Downtown Tulsa has been without a full-service grocery store for decades, but that’s about to change.
Oasis Fresh Market says its new location at 6th and Cincinnati is nearly ready to open, after a road full of setbacks.
A preview downtown
Oasis just opened a smaller micro-market inside the Western Supply apartments. For residents like Sam Carlton, it’s just a preview of what’s coming downtown.
“I want to support that. I love that idea of, like, we got our own thing, we’re building it, and it’s by people from Oklahoma,” Carlton said.
He says he’s had to drive outside of the IDL to go to the grocery store for years.
Filling the void
AJ Johnson has been working to fill that void for a year and a half, with a planned Oasis grocery store on the first floor of the ARCO Building at Sixth and Cincinnati.
It was originally supposed to open earlier this summer, but Johnson says the old building came with regulations a brand-new store wouldn’t face, and delays in getting equipment pushed the opening back further.
“When you’re serving communities predominantly food deserts, it’s always tough. And even downtown, with it being such a historic building, there’s been a lot of historic, different rules that you have to follow,” Johnson said.
What’s coming
Once open, it’ll offer fresh produce and meats daily, something Johnson says downtown hasn’t had in decades.
“So this will be the first full-service grocery store where you can get your sushi and your coffee and your fresh produce and fresh meats every single day, right in the heart of downtown,” Johnson said.
For now, the micro-market gives residents a taste of what’s ahead.
“I love that. I love that we’re getting more of those. I love that experience of just having something extra like that,” Carlton said.
When it opens
Johnson says the equipment is in and the signage is going up on the new store now. He’s now planning on opening in the middle of this month.
Oasis already runs a store at Pine and Peoria. News On 6 will let you know when the downtown grocery store has an official opening date.
