Outlet Shoppes in OKC

Our haul from the Outlet Shoppes in OKC

With the holidays on the horizon, shopping for gifts is likely top of mind. Of course, Tulsa has a wide range of stores and boutiques to choose from, a great way to quickly build up your pile of presents without breaking the bank is to take a short drive to the new outlets in our state capitol.

The new Outlet Shoppes of Oklahoma City are just west of downtown and are easily accessible from Tulsa. In less than two hours, you and a handful of friends can gain access to deeply discounted merchandise at well-known designer outlets not found in T-town such as Polo Ralph Lauren, BCBGMAXARIA, Brooks Brothers, DKNY, Nike, Under Armour, and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5th, just to name a few. There are a total of 83 retailers specializing in apparel, footwear, children’s wear, housewares and home furnishings and specialties and accessories offering a wide selection of discounted merchandise. In fact, 40 of these stores are brand new to the Sooner State.

To get a jumpstart on Christmas shopping, two friends and I decided to take a girls’ getaway to Oklahoma City with outlet shopping as the primary goal. We literally shopped until we dropped, happily picking through the thousands of racks of clothing, accessories and gift items. We had a yummy late dinner at nearby Flip’s Wine Bar and Trattoria in lovely Nichols Hills.  Featuring traditional Italian fare, this darling restaurant is decorated with local art and dotted with intimate red and white-checked tables, making it cozy and relaxing for us tired old gals. We then had a restful night at the Hyatt Place in Northwest OKC, which features spacious suites that comfortably slept three of us. It, too, was a bargain, with a complimentary breakfast available for us before hitting other area shops, including upscale Classen’s Curve, another new center featuring unique boutiques and specialty stores.

As all good things must come to an end, we made our way home on Sunday and all agreed that the adventure was a striking success. Not only did we achieve our goal of checking items off of our loved one’s holiday wish lists, we had the chance to enjoy one another’s company, share some laughs and take a break from the busy days of lives as wives and moms.

If you decide to make a trek to the outlets, be sure to drive down in a larger car because you will be loaded down. We cleaned up at many of the stores and marveled over the prices of items such as Brooks Brothers cashmere sweaters and scarves discounted by 75% off of retail, Coach bags that sold at the outlet store for only $100 but retail for as much as $398, Nine West boots, Banana Republic clothing and Saks Fifth Avenue housewares such as Jonathan Adler plates and ornaments and stunning costume jewelry that would normally sell elsewhere for a darn sight more. (The only real difficulty during our adventure was refraining from buying more for ourselves than for others, so buyers, beware!).

Horizon Group Properties, Inc. in a joint venture with CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. brought the outlets to Oklahoma in the summer of 2011. One of only five of such factory outlet properties currently open to the public nationwide, the complex has quickly become a “favored retail destination for Oklahoma City residents as well as tourists who have yet another reason to visit the city”, said Stephen Lebovitz, chief executive of CLB.

Located at the intersection of Interstate 40 and Council Road, the 348,000 square foot open-air center was built in a shopper-friendly racetrack layout with covered walkways. There is a large food court and sitting areas near attractive fountains.

Outlet Shoppes hours are Mon. through Sat., 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sun., noon until 6 p.m. For a full listing of retailers and holiday hours, visit theoutletshoppesatokc.com. And, to check out Flips menu see lipswinebar.com. Room rate information about Hyatt Place in Northwest Oklahoma City can be obtained at oklahomacitynw.place.hyatt.com. For more information on Claussen’s Curve, see classencurve.com.