Upscale market planned for NW 23rd
Journal Record
March 25, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY –Two restaurateurs in Oklahoma City have found success in an old flower shop, an abandoned car dealership and a neighborhood retail center built in the 1940s.

Their next project is in a rundown former gas station facing NW 23rd Street. Heather and Keith Paul, of A Good Egg Group, had been eyeing the former Phillips 66 station for several years, at 401 NW 23rd St., which sits next to their flagship restaurant Cheever’s Café. But the station wasn’t for sale, and was occupied by an auto repair shop. Last year, however, the Paul’s were able to buy the station, then they gave the tenant time to move, and now plan a major renovation to open an upscale market and catering kitchen.

The store will be called Market C-the C as in Cheever’s-and offer a variety of main dishes and side dishes from Cheever’s kitchen. It will also offer rubs and sauces for meats from their Red Prime Steak restaurant, selections from Iron Starr Urban BBQ, and pre-cut meats and some bakery items. “We are going to take a gas station that faces one of the city’s main thoroughfares and transform it from something once forgotten to something unique and thriving,” Keith Paul said.

Market C, in a 1,360 square-foot building from 1935, is just the latest property the Keith’s have breathed new life into in the inner city. Cheever’s, at 2409 N. Hudson Ave., is the former Cheever’s flower shop, and was built in 1937. Cheever’s Café opened eight years ago.

Red Prime Steak, at 504 N. Broadway Ave., was built as a Buick dealership in 1911. The building was vacant for decades but renovated as the restaurant last year. Iron Starr Urban BBQ sits on the corner of a brick structure at 3700 N. Shartel Ave. Built in 1943; Iron Starr replaced another restaurant in the space and opened in 2002.

Brian Fitzsimmons is the architect for the Market C project. The Paul’s contacted him to design the market but had a pretty good idea of how they wanted the building to look on the inside and outside. Fitzsimmons is also involved in renovation efforts at the neighboring Tower Theater. Inside, the market will have a counter and retail area up front, with the catering kitchen on the back side. The facelift will also attempt to stay true to the buildings original look and feel.“On the exterior we plan to keep it simple and straightforward and respect the historic character of the building,” Fitzsimmons said. “The idea is to keep it warm, friendly and very inviting.”

The renovation costs are estimated at about $100,000. The renovation efforts have begun and the market is set to open this summer. The area has also benefited from a streetscape on NW 23rd Street completed in the last decade that ran about $1 million.

Bob Mier, urban redevelopment specialist with the city planning department, said improvements along NW 23rd Street, were funded by a city bond issue from 1995. The work was completed about five years later. The project came about after a study by the Urban Land Institute to make several inner city areas more functional and to spur more private investment.“It’s a very effective way of encouraging private investment and making the streets work better and safer,” Mier said. “That’s been the case with 23rd Street.”

Around 2000 a group called Uptown 23, made up of property owners along NW 23rd Street, as well as input from the city and Oklahoma City University, worked to spruce up the area and lure more businesses. And while much of that stretch of NW 23rd Street is still occupied by convenience stores, pawn shops, wig stores and vacant space, Cheever’s began to prosper at its spot just north of NW 23rd Street along Hudson Avenue.

Heather Paul said one of the main reasons she and her husband wanted to open the market was to give busy families on-the-go the option to pick up some of their favorite dishes from the Paul’s restaurants. “Customers will be able to enjoy their favorite dishes from one of our restaurants in the comfort of their home any day of the week,” she said.

God Bless you, tuck!

What a great idea and I'm sure it will thrive just like all your other enterprises.

That market will be great for all those not only in the many great surrounding neighborhoods but also all those driving down 23rd street.

That area has tremendous potential, that's for sure.

Thanks for the encouragement. I really think there is a need for this market in the area. I am most excited about getting that corner cleaned up next to Cheevers. We should have paint on the outside sometime next week.

Amen, tuck. I will be one of your first customers. If I had the money, time, experience etc I would open a store like this in a heartbeat. I wish you every success. Thanks for being such a great corporate citizen. You not only are bringing a much needed service to a neighborhood that needs it but helping the renaissance in the downtown area.

Excellent news! This is a great concept, and improving that gas station will make it a great addition to that portion of 23rd street.

This is a great idea! I wish you a lot of luck getting this done, and I plan on becoming a customer when we move down to the area in a few months. :)

Thanks for the encouragement. I really think there is a need for this market in the area. I am most excited about getting that corner cleaned up next to Cheevers. We should have paint on the outside sometime next week.
That's so cool! I live 3 blocks south and 1 block west. This is fine fine news.

How will you differentiate yourself from Prairie Gypsies (http://www.prairiegypsies.com/) just up the street at 30th and Walker? At a glance, the idea sounds the same or very similar.

Prarie Gypsies stuff is good, but its not even on the same level as Cheevers, Red Prime and UrbanStarr. Hopefully the two can co-exist nicely.

I think there is room for two similiar concepts. We will be offering the same "Prime", "dry-age" and "Kobe" steaks that we offer at Red. Market-C will be the only place in the state that has these available all the time.

As in raw to take home and cook?

Prarie Gypsies stuff is good, but its not even on the same level as Cheevers, Red Prime and UrbanStarr. Hopefully the two can co-exist nicely.

Yeah, another level.... treble the price.

As in raw to take home and cook?

Yes, pre-packaged steaks that will be ready to take home and cook along with several rubs, crusts and sauces to choose from. We will also feature "No Name Ranch" ground beef.

Quit making us wait tuck! I want my NoName meat and Red Prime sauces for take home cooking tonight!

Do they use No Name meat too?

No, Prarie Gypsies isn't even the same quality as Red Prime. As tuck said, it and Market - C is the only place in Oklahoma you can get certain items like Kobe beef and probably some of their dry aged products.

Real Kobe beef, or beef done similarly to Kobe? Because last I checked (admittedly a year ago), a ranch down in Austin, Texas is the only place in the US allowed to say that they sell Kobe beef. They have very exacting standards.

Great concept! Your restaurants, btw, are a cut above the rest. Pardon the pun, tuck. Good luck!

Good Egg Restaurants = Happy OKCMallens

Real Kobe beef, or beef done similarly to Kobe? Because last I checked (admittedly a year ago), a ranch down in Austin, Texas is the only place in the US allowed to say that they sell Kobe beef. They have very exacting standards.

We will ofer American raised Wagyu "Kobe" beef. There are a handfull of restaurants in the country that offer Japanese, Australian and American Kobe. As an operator, I am very careful of the suppliers we use.

No, Prarie Gypsies isn't even the same quality as Red Prime. As tuck said, it and Market - C is the only place in Oklahoma you can get certain items like Kobe beef and probably some of their dry aged products.

Sorry. What I meant was, does Good Egg use No Name Beef as well as Irma's, which is who I've always associated it with?

This is really a cool old building. Can't wait to see it fixed up.

Again, great job tuck! Oklahoma City needs more people like you.

http://olive.newsok.com/Repository/getimage.dll?path=DOK/2008/03/28/21/Img/Pc0210700.jpg

Fri March 28, 2008
Restaurant owners begin restoring gas station for more catering space

By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer

Keith and Heather Paul have too many cooks in the kitchen at their Cheever's Cafe, not enough parking outside and an eyesore next door.

So the question might be, what took so long for the pair to buy out the vintage gasoline station at 401 NW 23?

"We've been looking at it since day one,” Keith Paul said. "It's just taken patience.”

The onetime Phillips 66 station — one of only two of the original designs left in the city — was bought by the couple last year for $128,000. They are spending another $100,000 restoring the station to its original appearance with plans to open "Market C” — home to an upscale market and the Pauls' catering operations.

Robert Black, chef at Cheever's, said the old gasoline station is ideally set up for the catering operation thanks to a garage door facing Hudson Avenue that will allow quick loading of vehicles.

Black said in the past year catering operations for the Pauls' Good Egg Group, which includes the Red Prime Steakhouse and Iron Starr BBQ, have seen a big increase because of wedding, and rehearsal dinner clients and events at the Oklahoma Heritage Center and Oklahoma History Center.

"This will give us a whole separate kitchen,” Black said. "Cheever's is still doing great and is busy, but now we've doubled our catering business and it's all coming out of the same kitchen. There are too many cooks in the same kitchen, so this will be a huge help.”

While the catering will move from Cheever's kitchen to the back section of the old gasoline station, the front section will feature a market that will offer fresh cuts of steaks sold at the Pauls' restaurants, salad dressings, sauces, fruits, drinks and bakery items.

The renovation is being overseen by Bryan Fitzsimmons. Workers are currently restoring the station's old windows. The interior will be painted white with the market topped by a domed ceiling.

The garage door facing NW 23 is being restored with glass panes offering a glimpse inside where the drink coolers will be placed. The old lights outside also will be restored.

"We're just so excited about putting paint on the outside,” Paul said. "And that will happen in the next two weeks. It will be a landmark event as far as we're concerned — that and getting the lights on.”

Fitzsimmons said he's enjoying the chance to restore a vintage Phillips 66 station — this one built in 1935. The Depression-era structures have been popular restoration projects across the country — especially along old Route 66.

"They are a symbol of their time,” Fitzsimmons said. "The charm of it is it takes you back to that era when gas stations were the important piece of our history. They put more effort into them — they were more substantial than what we have these days.”

Thanks for posting that picture. The husband and I ate at Cheevers last night (yum!) and had to check this building out. It's hard to believe this was once a gas station.

We will ofer American raised Wagyu "Kobe" beef. There are a handfull of restaurants in the country that offer Japanese, Australian and American Kobe. As an operator, I am very careful of the suppliers we use.

Thanks for answering. :)

anyone know how this is coming along? the article stated they would be open this summer

It appears to be moving slowly.

still have 45 days of summer left; at least. We had a few snags, but progress is really moving now. We are almost finished with outside, kitchen equipment install is in 2 weeks. We are in no hurry to be involved in a "forced" opening.

Has anyone driven by lately...quite a different look!!

I drove by yesterday, it looked much better but still has a ways to go..

I drove by yesterday, it looked much better but still has a ways to go..

I drove by yesterday and they seem to have come a long way. It was repainted, there was new brickwork in the ground between the building and the street. There was a piece of wood over one of the windows but other than that it looks about ready to me.

I am curious as the the progress of this project as well. I frequently drive down 23rd and don't recall seeing anything going on here recently. I love the idea and think there is plenty of room for this concept. I hope it is still going to happen. Keep us posted!

Still happening...take a look at the site next time you are in the area. It amazes me how everyone thinks a project is dead if there isn't any action "outside" the site. Most projects dealing with historic structures experience some type of delay and unfortunatley, this is no different.

I understand delays! I have never owned a home less that 70 years old so I get the "unexpected." Glad to see it is moving along. Do you have an ETA? I am addicted to the Beef Medallion Salad at Iron Starr, by the way, and I am an ex-vegan so that says a lot. It is bad that I live so close to Iron Starr. LOL

You definetly understand delays. The beef salad at Iron Starr is by far the most popular salad at any of the restaurants...I'm glad you like it.

Market-C should be open sometime in September. We aren't going to push to get it open; this is a new concept for us, so we really want to take our time and fully understand everything.

I drove by yesterday and definitely noticed the change. It looks like it is coming along nicely. Can't wait for it to open. 23rd is comming along nicely. My husband and I both missed your store the first time around because we were looking at the building across the street that looks like it is the current home to the Rice for Senate headquarters. That is a really nice looking building. Has it recently been redone or have we just missed out?

The building on the south side of 23rd and hudson was redone 2 years ago. Sam Gresham did a great job with it.

I just drove by Market C a bit ago. It's looking great! It looks like the opening shouldn't be too far off. I'm excited to have another food option in the area.

Yes, I drove by there Sunday and it is looking good. Congratulations Tuck for turning such a blighted site into a thing of beauty.

I just hope this really kick starts the rest of the work that needs to be done on 23rd. I keep hearing this will be one of the new hot spots and I'm ready to see some plans and progress!

Looking forward to spending more time down that way.

Yeah I drove by about 2 weeks ago and saw the "Market C" sign on the front of the building. Tuck any estimate for opening day? I need some truffle butter for my steaks!!!!!!!!

I think 3 weeks from today, we will open the doors. We are shooting for a very quite opening so that we can all get a handle on things. The truffle butter will be plentiful!!!

Tuck,

When are you going to just cave in and take on the Tower Theater? It's your block now. :tiphat:

And when are you guys going to put that Good Egg Group name to good use and do a breakfast joint? We need some better morning dining options.

Yeah we need "Good Egg Gourmet Breakfast Diner" downtown! And Tuck, you need to sneak me some truffle butter and sell me some on the side, it's so good I don't know if I can wait 3 weeks or so.

And when are you guys going to put that Good Egg Group name to good use and do a breakfast joint? We need some better morning dining options.

Seconded!

Third'ed!!!

:)

Good to hear/see OKC gaining traction in the inner city!!!

And when are you guys going to put that Good Egg Group name to good use and do a breakfast joint? We need some better morning dining options.

Breakfast is such a tough day part. We are however about to overhaul the breakfast menu at POPS...should be great!!!

And when are you guys going to put that Good Egg Group name to good use and do a breakfast joint? We need some better morning dining options.


Tuck,

When are you going to just cave in and take on the Tower Theater? It's your block now. :tiphat:

We have always considered 23rd our block. The Tower deal is a huge project; if someone steaps up and wants to do something, I am definetly on board.

As a business owner on 23rd street I am excited to see more renovation such as this. I would really like to see the rest of 23rd street get overhauled as well. Congrats on the new concept. I can't wait to check it out.

As some of you may know, we were supposed to open in the Tower Theater property, Our original location was to be C&C Wigs. They owner just were not ready to get any renovation started. That was about 3 1/2 years ago.

Last I heard about the Tower was, another bar group was slated to open in one of those spots. Anybody here anything on this?

TUCK, is Market C open yet? I want my truffle butter........................

3 more weeks...stop by Red and pick some up; I will have it waiting on you.

Owner planning the return of a 'palace' on old Route 66
STATIONS: Market isn’t open yet, but it’s gaining attention from passersby
Comments 0BY STEVE LACKMEYER
Published: October 23, 2008

Keith Paul is getting used to greeting the curious passersby at his C Market, even though the store isn’t set to open for another month.


Some are interested in the arrival of an upscale market — but others are asking about the history of the property — Oklahoma City’s only surviving original Phillips 66 station along old Route 66.

Over the past few months Paul and his wife Heather have overseen a $100,000 renovation including restoring old casement windows, garage doors and adding neon-topped lighting along the former gas pump island.

"We’re getting a lot of good comments,” Paul said. "It’s untraditional, and it just grabs people’s attention as they’re passing by.”

Such properties, once overlooked as obsolete eyesores, are getting a second shot at life across the country. At the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s conference Wednesday in Tulsa, the adaptation of such stations was a frequent topic during discussions of restoration efforts along old Route 66.

Historian Michael Cassity said the first gas stations were "palaces” reflecting a new technology and the spirit of their owners. With the creation of Route 66 and the federal highway system, companies such as Phillips entered into retailing and began rolling out a standard design.


Revisiting the past
The English Tudor style was the first adapted by Phillips in Wichita, Kan., in 1927, followed by similar stations in Topeka and then Bartlesville. The company switched to an enamel-sided modern style in 1938 — a design adapted by most gas retailers through the 1960s.
Since he was first contacted to assist on restoration of a station in Chandler, Norman architect Mike Kertok has become an expert on the early Phillips stations, traveling to dozens over the past few years.

"There were probably over 1,000 of these stations around the country,” Kertok said. "I’ve found about 90 that are still standing — but many were demolished and are gone forever.”


Missing paint?
Kertok, who did not assist on the Paul’s renovation, said it is typical of current efforts. He praises the Pauls for restoring the station’s showcase window but adds they could have used the property’s original color scheme.
Most people, Kertok said, are surprised to learn the stations’ brick facades had an early color scheme that was a "gaudy” mix of blue and green.

"Every one of these stations I’ve done, the owner thinks by removing the paint they’re bringing them back to their original appearance,” Kertok said. "But they were never that way – they were always painted.”

Kertok admits one of his own projects — renovation of an old station in Tulsa — did not involve restoration of the original paint job because of requirements of its new tenant, Avis.

"It’s a very appropriate use — the old station is the office, and the old two-bay garage is used for washing cars and details,” Kertok said.

In his travels, Kertok has seen a station in Pratt, Kansas, that he praises for keeping the original lights and lanterns.

"That’s pretty rare,” Kertok said. "It’s owned by a mortuary next door, and the building is used for storage. They keep it up very nicely.”

He also complimented a renovation in Kansas City that replaced a cement asbestos shingle roof with slates.

"They were really clever — they put a slate roof on it and used different colors, which is what was done,” Kertok said. "It was very clever way of recreating the roof.”

But Kertok has seen plenty of stations still in jeopardy, including the last-standing "N-class” station standing in Turpin.

While the future of such stations remains in doubt, Kaisa Barthuli, deputy Route 66 program manager with the National Park Service says old gas stations along Route 66 are being tracked and can be found on the Internet.

"This lets the guy who owns a small station that he’s not doing anything with know that the world cares,” Barthuli said, "and the world is watching.”

http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/509161/w300

Looks very sharp!

http://photos.newsok.com/2/showimage/509160/gallery_photo

I drove by there on Sunday and was very impressed. Looks like it is very close to being opened.

Tuck, I gotta know, are you gonna sell those deviled eggs from Iron Starr? Ate there last nite with my wife during happy hour, and I remain amazed by those eggs. You should sell them at the new market...

sure will...glad you enjoyed them.

Never have a bad meal in there. Ever.

That looks great. Thank you. I must say my personal favorite at Iron Starr is the quail wrapped jalapenos.

You all know that I am not a self-promoter on this site, but I wanted to let everyone know that Market-C will open this Monday 17th at 10:00 am.
Very, very soft!!!

Woo hoo, truffle butter can now flow through my veins freely! You guys will definitely make a lot of locals Thankgsiving's Day Dinners much better with your items! Tuck, what other types of goodies will you have?