Durant’s historic Main Street has long been a point of pride for the small community in southeast Oklahoma, and local leaders have been eager to highlight its potential. When the Texoma Board of REALTORS® partnered with Team Better Block, the resulting pop-up placemaking event inspired the city to make permanent improvements and continue working toward positive change. The December 2024 project was made possible by a REALTOR® Party Smart Growth Grant.
“Downtown Durant already had great character — we just wanted to help people see it in a new way,” says Christy Cromer, Executive of the 229-member board. “Our goal was to spark ideas, bring people together, and demonstrate what small changes could mean for the community.”
Recognizing the need to transform years of planning into visible action, TBOR secured Smart Growth funding and partnered with the Durant Main Street Association, the Durant Sustainability Coalition, and Durant Trails & Open Space. Working closely with city officials, they developed a tactical urbanism demonstration along a 300-foot stretch of Main Street — showing how simple, low-cost improvements could enhance walkability, encourage local shopping, and inspire future investment.
“The city was so excited,” Cromer recalls. “They re-painted crosswalks, converted angled parking to parallel, repaired lighting, and prepared the space for the Better Block weekend. By the time the event began, downtown was already looking more vibrant.”
Working alongside local volunteers, Team Better Block temporarily extended the sidewalks using modular materials and built seating areas that encouraged people to linger and connect. The installation, though designed to be dismantled after the event, was so well received that it remains in place today as a visible symbol of the city’s renewed focus on walkability and community space. The Durant Sustainability Coalition also contributed a permanent tree to the block — a small but lasting addition to the downtown landscape.
Inside a previously unoccupied downtown storefront, TBOR used part of the Smart Growth funding to create a Gift & Gather Market: a pop-up retail hub featuring local artisans, food vendors, and live music on weekends from mid-November to mid-December. The event not only showcased local businesses but also reactivated a vacant commercial space in the heart of Main Street.
“It was exciting to see how greenery, benches, and a little imagination could completely change the feel of Main Street,” says Cromer. “The new City Manager said she couldn’t love it more. The demonstration truly reignited conversations about downtown revitalization.”
The city ultimately kept the benches and outdoor seating in place and made parallel parking permanent on that block — visible proof of the REALTORS®’ impact on community design. The project also strengthened partnerships: TBOR worked with the Durant Sustainability Coalition, which later received a T-Mobile grant to plant trees across town.
The momentum continued in 2025, when TBOR secured another Smart Growth Grant to partner with Team Better Block and the City of Kingston to plan and design a new 1.5-acre public park.
“We’re just a small association, but this was a meaningful way to show that REALTORS® care about the places where they live, work, and invest,” Cromer says. “The Durant project showed what’s possible; Kingston shows that it’s sustainable. With the support of the REALTOR® Party, we’re excited to bring this energy to more communities across our seven-county region.”
To learn more about how the Texoma Board of REALTORS® is sparking improvements across southern Oklahoma, contact Association Executive Christy Cromer at ae@texomarealtorsok.com or 580-920-1408.
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