JENKS: OK — The city of Jenks is preparing for a big facelift!
Main street is being rebranded The Ten District and visionaries with the project say it's about combining the old with the new.
When you walk down Main street, you are greeted by antique shops, quaint, little restaurants and mom and pop businesses with old school charm.
The area has a certain feel about it and entrepreneur, Bryan Wilks, is heading a citizen-led effort to rebrand this part of the city.
Out of brainstorming with numerous Jenks' residents, the name, The Ten District, was born.
"There are a number of historical sites in Jenks and one of them is called the 10 corner. It's because it's situated 10 miles from all the surrounding cities. The idea was really born out of trying to bring together the old and the new to really make a balanced community and town," says Wilks.
He says the plan includes millions to be poured into the area to really take it to the next level.
"Landscaping improvement, facade improvement, just taking up the atmosphere just a bit, right? Just inch by inch, we are trying to make improvement through the city," says Wilks.
Sherry Bonner has been a business owner in Jenks for 13 years.
Her store, The Pink Lily sits just around the corner off Main street and she says, she is thrilled with the idea of Main street evolving.
"I'm ecstatic about it and very happy that we've got some folks in here who are ready to move forward and get Jenks going in the direction that it should be going in," she says.
Corey Crandall owns George's Pub and says he's bought into the vision that Bryan Wilks and his business partner are painting.
'"I think it's something we've needed for a while. We've tried to do things to get the town moving forward, and to see that it's coming to fruition with some of these big projects is really neat," says Crandall.
2 News asked Wilks why he made the decision to invest so heavily into this area.
"It's all private funding. We do collaborate with the city but it's all 100% funded by myself," says Wilks. I have 3 kids that live in Jenks. I've lived here for 20 years and struggled to find a way to make an impact in my community," he says.
Both Wilks and his business partner, Shae Roach, are experts in the fields of marketing and branding.
By rebranding Main street, he says they hope to be able to compete with other areas like Utica Square, The Rose District and Brookside.
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