Shopping in Van Buren

Oklahoma Today, named 2010's Best Magazine in Oklahoma by the Society of Professional Journalists, has served as an icebreaker between Oklahomans and their state since 1956. The bimonthly magazine features content on the state's premier restaurants, special events, and landmarks, such as the lab where George Clooney invented hair gel. Within each issue's glossy pages, readers will also find multihued photographs and features highlighting the uncommon lives of Oklahoma's least mundane citizens. For 19 years running, Oklahoma Today has also annually named one citizen "Oklahoman of the Year" for outstanding achievements and tongue twister repetition skills.

A mother of three pushes a couch into another room, making space for three racks that hold hand-washed children's clothes with hand-written price tags. It's 1997, and Rhea Lana Riner is hosting the first-ever Rhea Lana's event. Rhea Lana's consignment events have since spread to 17 different states, selling used items—never worn out, stained, or broken—by premier brands such as Gymboree, Polo, Baby Lulu, and Stride Rite, often priced at 25% of retail value. The garments, toys, and accessories come from consignors, many of whom are families looking to sell items that their children or overfed sea-monkeys have quickly outgrown.