All about Invitations: The Inviting Place is for Girls

By Elizabeth Kubik

The mostly female customers who stroll through the welcoming doors of the oblong, girly, stationary shop at 61st Street and Yale Avenue, expect a great set of invitations, superior service and, most often, some energetic girl-talk.

A paper and gifts store, The Inviting Place specializes in adorable and affordable invitations for every occasion: weddings, birthdays, births, anniversaries or just a backyard barbecue.

I found the eye-catching store, currently decorated for fall with an OSU tailgate window-display and ghostly Halloween invitations strategically placed next to a bright, colorful, candy corn bowl, to be a lively environment, full of frills and enthusiasm.

Invitations line the walls. From invitations for a little princess’ palace birthday party to the eloquent, gorgeous wedding invitations of her dreams, the store, and the passionate employees, seek to please every taste, every occasion and every customer.

"We really try to have a wide variety of gifts and invitations so that all our customers can find exactly what they are looking for," Sara, store owner, OSU graduate and long-time Tulsan, says.

While the choices of invitations seem endless, I was far more impressed by the people who create the energy and mood in the store.

Hard-working, busy women carefully tie satin bows to complete the finishing touches on an upcoming wedding program and add the last rhinestone to a 50th surprise birthday invitation to give it an appropriate glitz, all while chatting away, offering knowledgeable assistance and advice to customers.

The enjoyment these women seem to get out of being in the store and helping customers ultimately breathes life into The Inviting Place.

Elizabeth Kubik is a TU senior from St. Louis. She is majoring in English and completing a certificate in journalism studies. She is also a passionate runner.