Choctaw Landing Mercantile stocks products you’ll find in most convenience stores—tobacco, drinks and snacks, among others—but that’s not what draws customers to the Hochatown, Oklahoma, store. The main attraction is its unusual assortment of gift items. “Our uniqueness is our selection of special items—it makes our store memorable,” said Misty Hendricks, executive director of retail operations for Choctaw Nation.

The new Choctaw Landing Mercantile is the Choctaw Nation’s 21st store location, but it’s the first with a focus on upscale gifts and souvenirs. “Because Choctaw Landing [a 100-room resort and casino] is a tourist destination in and of itself, as well as being situated near hundreds of rental cabins tucked into the woods close to Broken Bow Lake and Beavers Bend National Park, we knew we needed to create something really special for tourists and locals alike,” Hendricks said.

Celebrating Heritage

The Mercantile, along with the entire Choctaw Landing complex, honors its Choctaw and Oklahoma history. “Throughout the resort, we have around 600 pieces of artwork by 20 Choctaw artists on display, which adds to the uniqueness and authenticity of Choctaw Landing,” Hendricks said.

Customers at the Mercantile are greeted with a large white buffalo statue made out of fine crystal. “It’s massive and stands right outside the store entrance and attracts a lot of attention,” Hendricks said.

Employees continue the reception by greeting customers with “halito,” a traditional Choctaw greeting. “We want everyone to feel welcome with halito and other Choctaw sayings,” Hendricks said.

Visitors can take a bit of the area’s rich heritage home by purchasing souvenirs made by Choctaw Nation members, such as medallions, beaded jewelry, stick balls and dream catchers. “We’ve begun to seek out Choctaw vendors for other items, such as firewood and freeze-dried candy to add to our merchandise,” Hendricks said. Choctaw Farms, for example, provides jams, jellies, spreads, pickled items, salsa and relish for the store.

The large gift section also offers Hochatown- and Oklahoma-themed shirts, as well as travel mugs and cowboy hats, Western-themed bags and other leather goods. “We also have upscale home décor,” Hendricks said.

In addition, a huge children’s selection offers plenty of outdoor items for hunting, hiking or digging in the dirt, as well as indoor pursuits, such as puzzles and LEGOs. “One of our more popular items is our big bear slippers, which the children love,” Hendricks said.

“A lot of [our] items are designed with the cabin renters in mind,” Hendricks added. Cabin guests can pick up s’mores fixings with heart-shaped marshmallows and gourmet graham crackers, as well as beverage mixes. A small grocery area provides essentials for a cabin stay, while the convenience store stocks the usual variety of snacks and packaged beverages, including a large beer cave. The wine section offers the local Girls Gone Wine brand in addition to other favorites.

The candy section’s one-of-a-kind assortment brings delight to tourists and locals alike. “We have candies you can’t find anywhere else—both upscale and old-fashioned candies,” Hendricks said. Popular candies include candy cigarettes, Pop Rocks, classic rock candy sticks, Razzles and Goo Goo Clusters, in addition to freeze-dried candy.

Fresh foodservice includes a Starbucks and Tuklo Deli, a full-service deli serving slow-smoked barbecue and freshly sliced deli meats, as well as southern fried chicken. “We offer grab-and-go meals, hand-crafted salads and made-to-order sandwiches,” Hendricks said.

Cultivating Connections

Hendricks is looking forward to infrastructure improvements in the vicinity of the store. “Traffic gets really bogged down on the weekend because it’s a two-lane road to get here, but we’ve invested $7 million for road construction to allow for traffic lights and turn lanes,” she said.

Plus, they’re working with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to make stormwater improvements, relocate utilities and widen Highway 259. “Those improvements will help ease some of the congestion,” Hendricks said.

Overall, Hendricks said the store’s main aim is for “our visitors feel satisfied and eager to return to experience our culture and history in this special experience they can’t find anywhere else.”