Kindred Spirits Culture + Cocktails, a conceptual manifestation and culturally-relevant gathering place, opened its doors in Northeast Oklahoma City in December, in the East Point development located at 1726C NE 23rdStreet, on the corner of NE 23rd and Rhode Island Ave.
After months of delays due to COVID, the gathering place was born out of a desire to pay homage and highlight the story of the African American experience in Oklahoma from past to present, and also to uniquely serve the NEOKC community.
The concept features a limited yet thoughtful food menu, full bar and curated audio and visual programming to highlight the current time, place and talents of Oklahoma City, while deliberately furthering the narrative of black history and African American culture in Oklahoma.
“There really aren’t many words to fully, accurately describe our excitement for this concept,” said managing partner Quintin Hughes. “It is our hope that Kindred Spirits will convey so much to so many people. From the name to the location, to the timing and intentionality behind the menu and programming that will inherently bring folks from within walking distance and from across the highway, we’re proud to introduce this gathering place to OKC."
For co-founders Chaya Pennington-Fletcher and Sandino Thompson, the new business reflects their desire for Oklahoma City's historically black neighborhood to thrive in the same way other areas of the city have. The two ran the Urban Roots restaurant in Oklahoma City's Deep Deuce area before embarking on this new venture.
"We were there for six years, and eventually got priced out of the community. So, despite it being the traditional African American community of Deep Deuce, the economics changed so when the building got sold, it was hard for us to stay," said Thompson.
"What we learned from that experience was that Oklahoma City could really use a good outlet for gathering and engaging as a showplace for black culture and the way that the African American story fits into the narrative of the Oklahoma City story."
Although Oklahoma City has seen a renaissance in the last 20 years, the NE 23rd area was overlooked. In fact, East Point is the first development along the northeast corridor of 23rd Street in 30 years.
The Kindred Spirits name is inspired by the book, "Kindred" by Octavia E. Butler. The vision is layered with the intersectionality of the black experience from a post-slavery era of opportunity through Jim Crow laws and limitations to today and a landscape that’s been kept at the margins of the broader renaissance Oklahoma City has experienced over the last 20 years.
"This bar is our interpretation of a gathering place, and we really want to be like the quintessential 'third place' - that space between home and work," Thompson said. "We feel like the Northeast could use more of that, and we want it to really be a good outlet for people to just engage with and interact with the story of black culture in Oklahoma."
The menu, created by Pennington-Fletcher, will highlight the simple, fresh flavorful profile of African American cuisine.
"I think about how the story of Soul Food. It actually happened through slaves being brought to America. They had traditions and flavors and created this whole sort of genre of food that people think of as comfort food," Pennington-Fletcher said. "That food came from our ancestors, and we are trying to incorporate those ingredients and flavors into the menu for the food and the drink with Afro-futurism."
For more information, visit KindredSpiritsOKC.com.
Even the bathrooms share Oklahoma's black history. The walls are lined with The Black Dispatch, which was one of the first African American newspapers in the state. Another bathroom is lined with pages from The Green Book, an historic travel guide for African-Americans.
