SOUNDPONY

The SOUNDPONY is a bar located in the Tulsa Arts District of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. The venue hosts live music, and sponsors cycling and other sporting events.

Owned by Mike Wozniak and Josh Gifford, the bar was one of the first businesses, along with Caz's and McNellie's, to initiate the revitalization of Tulsa's downtown nightlife in the mid-2000s. It was selected best venue for original live music from Urban Tulsa's “Best of Tulsa” in 2008, 2009, 2010,[1] and 2011,[2] and the club has been mentioned in Spin,[3] Reuters,[4] and the China Shop blog.[5]

Building

Located at 409 N. Main St. in Tulsa, The SOUNDPONY is open, as its door says, at “3-ish” until close around 2am. It sports a shot-gun style layout of 1500 sq feet, and a back outdoor patio.

History

Mike Wozniak and Josh Gifford met in Norman where they worked at Chili's circa 1994. After both moving to Tulsa, they bartendered together at Empire Bar and the Brook, where they aspired to have their own establishment so that they could have a venue for their own creative endeavors in music and video.

To finance the bar, they took out personal lines of credit that were secured by Josh's life insurance policy and Mike's house. Doug DeJarnette at Bank of Oklahoma handled the financing. Contractor Mickey Payne found the space near Cain's, noting it would be a good spot because the ticket line from Cain's often stretches past the space that was to become the bar.

Once money and name were in place, Mike and Josh enlisted the help of Duvall Architects (the firm that also designed Vintage 1740 and the Dust Bowl in Tulsa) and contractor Mickey Payne of Happy Hammer, along with Roger Condray welder who did much of the bar's fixtures and signs. Artist Anne-Marie Foy did the SOUNDPONY moss sign inside the bar.

In addition to the short-lived band, the SOUNDPONY race team existed before the bar, though they were incorporated in July, 2005.

The Bar opened May 2006.

References
  1. Urban Tulsa Weekly. July 14, 2010. Mentions winning for three years straight.
  2. Urban Tulsa Weekly. July 14, 2011.
  3. Spin Magazine. April, 2008.
  4. Reuters Events blog
  5. China Shop blog. A good story about the bar with great pics.
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