Small-business entrepreneur and Cherokee artist Brandi Lee knows the trials and tribulations all too well.

The owner of Agitsi Stained Glass at 3417 S. 113th West Ave. in Sand Springs, Lee signed the lease on her shop in February 2020 and opened soon after — just as the pandemic was reaching a fever pitch in Oklahoma.

A third-generation stained-glass artist, she quickly got creative about how to make enough money to pay the rent at Agitsi, which is pronounced ah-GEE’-chee and means “my mother” in Cherokee.

Lee sells supplies for making stained glass. She offers adult and youth classes in making stained glass. She does custom stained-glass work as well as repairs. And she has a retail space for her own works of art and those by other Native artisans.

A hot seller continues to be the “agitsi feather,” a beaded, stained-glass feather that has become her signature item.

Everything in the gift shop, whether made by Lee or by another of the Native artists whose work she sells on consignment, is made by hand and TERO-certified, which means a tribe or tribal entity guarantees the authenticity of the artist and craftsmanship.

“When it’s labeled Native American art (with TERO certification), you can assume you’re buying from a Native artist,” she said.

It might seem like Lee has a lot of irons in the fire, with the classes, the retail side of the operation and the custom orders, but it’s the very diversity of Agitsi Stained Glass that has helped keep the store afloat during tough economic times.

“I still don’t have a paycheck,” Lee said, adding that “people really aren’t buying a whole lot of art right now.”

“But the studio has carried itself. And when the classes slowed down, (interest in) the supplies increased.”

Lee, however, has never slowed down.

She got active in the Stained Glass Guild of Oklahoma, becoming its president — “We went from about six members to 65 because I’m a good cheerleader” — and she got involved with Our Native American Business Network.

The national organization works with Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities to support and empower aspiring entrepreneurs through curriculum and training.

Lee has attended four ONABEN seminars around the country, and ONABEN named her store its 2021 Woman Owned Business of The Year.

It’s her budding business acumen, in fact, that will be leading Lee next year to a new location — the Art Emporium 66 at 2615 W. 40th Place, right off Southwest Boulevard in Tulsa’s Red Fork District.

“I love Sand Springs and really wanted to stay here,” she said, “but (being on) Route 66 will give us the opportunity to be in a tourism area,” especially during the run-up to the 2026 centennial celebration of the Mother Road.

“We’ve outgrown this space, and we really don’t get any foot traffic here,” she said. “But it’s been a great place to grow. Sand Springs is Tulsa’s best-kept secret.”

Lee said the plan is to “finish out here and have a good Christmas sale and then move in January.”

She said she’s also looking forward to a new burst of creativity.

“Stained glass has been used throughout our culture to tell stories,” she said.

Specifically, Lee has in mind works that will feature Selu, the corn goddess, and Uktena, a horned serpent.

“There’s all kinds of Cherokee folklore that I want to tell through my pieces,” she said. “I can’t wait to get started.”