Ree Drummond Made Hometown Pawhuska Famous but She’s Humble About It: ‘It’s Not Really About Me’
Ree Drummond put Pawhuska, Oklahoma on the map and, when asked about her many businesses in the small town, Drummond shared her “pride” for the community. The Pioneer Woman star is humble about her local business successes but is happy to have brought tourists to the town.
Ree Drummond shared her Pawhuska pride
During an interview with ET, Drummond was asked about The Pioneer Woman businesses in her town, which includes The Boarding House hotel, P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Sweet Shop, and The Mercantile.
“I know that you don’t love the word ‘empire,’” ET’s Lauren Zima said to Drummond. “But you’ve built quite a lot here. So what do you call it?”
Drummond explained that the word ‘empire’ feels a little negative to her and “implies that you’re kind of on a throne, resting and watching all this.” She added, “But I’m just so involved.”
When asked how she felt about her flourishing businesses, Drummond shared her love for the community. “Oh gosh, I just I feel such pride for Pawhuska,” The Pioneer Woman star explained. “It’s not really about me and my businesses as much as just the community, the amazing people that are here.”
She continued, “We have amazing culture in Pawhuska. It’s the headquarters of the Osage nation, there’s oil and gas, there’s just so much going on. And I’m glad that the businesses that I have opened here have attracted people from all over who might not have ever come to Pawhuska.”
Ree and Ladd Drummond designed The Boarding House rooms
Drummond has been very involved with her businesses and even designed the hotel’s rooms with her husband Ladd. “There are eight rooms, we each took four,” Drummond explained. “And so, four rooms represent Ladd and his aesthetic, shall we say. And the other four represent mine, so it’s hilarious to see the different personalities of each room.”
She added, “His aesthetic is ranch, very durable, masculine finishes, leather, leather chairs. Mine is like, color explosions, bright green tile in the bathroom. One room is called the butterfly room, and it’s just light blue and feminine — and we had fun. It was sort of like a little bit of a throwdown between who could design the best rooms.”
Drummond’s even been known to stay a night in the hotel. “Every once in a while, if we get a cancellation, I like to come and stay at The Boarding House,” The Pioneer Woman star noted. “There are no chores.”
‘The Pioneer Woman’ star never would have imagined her success
Drummond also shared how she never would have imagined that the humble beginnings of her blog would have snowballed into such a variety of successful ventures.
“Honestly, I started out as a blogger and all I blogged about were funny stories about my kids,” she explained. “Then I started sharing recipes, which turned into a cookbook a few years later. And that led to a Food Network pilot.”
Drummond continued. “If you had told me the day I started my blog that this would result, I would have laughed, I would have rolled my eyes. I’ve enjoyed every step of the process.”
