BUSINESS PROGRESS : Social 174
Small snack business makes big plans for Main Street
Cali Crissup didn ’ t know what kind of business she wanted to create . Still , she knew her company would reflect her social personality and her hometown .
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Like most good ideas , it all started on a long road trip with her girlfriends .
“ So on the drive , I said something about Stilly in the name and so of course some people usually figure out pretty quickly I ’ m a social butterfly . So that ’ s where social came from and 174 is the exit from ( I-35 ) to get to Stillwater ,” Crissup said .
She shared her idea with her friends on that drive , “ Hey guys , I think I want to open my own company . I ’ m not really sure what it ’ s going to be … but I ’ m thinking a charcuterie company would be great in Stillwater .”
Crissup ’ s need for social interaction was severely hampered in 2020 when the global pandemic shut down gatherings and impacted her full-time job in the auctioneering business .
“ I work from home for myself and so during COVID , we went from having multiple auctioneer ’ s conventions throughout the year to having none for several months at a time . So I went from having all these opportunities for social interaction to absolutely zero working from home , sitting at my house and not seeing anybody . Going to Walmart for social interaction and buying groceries , quite honestly ,” Crissup said .
Crissup took to social media , posting her Walmart sagas on Facebook , which morphed into live video streams of her cooking from home . Viewers started jokingly requesting if she would take to-go orders for dinner .
“ I was like , ‘ absolutely not , I ’ m not cooking you dinner .’ And then that ’ s when it kind of transitioned to the charcuterie side of things . ’ Cause I had a girls ’ night and took pictures ( of the charcuterie spread ) and posted them on Facebook . Everybody thought it looked great . And so that ’ s when it just started kind of clicking , maybe this is something that people would enjoy and something that people could use ,” Crissup said .
Since Crissup launched Social 174 ’ s Facebook page Sept . 1 , 2020 , the business has grown beyond her expectations .
“ I wasn ’ t planning on this being a full-time thing . It was supposed to be just kind of a side gig , a hobby for me in my free time because I still have a full-time job on top of all of this ,” Crissup said .
Social 174 focuses on catering snack spreads and charcuterie packages that are approachable and can accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions . Demand for Crissup ’ s snack service grew enough over the last year and a half to make her start thinking about a brick-and-mortar retail location .
“ So first and foremost , I had always wanted an event venue . That ’ s kind of been on my to-do list , like my entire life . I didn ’ t think this was how it would happen . I definitely didn ’ t see myself having a food business and then opening an event space , but that ’ s kind of where this is all transitioned to .”
Social 174 helps event organizers and party planners add an artistic style to snacks . They create elaborate displays of snacks ready to enjoy and even take on the go .
STILLWATER OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE