Located on the 1900 block of Linwood Boulevard in Oklahoma City, The Compound offers four amazingly eclectic businesses that have carved out their place in Oklahoma homes and design.
Dead People's Stuff - Architectural Antiques + Design
History is the air that fills the breath of Dead People’s Stuff (DeadPeoplesStuffOK.com). When you enter the front door, it’s like tumbling down Alice’s rabbit hole, only here you are surrounded by breathtaking stained-glass doors, windows, ancient door pulls, antiques you’ve only seen in books, and crystal chandeliers that have graced ballrooms that surely have a million beautiful tales to tell.
Whether you are shopping, designing, dreaming, or just someone who has stumbled in to see what dead people’s stuff is about, you will be surrounded by awesome music you’ve never heard before, and every single nook and cranny is a delicious melding of grandma’s house, a hundred museums and the best estate sale you’ve ever been to.
You need vision when you go to Dead People’s Stuff. There is a bit of dust, and you are almost certain to bump into something or someone as you ogle at all the hundreds of thousands of baubles, pretties, showstoppers and I-can’t-live-without-its—so go slow, take it all in and bring your imagination.
Don’t Stress Meowt—Cat Café
If you love kitties or know someone who does, Don’t Stress Meowt Cat Café (DontStressMeowt-catcafe.com) is the place you need to be. You can pop by anytime for a decadent hot or cold drink, a delightful kitten-shaped pastry, or a wide variety of feline-inspired gifts and apparel.
If you make an appointment, you can spend an hour with a fluffy, sweet and silly array of adoptable cats who are sure to steal a few nose bops, head bumps and your heart. There are several comfortable sitting areas where the kitties can roam free, or they can retreat to a privacy room via an overhead plexiglass bridge.
If a cat needs boarding, private suites are available. These suites include plenty of petting, playing and friendly interaction with other kitties and humans. Don’t Stress Meowt takes sanitizing and care of the cats (and visitors) very seriously, so no shoes are allowed in the Cat Lounge area, and everyone must sanitize their hands before touching the kitties.
Between the OKC and the new Tulsa location, more than 360 kitties have found their forever homes thanks to Don’t Stress Meowt. They have also raised more than $21,000 for local charities.
Edge Craft BBQ
When Daniel “BBQ Snob” Vaughn, an expert on Texas barbecue, lists your grilled fare in the Top Ten Places Outside of Texas to Eat Texas BBQ, you know it’s got to be good … meet the Okie who is doing Central Texas-Style BBQ right, Zach Edge.
What is “Central Texas-Style BBQ”? It’s a pit-style, wood-fired smoker that cooks low-and-slow with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper.
Zach and his wife do the heavy lifting at Edge Craft BBQ (EdgeCraftBBQ.com), a hands-on, from-scratch restaurant, which is only open three days a week due to the intense preparation required when the entire menu is made in-house.
“We make all of our sides, sauces, sausages and even our pickles,” said Zach, who says that due to their growing popularity, they sell out almost every week. “We are only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday because it takes days to smoke our products, and we take quality control seriously.”
From sweet cornbread casserole drizzled in honey butter to what can only be described as candied ribs because they are such a treat, to smoked sausages you dream of eating a million ways while you are savoring every delicious bite, to Brussels sprouts so good they turn haters of these vegetables into new lovers, to what has got to be “one notch lower than grandma’s potato salad good,” Zach Edge and his team are quickly earning a serious reputation for some exceptional BBQ.
Edge Craft BBQ offers private parties and catering, too.
Sacred Soul Collective
By appointment only, Sacred Soul Collective (find them on Facebook) offers a myriad of talented artists and therapists who offer tattooing, piercing, naturopath and massage. The restful and beautiful décor is very relaxing, with each station offering a bit of personality and color to the overall atmosphere.
The space is huge, with 20 stations providing services. The benefit of so many creative options is that there is bound to be an artistic “fit” for what a person is looking for. This is an inclusive, co-op working space, mostly made up of females.
about the author
Michelle Pipes can be contacted via email at drmichellepipes@gmail.com.
Michelle is a consummate storyteller, using a camera and a keyboard to weave words and images into soulful narratives. With a doctorate in business and over 30 years in higher education and corporate spaces, she’s a pro at turning complex concepts into compelling stories. A creative wanderer at heart, Michelle brings humor and a dash of soul to every story she tells.