Emily Kalka Staff Writer Downtown Chandler is about to look a lot brighter. The City of Chandler launched a new beautification project, awarding the bid to a local business, The Honey Pot.
Natalie Nell, assistant to the City Manager, said the City began setting aside money for beautification purposes last year. They wanted to revitalize downtown and advertised an RFP for the downtown beautification process.
Nell said the City really liked The Honey Pot’s vision, and people spoke highly of them.
“And now, we have a small downtown business carrying out a big downtown project, which is something that will instill a lot of community pride,” Nell said. “Janna and Kelly have been great to work with, so we’re confident they will do a wonderful job.”
Janna Collins, owner of The Honey Pot, and the rest of her team— Carly Mileham on social media and Kelly Lee, who jokes that she does whatever needs to be done—are excited about the project.
“I am so unbelievably grateful and excited. I would still say probably a little in shock. I think it’s just a really neat opportunity,” Collins said.
Lee added that she was grateful that Collins had jumped on the opportunity, saying that just because the city put it out for bid doesn’t mean that she had to take the leap, but she did.
All were grateful that the city chose a local business.
“I’m super proud of the city for choosing someone local, for believing in someone,” Mileham said.
“They could have outsourced it to somebody else, but yea… it gives me goosebumps to think about them putting that back into our town.”
The Honey Pot opened in 2022, and Lee said working for a small, local business takes a lot of faith.
“I would say small business is not for the faint of heart. It takes a tough skin. Thick, thick skin and a lot of faith,” she said. “I would say that my involvement with Honey Pot has been some of the biggest trust and belief moments.”
But they have big plans for downtown. The Honey Pot will install 24 planters from City Hall down to 11th Street and change out the plants every season. Collins said she wanted it to look like a Hallmark movie.
“I want it to look striking and magical. And I want Chandler to be one of the greatest small towns in Oklahoma to go visit,” she said. “I want it to be for years and years. It’s not a temporary fix. The goal is not mediocre… The goal is the wow factor that they’re going to see… The goal is to grow for generations.”
Collins also hopes that this could expand into a community project down the line, with the planters being a sort of blank canvas. She spoke of a recent trip to Uvalde, where there are murals commemorating those lost in the school shooting in 2022. With no walls in downtown Chandler for art projects like that, she thinks the planters could be used.
The planters should be out in April with the first season of plants.
Nell said City Hall is next focusing on city parks.
They are meeting with a landscaper to revitalize Imel Park next week. Reed Park, Mclanahan Park and Rainbow Park also have plans in the works too.
“We want to make and keep Chandler beautiful so that everyone can feel proud to call Chandler home,” she said.