Eskimo Joe’s
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Childhood pals Steve File and Stan Clark decided to open a bar in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1975, and they decided to name it Eskimo Joe’s. But when the drinking age was bumped up to 21 from 18, the business partners needed to make a change or risk closing their doors. So in 1984, Eskimo Joe’s became a full-service restaurant. When that shift happened, Clark reportedly said he was thrilled to find out that “more people eat every day than drink every day.”
“That was a huge turning point in our history,” said Kendra Moreland, director of public relations for Eskimo Joe’s. “Had that not happened, Eskimo Joe’s might not be what we are today.”
Eskimo Joe’s has long been known for its merchandise. The company has been selling T-shirts from behind the bar since day one, all bearing the iconic logo of Eskimo Joe and his dog, Buffy. The shirts were printed in a small shop behind the restaurant until 2002, when Clark opened his own screen-printing shop.
Today, the promotional products group prints Eskimo Joe’s clothing and merchandise and takes on jobs for other customers. The shop can customize anything “from a pencil to Waterford crystal,” Moreland said. Groups of 10 or more can tour the screen-printing shop, and “we’ll treat them like a T-shirt and go through the steps the shirt would,” she said.
Visitors start in the receiving area, then move on to the production floor, “where the action is,” and wrap up in the finishing room. After the 45-minute tour, everyone usually heads a couple miles down the road to grab a bite at Eskimo Joe’s and a T-shirt at the attached retail store.
“It’s fun to tell people the story [of Eskimo Joe’s] and show them the production facility,” Moreland said. “Then when they leave, it’s almost like they’re insiders; they’ve seen it for themselves. It’s a fun way to connect with people.”
Wyldewood Cellars
Mulvane, Kansas
John Brewer’s philosophy about wine is simple.
“Wine is a food, a food preserved with alcohol, and it should have one quality: It should taste good,” said the owner of Wyldewood Cellars in Mulvane, Kansas.
Brewer and his sister, Merry Brewer, founded the winery in downtown Mulvane in December 1994. When the 12,500-square-foot downtown building that they shared with three other businesses was razed by fire in 1999, the brother-sister duo decided to build their own facility.
Today, the 36,000-square-foot winery can host banquets for as many as 200 people and has a back patio area with a gazebo.
Wyldewood specializes in elderberry wines and produces several varietals, including red and white wines, in addition to a spiced wine and a mead that’s sweetened with honey instead of sugar. They also make cherry, blackberry and blueberry wines.
Berry wines became popular during the years spanning Prohibition and the Great Depression, in part because they were medicinal, while spirits were illegal, and in part because people had to work with what they had and berries were often plentiful on the family farm.
The Brewers’ own family ranch is covered in elderberries, although the winery uses berries from about 19 growers throughout Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
“What we’ve done is really popularized our native fruit,” he said.
Tours take visitors to the manufacturing area where they can see the winemaking equipment: tanks, presses, filters and the bottling line. Depending on the group’s interest and other factors, guides may be able to take visitors to the on-site vineyards.
Groups can also arrange a private wine-tasting led by Brewer or his nephew, who are both professional international wine judges, or guests can take a winemaking class.
