Anna Mains knows Bricktown is cool, and she wants to prove it.
Anna and husband Drew Mains, who own Rockford Cocktail Den, Knucks Wheelhouse and newly rebranded Dekora!, 200 S. Oklahoma Ave., Suite 130, staked their fortunes on Oklahoma Citys original entertainment district in 2013 when they purchased a struggling outpost of Tulsa-based In the Raw restaurant.
We bought In the Raw a little over three years ago, she said. It was never our brand to begin with; the style and the idea were someone elses.
Part of the reason they could afford to buy it was the restaurants struggle to bring in and retain customers.
I feel like we were able to buy it because of the rocky beginning in Oklahoma City, she said.
Their management skills made for better service and consistent quality, which helped right the ship. Unfortunately, the news didnt spread as quickly.
So many people would say, I never knew it changed owners. We came there four or five years ago and it was horrible and we never came back, Mains said.
The restaurant needed a complete break, she said. Oklahoma Citys In the Raw already had a different menu than those in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, so why not go all the way and change the name?
I wanted to bring something that was going to have a vibe that was our personality: fun and vibrant, Mains said.
Bricktown has struggled in recent years with feeling too corporate, she said. Whatever In the Raw would become, it needed to be original and local while still addressing the needs of the district.
What can be hip and fun and cool but also feel comfortable to bring your kids to? Mains said.
Their answer is Dekora!, which retains the sushi menu that previous customers love and plays up tasty, sharable Japanese street food.
Seeing the evolution of the district, there are more families coming to Bricktown, Mains said. Dekora! fits that evolution. It has a more all-ages, casual feel to it.
When you say something is in Bricktown, no one says, Oh, great! Bricktown! she said.
It has become cool to hate the district, she said. Everyone continues to reinforce Bricktowns negatives, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts.
I mainly hear a lot of complaints about traffic and parking, she said. Once the road construction ends, it will help the traffic, but theres always free parking in Lower Bricktown.
Dekora! even validates parking on Thunder game days, meaning diners can get a $20 parking spot for free just for eating at the restaurant.
To those who think Bricktown is touristy and corporate, Mains said there are small business owners everywhere in the district.
West in Bricktown is owned by Rick and David Haynes. Crabtown is part of the local Pearls Restaurant Group. Other locally owned spots include Room 222 at The Brick, The Mantel Wine Bar & Bistro and All About Cha.
Im about as local and small business as you can get, Mains said. Wed like to see it come full circle. Just like everything else, if someone tells you, This place is cool, then everybody wants to be there.
The people who were in Bricktown five years ago are now in Uptown, Mains said. And Im saying, You know Bricktown is just four minutes up the street, right?
Without the efforts of Bricktown pioneers, Mains thinks we wouldnt have many of Oklahoma Citys other districts.
It if werent for Bricktown, would we have Uptown 23rd? Would we have the Plaza District? she asked.
Hoping and wishing wont bring people back to Bricktown, but the Mains think Dekora! can.
When we decided to rebrand, we wanted to attract the people who wont come to Bricktown because they think theres nothing cool down there, she said. Its difficult to do that and still have that amazing base of regulars who come in all the time.
Dekora! has the same owners and staff that turned In the Raws fortunes around but adds a pop culture-centric look, courtesy of Robot House Creative. The back wall is a mural depicting a giant monster fighting costumed defenders over a city.
But the restaurants new name might also be causing confusion.
People didnt understand In the Raw. Was it a strip club, an oyster bar, a raw health food thing? Mains said.
Dekora! isnt immediately understood, but the name comes from a Tokyo street fashion called decora that uses bright, flashy accessories to create a feeling of playfulness. For the Mains, the extreme fashion fits in with their extreme brand of hospitality, doing whatever it takes to please customers.
Once customers find their way into Dekora!, Mains is confident theyll want to explore more of what Bricktown has to offer.
Visit extremeyum.com.
Print headline: Staying Japanese, Dekora! owners hope a new look and name will entice more people to return to Bricktown.