Wandering the streets of Broken Arrow, I discovered a small slice of international culture here in Oklahoma. Things UK Ltd. is a British-themed shop tucked into an average strip mall, hidden between other businesses, small and uncongested.
The doors to the shop are below an inexpensive sign with the name of the business. The sign bears the British flag, a signifier of the goods sold there. As I peer through the windows before stepping inside, I see the distinctive red phone box, a popular symbol of the country’s culture, alongside a red double-decker bus.
I walked inside, not knowing what to expect, and was greeted by a cordial gentlemen of around 60 years of age. At that moment, the cultural shift hit me. The man’s voice brought a different accent to Broken Arrow. The pitch and tone of his words was definitely English. This was a good sign of the shop's authenticity.
Every product I examined was a product of British culture, but these products were not so different from American goods. The products included chocolates, creams, teas, and flour. Since these products were all imported, the prices seemed steep. That makes sense. This is not the place for regular groceries, but it is a place to find something uniquely British, something new and different.
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