State Bank & Trust, Brookside - Tulsa, OK (page 2)

(...previous page) the bank yet remain accessible to South Peoria, the busy street in front of the office space. The most logical location for it was behind the old theater, and, Morrill says, there was just enough space to make this possible. "We were lucky," he says. "The old theater was exactly the width we needed--literally down to inches."

The completed art-deco-style branch office spans 5,000 square feet--not including the six-lane, head-on drive-through--with, as Morrill puts it, a "friendly, well-lit, inviting atmosphere that gives character back to the community." The theater was turned into an upscale restaurant with office space above and parking in the back.

Parking was a concern at first, says Choate, because, as State Bank's motto "eight to eight at State" suggests, the bank is open well past dinnertime. He feared

that bank and restaurant customers might end up competing for spaces.

"Our partnership with other businesses is important. We both have to succeed in the difficult retail environment, so we need to support one another."

But part of "being a good neighbor" is making compromises, and Choate says all tenants have worked with

each other to prevent any problems.

"Our partnership with other businesses is important," he notes. "We both have to succeed in the difficult retail environment, so we need to support one another. We at State Bank actually try to exceed other businesses' expectations."

Both Choate and Morrill say the cost of building the branch was no less than building a completely new office--plumbing and electrical wires had to be rerouted, for instance--but that the status State Bank has received in the Brookside area has made the project worth it.

"The new location hasn't been as immediately profitable as a new office in the suburbs," Choate says, "but we know that in this established area, once we get a customer, we'll keep that customer. We're now part of their community."


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