Sketching Out an Artist’s Dreams: How Decopolis Is Expanding with Support from TEDC Creative Capital
Table of Contents:
Sharing a Love for Art and Science with Tulsa
Creative Flights of Fancy and the Realities of Renting Retail Space
Making the Most of the Unexpected
An Infusion of New Life—Thanks to TEDC Creative Capital
Building a Business Plan and Casting a Greater Vision
Expanding Toward a Bigger, Better Future
With a passion for creating beautiful artwork, championing Tulsa’s Art Deco history, and bringing the magic of playful discovery to children (and adults) of all ages, William Franklin, owner and resident artist of Decopolis on Route 66, appreciates the value of marrying what he loves with running a profitable business. He’s pursuing the expansion of his vision—an engaging, spacious store, museum, and immersive experience—by buying land of his own to house it, with the assistance of nontraditional funding and education through TEDC Creative Capital.
Sharing a Love for Art and Science with Tulsa
“I always liked art and science. Those were my two favorite things from a young age.” That’s how William Franklin, a local artist and business owner, describes the inspiration for launching Decopolis. This unique novelty gift and souvenir shop also houses immersive activities for children and exhibits for the budding Tulsa Art Deco Museum.
William’s passion for artistry, Art Deco, and scientific discovery merged when he launched Decopolis over ten years ago. At the time, he had experience painting murals and frescoes for people’s homes and businesses. He’d also created themed environments, including art-related work at Disney World, in Europe, and across the U.S.
At first, his vision for Decopolis was modest. “I was just going to do a little gift shop, mostly selling my art,” he says, “and maybe refinishing some furniture and selling a few little things.” But soon after he opened his first storefront in downtown Tulsa, Decopolis started evolving—and William’s dreams began to take off to higher heights.
Creative Flights of Fancy and the Realities of Renting Retail Space
“I wanted to make the shop a magical space because I am an artist,” William explains. As he added to the store’s visual design and products, Decopolis drew crowds who admired the lovely Art Deco pieces, creative gift items, and the thrilling dinosaur and tiki designs. The store became a visual feast for the eyes, and patrons responded with delight.
“I’m a big Disney fan, so I love all of that kind of thematic magic,” William says. “I think that gave us an edge over an average store.” Decopolis quickly became not just a shop but an experience that people talked about and invited friends to visit. “Everything I loved, I put into the store, and found it just clicked with people,” he says. “So I just kept heading in that direction.”
That’s not to say Decopolis hasn’t faced its challenges. Like many small businesses, the shop had to navigate high rental rates associated with commercial space. Their initial storefront was located in a space in downtown Tulsa that had been empty for 30 years. A change in property ownership created the opportunity to move to a bigger space a few blocks away.
Making the Most of the Unexpected
Moving locations can be a setback for many businesses, but Decopolis was fortunate, and customers were loyal. The additional square footage allowed William to expand on his favorite visual themes—tikis, fossils, dinosaurs, and more. He took artistic concepts he’d studied and brought his vision to life in the heart of his shop.
At the same time, he realized his store could also house the Tulsa Art Deco Museum—another passion of his—even better than he’d dreamed. The museum pieces helped draw people to the new location, where they could see the art and buy items at the shop, which funded making the attractions at Decopolis even better. The synergy was exciting. But this second downtown storefront still offered challenges that were hard to surmount.
“The difficulty with downtown was that it was hard for people to park. It was hard to get people down there. We were always trying to do different events to get that area going,” William says.
As the area changed, his fellow store owners moved out, and businesses like banks and insurance companies moved in—places that didn’t pull the shoppers Decopolis needed to survive. Then COVID hit, and foot traffic from local businesses died. William needed to move elsewhere again, or his shop and vision would die.
An Infusion of New Life—Thanks to TEDC Creative Capital
Determined to keep Decopolis going, William doubled down on the tourism surge that Tulsa was encouraging and moved his store to historic Route 66. In its current location, a few blocks down from Mother Road Market, Decopolis has greater visibility and access for customers, and the shop is going strong.
The success of the move to Route 66 has been reassuring, proving to William that his instincts about the type of shop he wanted to run were on target. The support provided by TEDC Creative Capital has made its growth easier.
William connected with TEDC during the pandemic shutdown when government programs and grants were available to help businesses like his stay afloat. He began researching where to get COVID-related financing, and that’s when he discovered what TEDC offered. “Being able to have their support really helped us survive and get the new store going,” he says.
Building a Business Plan and Casting a Greater Vision
And it wasn’t just the financial support that he received. William also participated in TEDC’s educational program and learned how to write a business plan. As he dreamed about his next steps, William realized he wanted to own his own property so he could expand Decopolis further and provide the educational programming, entertainment, and museum displays he’d envisioned since first opening his storefront a decade earlier.
He took TEDC’s business class intending to get an SBA loan, an experience that was much easier than trying to attain a conventional loan through a traditional bank.
“It’s one of those things that I’ve learned about financing,” William says. “If you’ve got a relationship with a bank, and you’ve got property already, equity and stuff, it’s a whole lot easier. But when you’re just starting out, it’s incredibly difficult. Being able to have that little extra support that TEDC is able to offer us is making it so that we can do this.”
Expanding Toward a Bigger, Better Future
Finding the right property has been challenging in today’s real estate climate, but William is as determined as ever to achieve his dreams for Decopolis. On his current rader is a swath of land nearly two acres in size, with a building already on it.
When Decopolis moves onto its own land, William will be able to expand significantly. The shop will continue to offer favorites such as candy by the bagful, local souvenirs, and themed gifts. And there will be exciting new features too, including an ice cream shop and an expansion of Decopolis’s Mesmer Island concept — complete with a replica volcano and a dinosaur cave that kids can explore, as well as a big screen where classes and immersive activities can be offered.
“To have a place where I can do what I want, and that is building on itself, is what I’m aiming for now,” William says. The future of Decopolis is big and growing bigger every day, encompassing all kinds of fun for children and adults alike to enjoy—thanks to partners like TEDC.TEDC Creative Capital is a community development financial institution (CDFI) with a mission to champion and assist start-ups and growing businesses throughout Oklahoma. With vital business educational programs, non-traditional capital, and funding vehicles, TEDC helps business owners and entrepreneurs gain the knowledge and finances they need to thrive in their local economy. Explore and connect with the friendly team of experts at TEDC to see how they can help you move your business forward.