What is Plaziwood? So glad you asked! Before I explain, make sure you have a few essentials, and we will be on our way. It is pretty chilly around here, so put on your pea coat, throw on a colorful scarf, wear your favorite boots, and grab a warm beverage. Now we are ready to go!
 
A couple blocks long and bursting with excitement, ‘Plaziwood’ is Oklahoma City's Plaza Arts District. Home to emerging artists, vintage and handmade boutiques, coffee shops, and OKC's Lyric Theater, this recently revived and growing neighborhood may be the city’s best kept secret…for now! 

There is always something happening or in-the-works down in the Plaza District. Every second Friday of the month is LIVE on the Plaza. Since shop owners keep their doors open until 11pm and local artists and designers fill the streets with merchandise for this event, it draws a large crowd with the coolest kids in Oklahoma City. LIVE nights often fall on grand opening or anniversary celebrations for Plaza stores and have included fashion shows and numerous art shows.   

Earlier this month, everyone was anticipating the annual Plaza Festival. After grabbing some boba tea at our favorite café, my friends and I headed down to check out the scene. Sticking to our regular LIVE routine, we started walking down 16th street and made stops into all our favorite stores:

Bad Grannie’s Bazaar – Awesome thrift store finds, so you don’t have to dig.
Shop Good at Convergence – New to the Plaza, this cute store donates portions of all purchases to help fund local and international development projects. 
Collected Thread – This is my absolute favorite store in Plaziwood! With lovely dresses, warm scarves, cute décor, and fabulous accessories, everything is handmade and beautiful.
DNA Galleries – Many OKC artists have enjoyed displaying and selling their art at DNA. The store also has cute accessories and Oklahoma-themed gear that actually looks trendy.
Velvet Monkey Salon & Vintage Boutique – This is only the coolest salon ever! With a fabulous group of hair stylists, getting a haircut is like hanging out with friends. And the basement boutique is always worth a look!
Street shopping – I love walking through this marketplace of genius designers and artists from the OKC metro. With each event, the market seems to get even better.

Fabulous shopping was only one of the exciting things happening at Plaza Fest this year. Dancers filled the outdoor stage, kids enjoyed inflatable games and face painting, and local bands played into the night!

See you at the festival next year, right?

Thank you to the Plaza District for letting me write this feature. I am very excited to see the area grow even more in the future!

xoxo, Sarah Corley

P.S. Since you are here, check out some lovely handmade and vintage items from my homeland and surrounding states!

1. Beanie cloche hat – $25 – Beautiful Bridget; 2. Tote/Shopping bag – $6 – Rainbow Swirlz; 3. Boba Tea – $3-4 – Cafe Oasis; 4. Vintage puff jacket – $22 – Popettes; 5. Indian Summer boots – $40 – Quid Vintage; 6. Vintage sunglasses – $12 – Lost Coltrane Vintage; 7. Jersey scarf – $22 – Callaghan Art Gallery; 8. Strawberry clip-on earrings – $5.50 – emmasfancies; 9. Clutch – $40-60 – Felix & Jayne