I know a lot of us in Southwest Oklahoma are missing the Dillard's in the former Central Mall. When Dillard's announced it was closing its Lawton location in 2020, my heart broke. And it was a bit of a shock because I thought Dillard's was by far the most popular store in Central Mall; I guess I was wrong.

But I recently learned about Dillard's Clearance Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, so I think I'll be making a trip up to northern Oklahoma soon for my long overdue Dillard's fix.

Get our free mobile app

I'm assuming the Dillard's Clearance Center is a lot like Basket Market in Oklahoma City, which is a Hobby Lobby sample store that offers all the items you love at Hobby Lobby but at an even more discounted price.

@thefreebieguy A HOBBY LOBBY OUTLET? YASS! It’s called Basket Market located at 1501 South Meridian Avenue, Oklahoma City! Tag a Hobby Lobby bestie to share! #hobbylobby #hobbylobbyfinds #hobbylobbydecor #thefreebieguy ♬ original sound - The Freebie Guy

According to Oklahoma TikToker @maryledbetter9, the Dillard's Clearance Center offers "amazing deals" on home good items, shoes, clothes and much more. They point out that the center has $7.99 bins and highlights that they got a dress that was originally $120 for just $7.99. WHAT A DEAL!

@maryledbetter9 This place saves us so much money! #oklahoma #dillards #dillardsclearancecenter #oklahoma ♬ original sound - Mary Ledbetter

They also give a tip that it's best to get to the Dillard's Clearance Center as soon as it opens because it gets crowded quickly and you don't want to spend all your shopping time in line waiting for a dressing room.

What's going on with Central Mall now?

If you're not familiar with the Central Mall saga, then let me enlighten you. Since 2020, more and more stores have been disappearing. Today, Central Mall is no more and the establishment is now called "Central Plaza." Since the City of Lawton purchased the mall in late 2020 to bring in the FISTA, which is a tech hub for government contractors, the former Central Mall looks nothing like it used to.

We recently ventured through Central Plaza to see what other stores have left, and we can tell you Central Plaza is like a ghost town. Big name stores like Old Navy and JC Penny are still there, but based on rumors we're hearing, it won't be long before they're gone.

Best Local Shopping in Southwest Oklahoma

Southwest Oklahoma has plenty of local shopping opportunities! Here are the best local shops as submitted by our listeners. Let us know if we missed one!

Oklahoma Diner's, Drive-In's, and Dive's Guy Fieri Raved About On TV

We all know Guy Fieri is the self-proclaimed Mayor of Flavortown, and as such, we generally trust his discerning palate to guide us to the best food any place has to offer. At least the places he tends to go often offer up some really good eats, and in looking at this list, having eaten at most of these places a handful of times, he's not wrong. Here are the Oklahoma original restaurants that have been featured on Triple-D.

More From KZCD-FM