced on the rack, and the arrangements of products on each shelf are aesthetically satisfying, marked by neat clusters of items. Stepping into the space provides visitors an opportunity to enjoy the smell of freshly sewn leather and perfectly mixed colognes, lotions, and soaps. 

Not only is it a pleasant place to be, but the business also pays it forward through donating a portion of all of their sales to support suicide prevention for veterans. A majority of their donations serve the nonprofit Warriors Heart. Trade Supply Co.’s owner, Daniel McCloud, is a Navy veteran and understands the difficulty in making a transition back after service. He seeks to support veterans and provide relief in multiple ways. In addition to giving a portion of the proceeds of his sales to organizations that support veteran mental health and suicide prevention, all of his employees are either veterans or Oklahoma natives. McCloud is incredibly thoughtful in ensuring his retail store is a space where people feel welcomed and safe, whether they plan on making a purchase or just need a good chat.

McCloud inside Trade Supply Co. holding one of the handstitched leather journals sold in the store.

One of the most popular items sold in the shop are leather journal covers, hand stitched by veterans. The leather comes from the well-known and long-standing tannery, Wickett and Craig, which has been making superior quality vegetable-tanned leather since 1867. The journal covers provide a sense of calm for healing veterans as they work to methodically create each stitch. They also serve as a reminder that journaling provides a way to freely share and unpack tough thoughts and feelings where no one else can see or judge. 

Another cool aspect of Trade Supply Co.’s products is the collaboration McCloud has formed with local breweries. In making the apothecary line, he uses spent hops from local breweries like Vanessa House and Anthem Brewing. The upcycled hops contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that can provide health and skin benefits to the soaps, lotions, and other topical products.

About fifty percent of Trade Supply Co.’s product sales come through custom order items and the remainder is from pre-made items bought in store or online. The most popular custom item right now are hats with customizable leather decals. Just next door at Palo Santo, you can see these hats being put to good use by the cocktail bar’s staff.

After moving to the Farmers Market district, McCloud became fast friends with his retail neighbors, Bailey and Brian Butler. The Butlers are the brains, might, and brilliance behind the edgy and fresh cocktail bar and kitchen, Palo Santo. 

Bailey and Brian met in California and lived in Venice Beach for the beginning of their relationship before they chose to move to Oklahoma to be closer to Bailey’s parents. “We had been visiting on holidays and seeing the city and the growth here was impressive. It’s a lot more affordable to open a bar here in Oklahoma City than it is in LA and my parents really wanted us back here,” said Bailey. 

Bailey and Brian Butler in their cocktail bar and kitchen, Palo Santo.

When they decided to open Palo Santo, they wanted to create something a little different than anything else Oklahoma City had to offer. In designing and preparing the physical space, they wanted to bring some of the California feel, while honoring local colors and materials of Oklahoma. 

Brian and Bailey’s dad, Tony, worked together to make the tables, booths, bars, and most all wood and metal furniture and decorative items in the building. Tony’s expertise in metalworking from his role as a horse farrier, along with Brian’s creative and positive approach in making the space their own facilitated a distinctive finished look. Talented is an understatement in describing their work. “We care about this place. It’s our home,” shared Brian.  

In terms of promotion for the cocktail bar and kitchen, Bailey said it’s all been word of mouth. After opening in March of 2020, three days before the shutdown, the first phase of their cocktail bar’s life presented multiple challenging barriers. As things began opening up, people started taking notice of Palo Santo and the Butlers quickly moved from being the sole employees to hiring several staff members and creating a team of 15. 

The cocktail and kitchen menu at Palo Santo is routinely updated. Bailey shared that the cocktail menu keeps growing. She likes to add a new drink when she feels bored, but all of the cocktails are so popular, it’s hard to take any off the menu. They make all of their syrups in-house, serve the drinks in a variety of glasses, and have striking garnishes for each cocktail. 

Upon being seated, a dish of popcorn is brought to each table. The snack is popped with coconut oil and topped with a slightly hot seven-spice blend called togarashi. Munching as you sip should not stop at the popcorn though. The food items served at Palo Santo range from dressed-up BLT sandwiches and burgers to Korean-inspired chicken wings topped with honey sesame gochujang and scallions. Vegans will find something on the menu as well with the black bean tostada dish served with pepita pesto, corn crema, onion, cilantro and habanero sauce. 

“Can I give you a lesson? Everything on the menu is good. I have probably eaten more wings from here than anyone in the city. You want a sandwich that’s ten times better than anywhere else? Eat Brian’s!” said McCloud, enthusiastically.

McCloud is a true fan of the Butlers’ business and vice-versa. They share a lot of customers and their relationship serves as just one example of how the district’s business owners work together to support each other’s success and growth. 

With Father’s Day just around the corner, consider looking around the Farmers Market District for an unforgettable gift. It’s the perfect area to find something meaningful even for the people in your life who are the most difficult to buy for. Better yet, if you are looking for a special place to take your dad out for a Father’s Day treat, don’t overlook the district’s options for food, beverages, and overall good times.