As the owner of a small house with a couple extra rooms, I have often made a habit of trying to keep a boarder or two to help pay for expenses. Mine is a bookish house, ok that just sounds snobby… I have too many books! Now I’ll never be featured on TLC’s Buried Alive or anything, I’m at least neat, but there are books in just about every room save the restroom. Periodically I go through and prune but it doesn’t take long before I’ve replaced what I cut. Ok so I digress. It was probably about five summers ago when I and my cousin, who was living with me at the time, went looking for a new book case. It was June or July and we were dressed appropriately for the summer heat i.e. shorts and t-shirts. We stopped off at a local and well known furniture store, and were greeted by an elegantly dressed, attractive, youngish woman, with an attitude that was anything but. As we entered the establishment the woman looked us over and inquired rudely, “What are YOU looking for today?” “Just looking for book cases,” I replied sheepishly and a bit sarcastically. She told us with mock disappointment the store didn’t carry bookcases. We chose to take her at her word even though we could see they had several on the sales floor.
Furniture stores are funny that way. There’s often a great deal of pretention that goes along with selling furnishings. “I don’t think we sell that sort of thing here… We sell exclusively Carl Farbman’s designs. Did he ever design book cases?” Well I found a furniture store with incredible merchandise and without all the snobbery. Western Heritage Interiors is located on highway thirty one, just off the west loop. The products they carry are all western themed and highly unique. The merchandise is all beautifully crafted, and while it is rustic in appearance, it is unlikely that you’ll find too many examples of this kind of quality in an old bunk house. And Western Heritage carries much more than just furniture. The store is filled with all manner of art, from paintings, to sculptures and everything in between. Ok, so lamps and tables made of elk racks, deer antlers or steer horns are a bit too rustic for me. But many people appreciate that sort of oddity. Overall this is a great store where patrons are sure to find all sorts of conversation pieces.
At the time of my visit I was accompanied by a two year old, and had no intention making a purchase, I was simply there for the purpose of writing this review, a fact I didn’t mention by the way. But the gentleman I spoke with was gracious and seemed unconcerned by the presence of a child in his store. Try that at another furniture store in Tyler. I should also mention that the store is locally owned and operated, so most of what is spent there, stays home in Tyler. Western Heritage also has a website, but it appears to be under construction because it doesn’t scratch the surface of the inventory the actually carry in store. I suggest visiting in person for a more realistic look at what they offer. Their web address is www.westernheritageinteriors.com. To reach them by phone, call 903-592-9803.
The Oil Palace Under Fire
June 9th, 2010A couple of weeks ago I tried to make a case that our city and state are becoming over regulated by unnecessary local legislation and bureaucracy. From the banning of a legal substance in restaurants (namely tobacco), to traffic medians which only serve to further clog roadways, to business owners being told they must remove the flags from their store fronts, we are awash in petty legislation.
The latest example of local interference in the affairs of Tylerites is the attempt to shut down the Oil Palace. As best as I can gather, the facility has twice been the victim of vandalism. Once during a ZZ top concert when insulation was flushed down the toilet; and the water valves turned down, the other prior to the Glenn Beck appearance when the water pressure was again turned down. In light of the health department’s concerns about water flow and restroom access, the facility has brought in air-conditioned restrooms to help insure that the existing systems are not overwhelmed. Yet this is still not sufficient for the health officials, who have threatened to try to shut down the Oil Palace prior to upcoming appearances by guests like George Jones and Sarah Palin. Now as someone who attended the Glenn Beck lecture, I can attest to the fact that the Oil Palace as a venue does leave a lot to be desired, but that has absolutely nothing to do with the health department’s complaints. Both the Glenn Beck, and the Sean Hannity appearances were great nights, and there was no danger posed to any attendee. Personally, I plan to attend the Palin visit and expect to have no issues on that occasion either, nor do I plan to turn off the water valves, or flush any insulation.
I once heard someone say that many local bureaucrats are more concerned with being important than being useful. When a local institution bends over backwards to uphold the spirit of an ordinance while continuing to keep its commitments to provide a place for important local and cultural events, I must conclude this is the case. So a brief note to those oh so important folks in the health department: the fact is I as an attendee understand that there may be a problem with water flow in the building. Guess what, I won’t drink it, I still want to see Sarah Palin. I am willing to risk a water fountain that doesn’t work or a toilet that doesn’t flush right. Do you know why I take such awful risks? Because I’m a grown up! I think I can remember to go before I leave the house, and I’ll take a bottle of water to insure that I don’t over heat, but please stop trying to remove all the risk from every nuance of my life! If the facility is making a reasonable effort to fix problems or find ways to otherwise accommodate attendees I am willing to chance it.
As far as I can see, and from what I’ve read at this point, it seems the staff and management at the Oil Palace has taken reasonable steps to comply with what has been asked of them. At this point the whole thing seems like a silly battle of wills to me.
For more information, or to read up on the conflict go to the KETK website at http://www.ketknbc.com/local/oil-palace-gets-another-health-district-notice, or see the KLTV page at http://www.kltv.com/global/story.asp?s=12598373. For more info on the Oil Palace or on upcoming events go to the website at www.oilpalace.com. Readers can also check out my review of the Glenn Beck appearance by looking for the title Glenn Beck comes to Tyler, located elsewhere on this site. Lastly, for a brief look at a few cultural attractions in Tyler this summer, including those coming to the Oil Palace look for the title Cultural Events and Institutions in Tyler TX.
Tags: Attendee, Bureaucrats, Existing Systems, Glenn Beck, Health Department, Health Officials, Legal Substance, Local Institution, Medians, Oil Palace, Oil Palace Tyler TX, Restroom, Restrooms, Roadways, Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity, Store Fronts, The Oil Palace, Water Flow, Water Pressure, Water Valves, Zz Top
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