metro
07-17-2007, 12:20 PM
Bricktown hot spot owners eye development options
July 16, 2007
OKLAHOMA CITY – A return to Oklahoma City was just what was needed for two brothers who when they left the state to go to school in the 1990s had little intention of ever returning and settling down here.What drew Lane and Tyler Peyton back was the opportunity to open business unlike any they had seen in Oklahoma City.In 2002, the Peytons opened a bar and lounge in Bricktown that was half-bar, half-art gallery to bring the city the kind of place they had seen in other cities. It also didn’t hurt that Lane Peyton had been accepted into medical school at the University of Oklahoma and found like-minded friends who were looking for a certain type of club that at the time didn’t exist.“When I moved back for medical school me and a few good friends said there just isn’t a good place to go after work or after a hard night of studying to just have a cocktail and talk with friends,” Lane Peyton said.That was in 2000. After two years, Tyler Peyton moved back home and the pair began to hatch a plan for an upscale bar with the feel of an art gallery. Tyler Peyton had lived in St. Louis, while Lane Peyton had lived in New York City; Austin, Texas; London and Oregon.The answer came in a long, thin building in Bricktown at 208 E. Sheridan Ave. with just over 3,000 square feet. The pair then brought in architect Rand Elliott and together they came up with the name LiT (pronounced ‘light’) and began to make the drab building into a work of art itself.“We were already excited,” Lane Peyton said. “And when Rand Elliott came on board we got even more excited.”Elliott said the idea was to provide a variety of colored lights in the bar that could be changed every few months or for different holidays or seasons.“We felt Oklahoma City lacked a venue that had an urban quality to it and LiT literally became that,” Elliott said. “It was really intended to be a tool for them to continue to change the space so that when people went there it would not be the same thing over and over again. We built that concept into the building.”The renovations took about six months to complete and in 2003 an enclosed bar area was added on the roof. Between the renovations and the new addition, Lane Peyton said they spent about half a million dollars.But before the bar could ever open, the Peytons had to learn how to run and manage a bar.“Tyler was the only one of us that had any bar or restaurant experience,” Lane Peyton said.For the first few years, Tyler Peyton worked almost nonstop keeping the bar running while also working with his brother to make sure their venture was turning a profit while Lane Peyton spent his days in medical school and then as a physician.“At first we were probably a little too green to be doing it,” Tyler Peyton said. “You’ve just got to keep motivated, dedicated and focused.”And as the club has continued to see success, the latest addition to LiT is a stage where bands can play with a backdrop of artwork and colored lights.“I think it’s pretty exciting because we’ve got a venue now that can do live music in such a small environment,” Tyler Peyton said.With the bar doing well, the Peytons became involved with the Deep Deuce Grill in recent years and in March their company Fox Interests LLC purchased the restaurant at 307 NE Second St.Situated in a historic 1938 building in the Deep Deuce area east of downtown, the Peytons said they have plans to increase the seating.Jim Cowan, executive director of the Bricktown Association, said the Peytons’ presence and contribution to Bricktown particularly have helped keep the area a thriving entertainment district. “We just love the fact the LiT’s not only open for business down here, but that they have people actively involved in the community,” Cowan said. “Too often in Bricktown we see businesses that open yet they don’t want to be involved in making the district better. Those guys have been involved since day one.”And the Peytons aren’t done. Both brothers said they are continually looking for new opportunities in and around downtown.“We’re always flexible and energetic about opportunities,” Tyler Peyton said. “The one thing we’ve learned with our experience is to take our time and not rush into things.”
http://www.journalrecord.com/_images/articles/t_labspeyton%20new%20site.jpg
Brothers Lane, left, and Tyler Peyton on Thursday move chairs on the patio area of Deep Deuce Grill, which they purchased in March. (Photo by Jennifer Pitts)
July 16, 2007
OKLAHOMA CITY – A return to Oklahoma City was just what was needed for two brothers who when they left the state to go to school in the 1990s had little intention of ever returning and settling down here.What drew Lane and Tyler Peyton back was the opportunity to open business unlike any they had seen in Oklahoma City.In 2002, the Peytons opened a bar and lounge in Bricktown that was half-bar, half-art gallery to bring the city the kind of place they had seen in other cities. It also didn’t hurt that Lane Peyton had been accepted into medical school at the University of Oklahoma and found like-minded friends who were looking for a certain type of club that at the time didn’t exist.“When I moved back for medical school me and a few good friends said there just isn’t a good place to go after work or after a hard night of studying to just have a cocktail and talk with friends,” Lane Peyton said.That was in 2000. After two years, Tyler Peyton moved back home and the pair began to hatch a plan for an upscale bar with the feel of an art gallery. Tyler Peyton had lived in St. Louis, while Lane Peyton had lived in New York City; Austin, Texas; London and Oregon.The answer came in a long, thin building in Bricktown at 208 E. Sheridan Ave. with just over 3,000 square feet. The pair then brought in architect Rand Elliott and together they came up with the name LiT (pronounced ‘light’) and began to make the drab building into a work of art itself.“We were already excited,” Lane Peyton said. “And when Rand Elliott came on board we got even more excited.”Elliott said the idea was to provide a variety of colored lights in the bar that could be changed every few months or for different holidays or seasons.“We felt Oklahoma City lacked a venue that had an urban quality to it and LiT literally became that,” Elliott said. “It was really intended to be a tool for them to continue to change the space so that when people went there it would not be the same thing over and over again. We built that concept into the building.”The renovations took about six months to complete and in 2003 an enclosed bar area was added on the roof. Between the renovations and the new addition, Lane Peyton said they spent about half a million dollars.But before the bar could ever open, the Peytons had to learn how to run and manage a bar.“Tyler was the only one of us that had any bar or restaurant experience,” Lane Peyton said.For the first few years, Tyler Peyton worked almost nonstop keeping the bar running while also working with his brother to make sure their venture was turning a profit while Lane Peyton spent his days in medical school and then as a physician.“At first we were probably a little too green to be doing it,” Tyler Peyton said. “You’ve just got to keep motivated, dedicated and focused.”And as the club has continued to see success, the latest addition to LiT is a stage where bands can play with a backdrop of artwork and colored lights.“I think it’s pretty exciting because we’ve got a venue now that can do live music in such a small environment,” Tyler Peyton said.With the bar doing well, the Peytons became involved with the Deep Deuce Grill in recent years and in March their company Fox Interests LLC purchased the restaurant at 307 NE Second St.Situated in a historic 1938 building in the Deep Deuce area east of downtown, the Peytons said they have plans to increase the seating.Jim Cowan, executive director of the Bricktown Association, said the Peytons’ presence and contribution to Bricktown particularly have helped keep the area a thriving entertainment district. “We just love the fact the LiT’s not only open for business down here, but that they have people actively involved in the community,” Cowan said. “Too often in Bricktown we see businesses that open yet they don’t want to be involved in making the district better. Those guys have been involved since day one.”And the Peytons aren’t done. Both brothers said they are continually looking for new opportunities in and around downtown.“We’re always flexible and energetic about opportunities,” Tyler Peyton said. “The one thing we’ve learned with our experience is to take our time and not rush into things.”
http://www.journalrecord.com/_images/articles/t_labspeyton%20new%20site.jpg
Brothers Lane, left, and Tyler Peyton on Thursday move chairs on the patio area of Deep Deuce Grill, which they purchased in March. (Photo by Jennifer Pitts)