Saddle shop destroyed in Historic Sulphur
SULPHUR, Okla. (KFOR) — In the days that follow Saturday's deadly tornado, business owners are still uncovering what's left of their businesses in historic downtown Sulphur. Billy Cook Harness & Saddle has been around for 70 years, and planted its roots in Oklahoma in the 90s.
The owner of the shop said after the tornado he saw photos of the damage, but seeing it in person from the ground makes it real.
"I'm just kind of in disbelief, but I understand better now the magnitude of it," said Adam Trenk, the proprietor of Genuine Billy Cook Saddles.
Adam Trenk has a history with Billy Cook saddles.
"The saddles that my family rode were genuine, Billy Cook saddles that my grandfather had purchased for my father and my uncle in 1976, before i was born," said Trenk.
He eventually got to meet Billy Cook before buying the company in 2019 after Cook passed away.
The shop spans six lots in historic Sulphur including office space, the factory, and showroom.
"We get lots of visitors to our shop. Obviously, you know, they were familiar with this storefront; had been here at this location since 1991...and it's not here anymore," said Trenk.
There was damage to every building they own.
They also had a unique welcome sign for visitors to see.
"We had a fiberglass horse and hung over the building. And that was sort of our entryway," said Trenk.
Though, the horse is nowhere to be found.
Trenk said there's a lot of unknown in the future, but they plan to serve the community how they can, the Billy Cook way.
"I don't know where we're going to relocate, but we're going to have to do that in short order in order to keep all of our people working," said Trenk.
Trenk said while they're still working to rebuild, they are open online on their website for pre-orders.