A Thought Over Coffee

EVOKE: In OUR Words

Published January 13, 2023

It is funny how much more you remember when you begin to flip through the look book of time. That little spark that gets your heart and soul moving to a rhythm that you thought you had forgotten or that you didn’t even remember you ever had. I can see it in my own kids – my oldest and his memories of “the shop” and growing up full blown a coffee shop kid.. My middle with so many little memories of his older friends and drinking hot chocolate and collecting bottle caps.. My youngest who never really even knew life…

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It was called SUPER. Of course we wanted it.

Published January 10, 2023

When we opened EVOKE in May of 2012, no coffee companies in the market (except for the big guys) were opened past like 5p – and that would have been late. I was sure they were all missing something and was confident enough to “change things” when it came to coffee drinking in the late night. (Hell, I had been in Nashville for school and we’d hit up Cafe Coco which was open 24 hours a day. IT WAS ALWAYS SLAMMED!) Well, we opened the doors and posted shop from 7a till Midnight. What were we thinking? HA! EVOKE had…

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But it wasn’t JUST iced tea.

Published January 8, 2023

“I won’t forget it when the gal came in just pissed about the tea and told me to my face across our little pastry case that “everyone hates you” and that we would fail. She was sure of it and she knew why it was going to happen: the iced tea and it’s lack of free refills all day.” We were a coffee company. We loved coffee and all the nuances and stories that made each cup special. Admittedly, we didn’t know as much about tea, it’s processes or what made each tea distinctly special. BUT – we had an…

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This is where YOU come in.

Published January 6, 2023

This year, I am allowing myself to be nostalgic which, if you know me at all, is something I’m pretty uncomfortable with. Call it living in the moment. Being unattached. I’m not sure. I have really been pushing myself to remember. To remember all the things we got to do at EVOKE – the euphoric highs and the really tough lows. The relationships that we made. The coffees we drank. The excitement that got me up at 5a nearly every day for so many years. To remember the people that made EVOKE what is it both behind the bar and…

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Keeping it Local in Oklahoma.

Published January 4, 2023

I think it was 2008.. maybe 2009? It was a time in Oklahoma City that mimicked spring. You could feel that something was ahead.. that good things were coming.. growth was inevitable.. We were operating EVOKE in the Plaza District – in a studio we shared with great friends Lindsey Gibson and Josh McCullock we called 1708. It was early and the survival tactic at the time for small businesses like ours was to collaborate and work together to help spread the word on what was good and what was coming. Keep it Local OK Cafe Evoke Feature My good…

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It’s 2023 and with that comes a bit of housekeeping.

Published January 2, 2023

Welcome to 2023. I hope it is a year filled with more than just resolutions. Change if you need it. A constant. Something new… I wanted to do a bit of housekeeping today. I have added two new pages to this site: Media + Press and Reading List. The Media + Press page is actually a journal (maybe mostly for me) that keeps track of opportunities I (and my businesses) have had to share our story with the wider public. I am still working on getting this list filled out and I hope that there are more opportunities for me…

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Finding purpose: A look at industry and identity.

Published December 6, 2022

“We see who you are, and care about how you are. We embrace and embody your hopes, dreams and commitments. We will hold you in high regard and desire deeply that you live and grow to your heart’s content. In short, we are with you.” -City Home Collective Can I talk a bit openly about real estate for a few minutes (and no, this isn’t me trying to Realtor you to death or sell you a house or get you on a mailing list.. I promise)? Probably too openly but, for the good or bad / right or wrong, that…

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I’m not running for Edmond City Council.

Published December 5, 2022

The filing period for Candidates for Edmond City Council just opened. I’ve been getting lots of questions, texts and emails (thanks for the trust and support!!) about this and figured I’d just write this here: I’m not running for Ward 1 City Council. Here is the strange truth of it all. I went all in for Edmond back in 2011. I never thought I’d actually be saying that but it’s true. We moved to the downtown area after signing a lease for the space at 103 S Broadway where our coffee company would call home. Since then, I have committed…

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Our Mona Lisa. The Crown Jewel. The Coffee Super Charger. EP Build #24.

Published October 4, 2022

Back in 2011, we began talking to our now great friends at Espresso Parts about a custom espresso machine and grinder kit for the new EVOKE in Downtown Edmond. The design of our shop was going to be pretty minimal and we wanted a statement “art” piece to really stand out. We knew they would deliver something incredible. (from a 2015 post over at EspressoParts.com) “This custom project takes us back to 2012 and this stunning build for our good friends at Cafe Evoke, Oklahoma City, OK. Trailblazers in the specialty coffee scene of Oklahoma City, Cafe Evoke put “The Big…

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