Q&A with Jody McAnally, OKC Farmers Public Market

VeloCity recently visited with Jody McAnally to talk about the exciting developments taking place around the OKC Farmers Public Market as the McAnallys celebrate its 20th anniversary under their ownership.

VeloCityOKC: Looking back at the beginning, what about the OKC Farmers Public Market space caught your eye? Where did the dream to revitalize it come from?

Jody McAnally: Well, I would say it was not really on our radar to purchase this property. In the beginning, my husband Burt and I used to own apartment complexes and had a lot of rental units around town. We were out with our realtor who was showing us an apartment complex for sale. My husband promoted boxing at the time and the realtor asked Burt how it was going, and he said, “It sure would be nice to have a good venue.” So, after we looked at the apartment complex, the realtor goes, “Well, have you ever been to the Oklahoma City Farmer's Market?” We said, “Yes, but it won't work because there's too many stanchions.” Then he asked if we’d ever been up to the second floor. We hadn’t as it was blocked off, but we realized he may know something that we didn’t. At that time that whole space was filled with antique shops, and they were just all cobbled together. We went up on the mezzanine and we looked down, and I said, “Oh my gosh, this is a clear span space.” My husband saw boxing and I saw weddings, reunions, art shows, sporting events, concerts and fundraisers that we could host. We thought about it for a while, but we couldn’t help but to fall in love with that beautiful art deco, colonial revival building. She’s so beautiful. It took a little bit and then we finally decided that we were going to bite the bullet and do it. Our original thought just to buy the main building but right before we closed, we ended up buying the rest of the property. We thought it was silly to have almost six acres downtown and not buy it. Anyway, that's how it started.

It's a labor of love.

That's incredible to just stumble into it. What a great story.

That's exactly how it happened. It was not something on our radar. We used to renovate most of our rental units around town. We purchased several buildings in the Paseo, back when it was a depressed neighborhood. We thought we knew what historic renovation was, but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into as far as the scope of the things that needed to be done in order to open the doors. Nothing had been touched for basically 80 years because it was the same family who’d always owned it. We bought it from the 80-year-old grandson of John J. Harden, the original developer and owner. They had basically only put Band-Aids on it. So, once we got started and pulled the first permit, the floodgates opened.

So quite the passion project?

Yes, definitely. It's a labor of love.

We have a vibrant, fun city. It's really fun to watch the growth and I look forward to its continued progress.

What are some of your favorite memories from over the last 20 years?

I would say the diversity of the events that we've been able to host. Everything from weddings, concerts, sporting events, reunions, fundraisers to art shows and so much more. We’ve had The Girlie Show, roller derby, the Black Crowes, Buddy Guy performed as well as Dick Dale. We’ve had so many incredible artists play at the venue. Gladys Knight sang here and brought one Pip. That event space upstairs is so incredibly magical. You could have a wedding there on a Friday and a wedding there on a Saturday, and there is absolutely no way you'd know it was the same space. It just takes on the life of whatever you want your look to be. It's incredible and blows my mind every time.

It is such a versatile space. Not only has your space changed, but the surrounding area has changed so much. What's it been like to watch the transformation of the area and see it come back to life?

Oh my gosh, it makes my heart full because people like Clay Burgess who has the Powerhouse, Brian and Bailey who opened Palo Santo, Tevin and John with The Loaded Bowl, and all the other businesses that have set up shop, saw the possibilities and stuck around. But Matt Burch with Urban Agrarian most of all because he was the real pioneer. He came down right after we bought the property and he shared our vision. Anthem Brewery has also been a big boon to our district. We all thought that the downtown expansion was going to come our way about 10 to 15 years ago. However, it's been a little slower than we had imagined. The folks who have come down here and stayed, get it.

Looking towards the future, what are you most excited for, not only for the OKC Farmers’ Public Market and the area around it, but Oklahoma City as a whole?

Oh my gosh. I lived in several large cities in my life. Coming back and seeing this transformation has been incredible. Starting from the first MAPS to where we are today is impressive. We have a vibrant, fun city. It's really fun to watch the growth and I look forward to its continued progress. There's so much more to do now than there was when I came back in 1993.

For the district, we would love to see the vacant 14-acre lot on SW 3^rd and Klein developed because once that happens, I think it's going to be the missing piece to the puzzle. Our neighbors in the Wheeler District are just killing it along with the addition of the 21C Museum Hotel and all the development on Sheridan. The idea of that parcel getting developed would be a game changer for us and the city.

We thought about it for a while, but we couldn’t help but to fall in love with that beautiful art deco, colonial revival building. She’s so beautiful. 

You just celebrated your 20th anniversary with a big celebration. What was one of your favorite things from the weekend?

I would say just the excitement and all the people. I saw fresh new faces that have never been here before. Our Saturday farmer's market was packed as well as the surrounding businesses. It's really great to see our vision coming to life. Our main goal was to restore the building to its original intent. We of course brought in modern conveniences to bring it up to date. The return of Oklahoma City’s original farmer’s market was really important to us. So, to watch that part grow and become very popular, makes me happy.

The Oklahoma City Farmers Public Market was created as a result of an on-going conflict between local farmers and downtown businessmen. Farmers came to town to sell their produce, and with no centralized market, they would park their trucks and wagons on downtown streets creating congestion and chaos for downtown merchants. For years there was a recognized need for a centralized market, and Oklahoma City could not afford to establish such a venue. In 1927, a local entrepreneur, John J. Harden, negotiated with the city to build what is still known today as the Farmers Public Market.  

Wow, that’s so interesting. Thank you for your time! Is there anything else that you would like to share?

First, I would like to say that it's been a privilege to own this property, and hopefully we've been good stewards of this beautiful historic building and surrounding neighborhood. I'm just thrilled about the growth of what's happening in and around our city.

Click here to learn more about the OKC Farmers Public Market and their upcoming events