One of Manchester’s most beloved independent shops has announced it is closing its doors at the end of January.
Sharing the news in a post on social media this morning, the team behind quirky Northern Quarter boutique Oklahoma revealed that the physical store will shut on 31 January.
Going forward, co-owners Yaw Djang and Nicola revealed they will instead run Oklahoma as an online-only shop.
Writing that the last three years ‘have been ones of upheaval and change’, the announcement said that Covid brought both ‘problems and opportunities’ – giving the team time to focus on expanding Oklahoma’s online offering and to explore ‘new creative focus and ideas.’
It added that, as a result of improving their online offering during lockdown, they were able to ‘reach lots of new customers all over the UK and abroad’ and ever since have been ‘juggling two businesses’.
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As a result, the post said that now felt like ‘the perfect time to close our physical shop’ and instead focus all their energy on the website offering.
Image: Oklahoma
Image: Oklahoma
The post continued: “Having a physical shop has been an absolute blast and has brought me so much joy! As those who have followed our journey will know, it’s had so many different guises over so many years.
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“It’s been a pleasure working with so many beloved staff members, many of whom I’m still in regular contact with all over the world!
“And of course, BIG love to all you wonderful customers who have visited the shop over the years!
“I am excited about this next step for me, and for the business. I can’t wait to bottle all the best colourful bits of Oklahoma and continue to showcase our brand along with all the great finds on okla.co.uk.”
Since the announcement was made this morning, Oklahoma’s social media has been flooded with messages of love and support from customers who’ve enjoyed shopping there over the past twenty-five years.
One person wrote: “Happy for you and totally get it. Sad for the retail side of the NQ. Will call in before you close. Xx”
Image: Oklahoma
Image: Oklahoma
Another person said: “Awww Nicola, truly the end of an era. Working at Oklahoma totally changed my life in the best possible way so many thankyous and lots of great memories of the caff from me! Big love to you&all your fam.”
A third added: “Thank you for being the funnest and brightest shop I’ve ever known; the shop my kids ALWAYS beg to go to if we make a trip to Manchester. The shop that would ALWAYS bring a smile to the most rubbish of days. A true joy to have had the pleasure of losing an hour in while viewing the weird and the wonderful. Thank you!”
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A fourth commented: “I’ve followed you guys for ages from down here on the south coast, and I’m so happy I eventually got to actually visit. It seems so sad, but it’s a really wise and game changing decision. Wishing you loads of love and luck”
The store itself has been open for over two decades, selling everything from quirky jewellery and wall hangings to cactus lemon juicers, gnome lamps and Guadalupe statues.
‘Sad news’ – the world’s only Vagina Museum has been forced to close
Daisy Jackson
There’s a museum for just about everything these days (we all remember trips to the Stockport Hat Works museum) – but the world’s only space dedicated to vaginas has been forced to close again.
The world-first Vagina Museum announced this week that it’s had to vacate its premises and has once again been left ‘homeless’.
The museum, which welcomed 40,000 visitors in the 10 months it was open, was founded to raise awareness of the gynaecological anatomy and health, erase stigma, and act as a forum for feminism.
Inside, visitors could browse everything from educational materials to art pieces inspired by vaginas and vulvas – including giant tampons decorated in red sequins.
The Vagina Museum said it was ‘disappointed’ that it has been asked to leave its space, adding that it will continue to operate digitally until it finds a new base.
They wrote in a heartfelt statement on social media that they were ‘incredibly proud’ of the museum’s achievements.
Fans of the space queued down the street for its final few days in Bethnal Green, before its eventual closure on Wednesday 1 February.
Their statement said: “Sad news. We’ve received notice to vacate our premises at Bethnal Green by the end of this week. As a property guardianship, we’ve always been aware that we may be asked to leave with very short notice. We’re disappointed that it has come so soon.
“@Enter_theVenue the creative hub with whom we share our space, have also been asked to leave. The Vagina Museum will continue to operate in the digital world as we search for a new home.”
The message continued: “We’re sad about this development, but incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished in the ten months we’ve been at our Bethnal Green premises. We’ve welcomed more than 40,000 visitors through our doors, and received so much love and positive feedback.
“In our time at Bethnal Green, we’ve once again demonstrated just how much the world needs and wants a Vagina Museum.
“Times are, once again, uncertain for us, but we’ve been through this before and risen stronger than ever. With a community like you supporting us, we know we can get through this too.
“We’re actively searching for a new home, and if you know of any vacant spaces (or have one yourself!) please don’t hesitate to reach out. In our home in Bethnal Green, we and ENTER demonstrated that we can transform an empty, unused building into a thriving heart of a community.
“If you don’t have a building, you can still help! Please consider making a donation; a donation of any size makes a huge difference and will help us to weather this storm, just as we’ve weathered storms before.”
The Vagina Museum concluded its thread with: “We’ve made it through a pandemic and a period of temporary homelessness before. With you, together, we can make it through this too.”
Gary Neville addresses ‘clumsy like’ on Tweet about Mason Greenwood 
Daisy Jackson
Gary Neville has said that his liking of a tweet about Mason Greenwood has been ‘misinterpreted’.
The former Manchester United legend and football pundit set off a Twitter storm last night after he ‘liked’ two tweets by Nazir Afzal, and briefly retweeted one.
The tweets in question said that Greenwood was an ‘innocent man’ and added that ‘you are innocent until PROVEN guilty’.
Mason Greenwood had all criminal charges against him dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
He had faced allegations of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault, all against the same woman.
The CPS said that Greenwood case had been stopped because of ‘the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light’, adding that there was no longer a ‘realistic prospect of conviction’.
Gary Neville has spoken about his ‘clumsy like’ of a tweet professing Mason Greenwood’s innocence. Credit: Instagram, Gary Neville
Several people noticed that Neville had liked a tweet about Greenwood’s ‘innocence’ and quickly challenged him on it.
One person shared a screenshot and wrote: “You have a massive platform and you’re liking bulls**t like this just because the monster plays for a team you support. you’re disgusting @GNev2.”
He posted: “I liked a tweet relating to the Mason Greenwood news this afternoon from Nazir Afzal. ( the former director of public prosecutions ).
“This like is being misinterpreted. It was a clumsy like as I obviously condemn any violence against women.”
Greenwood issued a short statement yesterday, writing: “I am relieved that this matter is now over and I would like to thank my family, loved ones and friends for their support. There will be no further comment at this time.”
Featured image: Instagram, @garyneville2 / publicity picture
Georgina Pellant -
13th January 2023 
