Liles And Company Celebrates 10 Years Downtown Story by Kelsey Wagner/Editor-in-Chief Photos provided by Trina Liles-Sims
Trina Liles-Sims is an educator by trade and worked both as a teacher and eventually as a high school principal. But in December 2010, she became a boutique owner as well. On December 1, 2010, Trina Liles-Sims purchased “The Bag Lady” boutique, a small store specializing in handbags. The small store was initially located next to Turtle’s Donut shop on north Seventh St. The story behind the purchase of the business is as simple and sweet as Trina’s laugh as she recalls the spur-of-the-moment purchase.
The beautiful Liles and Company storefront, located on Grand Ave. near Second St. in downtown Ponca City.
“We were just on a month-to-month lease, and Terron started looking and talked to Fred Boettcher, and in six months, we moved downtown. We just decided it would be better and more convenient for shoppers, so going to Grand Ave. was our ultimate goal.” By moving down to Grand Ave, the store tripled in size and expanded its offerings by adding clothing lines, denim, menswear, and home goods.
“I don’t know! I went over there to play Bunko with Kylie Hughes, who owned The Bag Lady, and her mom and I were high school friends. They told me that night the store was for sale, and my daughter Traci said I should buy it,” recalls Trina, “so it was on a whim that we even bought it.”
It wasn’t long until Trina’s daughter, Traci Irragi, a certified cosmetologist, joined the family business as well. During the rebranding, Liles and Company added four salon chairs in the back of
I said, “What’s a high school principal going to do with that business?”
“We wanted to make it a family business we could be proud of.”
Trina did buy the business and soon asked her son Terron to join the business. Terron has a keen eye for fashion and helped shoppers find styles that matched their taste and preference.
see LILES Continued on page 37
June 2021
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