New Celtic clothing store opens in Tulsa

As people walk into the House of Celts, they'll see the Gaelic words, Cead mile failte (kood meel felt-tay) which means 100,000 welcomes.   Sam Matthews decided to open the store at 1515 E. 15th St., after traveling to Scottish games and festivals for six years as a vendor.

'Been looking for a place to make a home for it,' said Matthews, who is from Pryor and has Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. 'I thought this would be a great location. It was fair priced, and Cherry Street is a hot place.'

Matthews said his store will sell kilts, Highland dress clothes, jackets and casual wear. It will also have Celtic jewelry, books, family histories, ties and scarves in family tartans or plaids, and musical instruments, such as bagpipes.

'There'll be a lot of new stuff that I couldn't carry on the road,' he said.

House of Celts opens with a grand opening celebration and block party starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.  'The grand opening is probably going to be a big bash,' Matthews said. 'There'll probably be 50 people showing up in kilts.'

From St. Louis to Rockford avenues, 15th Street will be blocked off. The shops along that block will stay open later, and House of Celts will offer some ethnic Scottish and Irish food and drinks, such as cheese, beer and whiskey cake.  

'It's not Scottish without whiskey,' Matthews said. 'I'll set some haggis out for people to try. It's like spicy meat loaf.'  Haggis is a Scottish food where meat and spices are stuffed into an animal's stomach and boiled.    Matthews said he dismisses people's disgusted faces when he tells them about the traditional Scottish dish.  'You can say the same thing about a hot dog,' he said. 'If people knew what was in a hot dog, they wouldn't eat it.'

Also during the block party, the city of Tulsa Pipes and Drums will perform as well as the band Snap Dragon.  William Tetrick, City of Tulsa Pipes and Drums pipe major, said the group's members are looking forward to the store opening.

'We are absolutely thrilled to see this happening,' Tetrick said. '(Matthews) has been one of our prime suppliers.'  Tetrick said because Matthews traveled so much, sometimes it was hard to get items ordered.   'He's out of town 35 or so weeks of the year,' he said. 'There are other suppliers on the Internet, but you're buying sight unseen, and there's shipping costs. This is a really great boom for us.'  

Matthews said he liked traveling but is ready to stay in one place for a while.  'I enjoyed that, the traveling, but it can be hard on you. It's exhausting,' he said. 'I thought I could give it a shot here.'

Matthews said he has traveled many times to Scotland, Ireland and England doing research and learning about his history.   'When I actually went to Scotland, I got really interested in the cultural thing,' he said. 'Scotland seems to be the place I seem most home.'

Matthews said he has been interested in his ancestry since he was a child.  'My family is very historically knowledgeable,' he said. 'My house looked like a museum.  'I like knowing where I come from. If you know where you came from, you'll know better where you're going.'

Celtic pride

House of Celts grand opening

When: 6 p.m. Saturday; regular store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Where: 1515 E. 15th St.

For more: Call 582-2358 or 740-0844.