— By Dale Ann Deffer

Times Correspondent

New business owners, Amber and Kenyatta Wright of the Tigers Den  epitomize the All-American love story. Amber was a Tahlequah High School Cheerleader and Kenyatta was a high school football star. They fell in love at a birthday party held at Lake Tenkiller and the rest is history.

Kenyatta Wright played football for Oklahoma State in Stillwater then was recruited by the Buffalo Bills. He really hit the big time world of  pro sports when he was  picked to play linebacker for the New York Jets, he said.

Making it all the way to New York for the young couple was quite a change from Vian where he came from, Wright said. They made their home in the New York suburb of Long Island.  

Although Amber liked New York, it was always in their mind to return home to a slower pace, she said.

Opening a boutique was a dream. But after Kenyatta suffered an injury, they decided to move back to this area.

Now some years later with four children, he volunteers coaching sports at Fort Gibson High School and they both operate the Tigers Den Screen Printing Shop at the corner of Lee and Walnut streets.

Located in an old-time bank building stretching back to 1903, the huge windows showcase T-shirts, sweatshirts, pants, shorts and jewelry — many in the local school colors of bright red. There are also caps, stretch-knit hats, socks and several other accessory type items — including candles in a corner bookcase.

“We do team uniforms for both baseball and football,” Amber said. Also, they cater to the public in whatever design they wish. “We have catalogues to look through for choices,” she added.

Even if someone dreams up their own design and puts the art on a napkin, it can be printed on a shirt, she said. Prices range from $8 to $65 depending on the detail and extent of a design, as well as colors.

The Wrights also operate a shop on Muskogee Avenue in Tahlequah and do all of their actual printing machine work there.

“We have the capability of doing 500 shirts an hour,” Kenyatta said. “We do what the customer wants and can work on infant sizes to 10 extra-large,” he said.

The Wrights have been married for 13 years and have four children — Alexis, Elijah, Solomon and Avery.

“We like this community and the school system,” Amber said.

The shop opened in January and stays available to the public from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.