Shop OKC's Pop-Ups This Christmas - MetroFamily Magazine
MetroFamily Magazine

Where OKC parents find fun & resources

Shop OKC's Pop-Ups This Christmas

by Jennifer Jackson

Reading Time: 6 minutes 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Well, it began to look like it some time around Halloween, but with December finally upon us it’s time to buckle down on that holiday shopping. Each year the struggle becomes how to get something new and different for everyone on Santa’s list without spending six hours looking for parking, three hours locating that perfect gift and another two waiting for an overtired store clerk to check you out.  

This year, cut the hassle without sacrificing the chance to Christmas shop at some of the hottest metro stores with a trip to Winter Shoppes at the Myriad Gardens, Holiday Pop-Up Shops in Midtown or Christmas Must Be Something More in Midwest City. Between the boutique-style shopping set-ups, a little bit of everything is available for hearth and home, men and women, grown-ups and kiddos. 

Opened on Nov. 28,  Winter Shoppes is making its second appearance, literally popping up charming glass bungalows in the middle of the picturesque Myriad Gardens. It can easily be made into your newest family tradition. Bring the whole family to wander the winterized gardens twinkling with Christmas lights or stroll through the festooned Crystal Bridge. Bundle up and burn off some of that stir-crazy energy wintertime brings at the Devon Ice Rink. To top off the holiday memories, you and your family can take a turn on the new garden carousel for just $1.00 per rider. After the sights have been seen, the pictures snapped and the family memories created, the shopping spree can begin.

Since we all know kids typically tend to top everyone’s Christmas needs, the first stop at Winter Shoppes should be the boutiques for Kiwi Crate and Learning Tree. Kiwi Crate is a fantastic subscription service designed for kids ages three to eight. Pick your plan, pay your dues and enjoy a monthly box of kid-friendly, creative wonderfulness to spark your kids sense of wonder and experimentation. From art to science, Kiwi Crate means your child will be excited to create with each and every box. 

The Learning Tree was founded by Montessori teachers in 1985 and prides itself in providing the parents and teachers of Oklahoma City with the most educational and innovative toys, games and books. The best of the best from more than 450 toy manufacturers will be featured at Winter Shoppes this year. 

After the kids’ presents are selected, move along to one of the other wonderful vendors nestled in the winter wonderland of the Myriad Gardens. Outfit your home and the homes of family and friends with the latest and greatest designs from Designer Rugs and KS Bed & Bath. The bookworms will no doubt love anything Full Circle has filled their adorable little booths. Satiate your sweet tooth with the gloriously rich confections of Cocoflow Chocolate Shoppe and Sara Sara Cupcakes. Coffee addicts will rejoice in finding a gift from Clean Pour, Oklahoma City’s newest concept in coffee catering, under the tree.

Fashion-lovers will be thrilled to browse Gil’s Clothing & Denim Bar’s offerings as well as funky, upscale fashion from Anabelle’s Galleria. Calamity Jane’s Funk & Junk offers adorable designs in fashion and accessories that show off that imperturbable Oklahoma spirit. The Lingerie Store carries those sweet little secrets to complete the outfit from the inside out. The men are not to be left out from the holiday wardrobe makeover as Spencer Stone has claimed a glass hut at Winter Shoppes.

Be sure to visit Mockingbird Manor, Culinary Kitchen, Clean Pour, Udander Spa, Stella & Dot and The Make-Up Bar to finish your rounds. The shops will be open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. through Dec. 23.

If those selections just aren’t enough variety, the best news of the 2014 holiday season is that Winter Shoppes are not the only boutiques popping up in Oklahoma City this season. Holiday Pop-Up Shops on the corner of N.W. 10th & Hudson at 399 N.W. 10th Street will offer an ever-changing selection of the best bits of local retail culture. From art to flowers to hand-crafted pottery, each weekend in Midtown will feature something a little different. 

Take your family to the shopping village with you and come home with a Christmas tree from the Bishop John Carroll Christmas Tree lot. Managed by parents of the school’s students, proceeds from the sale of trees go toward enabling students to participate in sports throughout the school year. 

Holiday Pop-Ups chose a modern take on the shop concept, opting for sleek geodesic domes to house their vendors and their quiet little corner of town won’t be quite so busy with holiday visitors. This will mean that  after you and your family select your Christmas tree, you all will be able to shop the best bits of Oklahoma City without the crowds, hassle of parking or holiday hubbub. Dec. 4-7 will feature pop-up versions of the Plaza District’s wildly popular Collected Thread, popular Oklahoma City shopping stop Blue Seven, Cedarburg Square, Kokopelli, Dry/Shop, Purse & Clutch, JL Woodworx & Design and Louise Dean Design.

Dec. 11 through the 14th will see the likes of A Date with Iris, Folk.Life, The MakeUp Bar, Prairie Gothic, art & design boutique, Ratio, Ladies & Gentlemen Fine Hats, Green Bambino, PAMBE Ghana Global Market and Savvy. The final weekend of Holiday Popups, Dec. 19 and 22 adds The Social Club, Shop Good, Always Greener, Chirps and Cheers featuring modern stationary, office accessories and gifts. Tree & Leaf, Native Roots Market, Boho Gypsy, Awful Objects, Trade Men’s Wares and Cocoflow.

Midwest City is welcoming a brand new pop-up shopping experience to the metro, as well. Midwest City native Katherine Silva developed the shops with the idea to make Christmas more meaningful. She’s opening Christmas Must Be Something More through Dec. 24 to give shoppers a chance to give back while they purchase holiday gifts. Every item at the shopping gallery has a charitable cause associated with it. Additionally, Silva is giving 10 percent of the proceeds from the shop to the Make a Wish Foundation. Gift items ranging from jewelry and shoes to candles and hammocks are provided by give-back brands like Feed, which helps end world hunger by donating meals to those in need with every purchase.

Silva describes herself as an accountant with an entrepreneurial spirit. Although she wished she could open a boutique in her hometown, she feels running a store year-round is out-of-reach considering how often she travels for work. Instead, she opted to open a pop-up shop open just between Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

“I just thought this was a good time to make the season mean a little more,” she said. “People are spending so much money on Xboxes and everything else, I wanted them to know the difference they could make in the world by buying something else.”

The brands she selected to make available at the holiday market all have an equal emphasis on giving back as they do selling their own products. Christmas Must Be Something More offers a unique shopping experience families won’t find anywhere else. 

The temporary shop puts a focus on family with a special shopping section just for kids. The children’s section is set up for kids to bring a small amount of money and purchase items between 10 cents and a dollar. The kids can learn to give back by buying gifts for children who otherwise won’t get Christmas gifts, and they also can shop for friends and siblings in this small gift area.

Parents will love shopping for their kids at the market, as well. A handful of brands at the pop-up carry children’s items that give to causes near and dear to the hearts of parents. For example, purchase a blanket from Everything Happy and another blanket will be donated to a child in need. Bella Tunno makes designer baby items like bags and bibs and donates a meal to a hungry child in the U.S. for every purchase. Buy an adorable Kauzbot robot from the shop and the brand donates to a corresponding charity, ranging from environmental causes and clean water to childhood cancer and autism.

The Christmas Must Be Something More market at 1201 S. Douglas Blvd. is open through Dec. 24 Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sundays, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Call 408-5995 or visit www.facebook.com/ChristmasMBSM to learn more.

Whether you want to get your holiday shopping in while supporting local businesses or want to impact a cause around the globe with your purchases, you’ll find plenty of chances to purchase great gifts at these metro pop-up shops.

more stories