Katiebug’s Trailer Park
The streets of downtown Edmond were crowded for the May 20th Heard on Hurd; full of local food trucks and patrons anxiously awaiting their orders. At the corner of Broadway and Hurd a more permanent “trailer park” has popped up and been a welcome addition to the neighborhood: home to Katiebug’s Shaved Ice and Hot Chocolate. The line was anything but short, but moved quickly to serve up delicious frozen hot chocolate, their weekend special cherry vanilla snow cone with sweet cream and dozens of other creative medleys. Children were playing tic tac toe on the lawn and tossing bean bags behind the vintage canned ham trailer, while others sat at picnic tables and patio furniture strewn about the green grass. It was an idyllic night for a snow cone, sunset, and quality time with family and neighbors.
Oklahoma’s mother daughter duo Katie and Melissa Morgan knew they wanted to work together and shared a love for vintage charm and summer treats. The food truck industry in the area has boomed in the past 5 years and the Morgans loved the convenience of mobility. Katie says, “Once we decided on a food truck we really had our hearts set on finding a vintage trailer to convert. We found a vintage trailer just like we wanted and went to work to turn it into our first Katiebug’s trailer who we affectionately call Lucy.” The original trailer a.k.a. Lucy is now permanently parked in downtown Edmond while her sister trailer (Ethel) travels the OKC Metro for events and private functions.
“We knew that we wanted to serve untraditional snow cones. Being conscious of what our family eats and where our food comes from is something that is really important to us that is why we chose to make our own syrups rather than using concentrates. Through the process of experimenting with the different ways to makes syrups we fell in love with the endless possibilities that making our own syrups brought. We are constantly challenging ourselves to see how far we can stretch our creative muscles, and what crazy, new flavors we can come up with.” Not only did the Morgans know they wanted fresh, quality ingredients they wanted the same atmosphere for their customers. “Katiebug’s Trailer Park has become exactly what we hoped that it would be. A place where people from all over the state come to spend quality time together, enjoy a yummy treat, and experience the quaint atmosphere of Downtown Edmond. Whether they come for a playdate, date night, a study break, family time, hanging out with friends, or just stop by on their evening stroll through the neighborhood.”
This local business is serving up delicious treats but also serving its community by hosting community building activities. Each month Katiebug’s hosts a different event including dances, camping lessons on their lawn, family fun/game night, and even free yoga. Their goal is to be the type of place a customer can experience, not just drive through. “Good old fashioned fun” was their intention when opening the permanent trailer park for Katiebug’s in downtown Edmond. “We wanted to create a place where people would want to put away their cell phones and enjoy spending quality time together while eating a treat made from quality ingredients.”
In July, Katiebug’s will celebrate their 4th anniversary. Both Katie and Melissa say the most rewarding aspect of their entrepreneurial adventure has been the relationships they have built through Katiebug’s. Their loyal customer base has helped them build their dream into a reality of now operating 2 food trucks and running a thriving family business. “We feel a huge responsibility to our sweet customers; they’ve made our business what it is today.”
Both women are Oklahoma natives and chose to build their business in Edmond because of the quaint atmosphere, easy parking, walkable streets and how family friendly the town is. This is the perfect place to kick of your summer vacation and get reacquainted with all the charm of downtown Edmond.
Follow Katiebug’s on social media to stay up to date with their events, specials and operating hours. www.facebook.com/katiebugsokc Instagram: katiebugsokc