Edmond Marketplace

Ron's Hamburgers

There is nothing like a hot, juicy, cheeseburger, overflowing with favorites like pickles, onions or chili with a pile of fresh cut French fries on the side and an ice cold beverage to wash it all down. Jimmy Buffet has it right when he sings, "Cheeseburger in Paradise."

Chris Tucker, owner and operator of Ron's Hamburgers and Chili, located at the corner of 2nd and Santa Fe, would agree and also tell you the importance of having a consistent, quality product.

"In the restaurant business, you have to have it all. That is, a strong ‘back of the house' in your cooks and kitchen crew, and a nice, pleasant serving crew," Tucker said. "I've always said that Ron's is a five star burger joint."

Tucker understands that with most customers you only have one shot to get it right with the combination of food and service. He should know; he has been in the food industry for over thirty years.

"It's a difficult business. Your key is having good employees, because if you don't have good employees, you don't have a good product and you don't have good service," he said.

A crowd favorite is the sausage, chili cheeseburger. It starts with a patty made up of half Owens sausage and half beef. It is served on a bun with mustard and onions, then covered with a spice based chili.

"It's wonderful, we try our best to do it right," Tucker said. "Usually, when we get a new customer, we will see them back within two days."

There are a couple of standards that you will always find at Ron's. Only the freshest, local meats are used. Each day, fresh cut potatoes are used for the fries and the trans-fat free grease is replaced.

"People come here for a great hamburger. I figure that there is no reason to change a good thing," Tucker said.

Ron's has two other metro locations, one in Midwest City at 351 North AirDepot Road, Suite A, and the other at 4723 N. May in Oklahoma City. Business hours are 10:30 a.m.- 8:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with Sundays available for private parties. To contact the Edmond location at 2nd and Santa Fe, call 844-7667.

Bead Town

Bead Town, located at 15th and Santa Fe, is a shop full of colorful, natural gemstones, pearls, turquoise, Austrian crystal and cat's eye. Here, customers can create beautiful bracelets, necklaces, and earrings adding their own personal touch.

Bead Town, formerly located in Quail Springs Mall, expanded to Edmond early in 2007. They also have a store in South Oklahoma City, located at 119th and Western.

"One of the main reasons for our move was to accommodate our birthday parties, which we were not able to do in Quail Springs Mall due to the size of our store," said owner Rolando Rodriguez. "We probably do four to six parties a month, sometimes more."

Birthday parties have been a very unique and identifiable part of Bead Town, as it offers an on-site birthday room. Parties are geared for young girls from seven years of age and up. The party package includes a necklace and a bracelet. During the summer months, the bracelet is replaced with an anklet.

"Everyone gets a tray and sits around our table in the party room which is cut low to the ground. We have beading wire already attached to the clasp," said Rodriguez. "We do all the instruction. We also make sure that the items made fit properly," he said.

Clients that schedule a birthday party at Bead Town not only get the convenience of the birthday party room, but they are also allowed to bring in any refreshments they desire.

"Most of the time, in just a matter of months, many of the people who attended the party are having parties of their own," Rodriguez said. "Everybody has a good time and they get to keep the jewelry that they make."

Bead Town's approach of working one-on-one with the customer sets them apart from other jewelry shops. "When you go to the big jewelry stores, you have to take what they have available. Here, you have the choices and the ability to create whatever you wish," said Rodriguez.

Bead Town also offers beading classes that teach students how to put it all together. For scheduling, check their website at www.mybeadtown.com.

Bead Town is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sunday 1-6 p.m. They can be reached by phone at 844-0411.