Celebrate the Place You Love by Making it Tiny
My favorite thing about traveling is meeting people that live where I’m just a visitor. Just a few curious questions from me often unlocks the deep passion they have for their town, college, museum, business, downtown, or neighborhood.
Storytime…
Pam and I were at the AAA Road Fest in Tulsa, Oklahoma this past summer. We were invited to share a booth with our amazing friends at Your-Type 3D, the makers of the giant photo-op signs we recreate in miniature. Weirdly Famous had just been launched, and Jennifer from Your-Type was the first to tell us it was a great idea. Not only that, but she invited us to share their booth so we could test products and messaging. What a gift they gave us! We will forever grateful.
A gal came up to our booth to talk to Jennifer about purchasing another large sign for her town of Supulpa, Oklahoma. Anna and her mother introduced themselves, and we learned that they were very involved in their town’s Main Street program and especially its giant Holiday display. Anna’s parents had moved to the area just a few years earlier because they saw how much Anna and her family loved the town.
Megan with Anna and her Mom from Sapulpa, Oklahoma at the AAA Road Fest in Tulsa, OK
Anna told us that Sapulpa was only about twenty minutes away from Tulsa. Then she introduced us to the Christmas Chute, a massive pedestrian holiday attraction that debuted in 2022 along a historic stretch of Route 66, right down Dewey Avenue, their main street. Getting it started took two years of planning, $800,000 in privately raised funds, and over 300 volunteers. Organizers even had to work with state officials to reroute traffic.
Imagine about 1,100 feet of overhead Christmas decorations stretching across multiple downtown blocks. It’s decorated with ten distinct Christmas themes. Over 35,000 feet of Christmas lights, miles of garland, gigantic ornaments, and hanging decor. The project attracts hundreds of thousands of people and is open from Thanksgiving to Christmas. In recent years, the organizers have expanded the attractions to include the Okie Igloo Village with heated private domes, pop-up shops, food trucks, and visits with Santa at Martha’s Corner.
It’s become a huge boon for downtown businesses. It paused in 2025 for a major streetscape redesign along the route, intended to make downtown more pedestrian-friendly. Sidewalks were widened, Lights were strung across the street, and flower baskets and planters were placed. Infrastructure was created along the way to make it easier to hang the metal grids the Christmas Chute hangs from. Anna and her mom told us how hard construction had been on businesses and how much the town had missed its Christmas celebration.
As they excitedly talked, Pam and I looked at each other in confusion. A chute? Hanging from overhead? Hundreds of thousands of visitors to a town of about 22,000 people? How had we never heard of this! And it was only a short drive from where we were?
And then, when they told us they had a sample of the Chute set up in an alley, we knew we had to go.
Their enthusiasm and stories hooked us. Their love for downtown and this Christmas project was like magic fairy dust swirling around them. Anna and I exchanged phone numbers so we could report in about our visit.
After our long day at the show, we could have gone to the hotel and put our feet up. Instead, inspired and excited, we headed on Route 66 to Sepulpa, not knowing what we would find.
The downtown was spectacular. We arrived in time to see it in the daylight. We found the Christmas Chute exhibit and wandered underneath it with our mouths agape. What in the Old Fashioned, over-the-top Christmas Magic was this!
Seriously. We were stunned. Mesmorized. And also hungry.
We had dinner at beautiful James Calley Brewing Company just a block from the Chute display. Greeted by one of the owners, she asked if we had been there before. We told her a quick story of why we were in town and she was so excited that we were visiting. Supulpa love ozzed from her, too. Pam remarked how beautiful the place was, and before she sat us at our table, she said, “Let me show you my favorite part!” and took us to the bathrooms.
Yes. The Bathrooms.
The woman’s was wallpapered in a super fun cowgirl motif, and the men’s was a Santa on a horse. They were adorable and fun, and Pam and I were filled with the warmth one gets from being welcomed into a place that someone loves, even if it’s a bathroom!
When I think about why we started Weirdly Famous, of course the things that come to mind are “well, we bought all these machines, we probably should sell something to help pay for them,” and “Pam and I are unemployable with our ADHD and our love of shenanigans.”
Clearly, our best hope was to start our own business doing something we are passionate and crazy about: miniatures and crafts.
Our tagline says “Miniature versions of the places people love.” That evening in Sapulpa helped me understand just how much those words mean.
People really do pour themselves into the places they love. Sometimes that means hundreds of volunteer hours spent hanging Christmas decorations over a downtown street. Sometimes it means showing two hungry strangers your favorite wallpaper.
Our miniatures give that affection something tangible to hold onto. A familar sign can remind someone of home. A tiny landmark can bring back memories of an unexpected evening in a town they almost drove past, and the people who made them feel welcome.
Sure, Weirdly Famous makes tiny things representating the places people love, and every tiny thing we make carries a little of someone’s enourmous love for that place.