"At a time when many small towns are struggling to compete with big box stores and online shopping, Pawhuska is enjoying an economic revival based on home cooking and family.
Ree Drummond’s cooking show, The Pioneer Woman, has sparked a wealth of downtown development.
Pawhuska has always been a nice place to visit. From the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve to the Osage Nation and the city’s historic buildings, it has a real flavor of the west.
But now the flavor of Osage County is being spread worldwide by satellite and in HD, a lot more folks are coming to visit.
Pawhuska now sees as many as 12,000 visitors a day on the weekends, with some waiting up to four hours just to get through the doors of The Pioneer Woman's Mercantile.
Drummond told us, “I've heard it said, it’s like Bass Pro for women."
The Merch, as they call it, is a combination restaurant, store, bakery, and coffee shop.
Last Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., there were two separate lines stretching around two different corners.
Drummond's show shares recipes and glimpses of family life on their ranch and is clearly resonating with its viewers.
The Pioneer Woman herself is stunned by the response.
“We really didn't know what to expect on spring break," said Drummond. "Who knew Pawhuska, Okla., was a spring break destination like Miami Beach?"
Since opening last October, they've had people from all 50 states and at least 30 other countries.
Most people waiting in line were from out of town.
All the activity is especially gratifying for a town where the only Walmart store closed back in the 1980s.
In the heart of downtown, the historic Triangle Building is being revived by a Tulsa company and there's a lot of momentum.
Across the street at the Prairie Dog, they’ve been selling gourmet hot dogs since 2011.
Owner Marlene Mosley says things have changed.
"When I opened up, there was really nothing else downtown," said Mosley. "It was struggling."
Now, you could probably make a good living on the people who don’t want to wait in line at the Mercantile.
Thousands of new customers are very welcome.
At the Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director Joni Nash says the town's sales tax revenue is up 33 percent and they're enjoying the new energy in town.
Nash said, “I joked with my sister about how we need T-shirts that say, 'I survived spring break in Pawhuska, Okla., 2017!'"
The woman who's literally feeding the expansion, with everything from chicken-fried steak to fancy pastry, is grateful for the opportunity.
Drummond said, "I love Pawhuska and I think it's a jewel and it’s exciting that the Merch is the reason people are coming to see Pawhuska.”
She added, "It’s not the only reason they are staying."
People here joke that their town is an hour from anywhere, but these days that isn't keeping the whole world from stopping by for lunch.
Those who visit Pawhuska should also carve out time to see the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve just north of town.
It’s the largest expanse of that environment that’s left on Earth. It allows you to see what Oklahoma looked like at the end of the last ice age some 10,000 years ago." (
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