11TH ST DEVELOPMENT

[SXSW]

Renderings of the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges expansion under construction at 11th & Utica

[heironymouspasparagus]

We drove by there a couple weeks ago and saw it in process.  Nice!!

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

I saw this new listing for a new build retail development where there was an empty parking lot just south of where Retro Den is at 1232 S Harvard:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1232-S-Harvard-Ave-Tulsa-OK/11306537/#



Looks to be about 5,600 sq feet and up to 4/5 units. That's good news for the area.  There's already a retail strip across the road and already a decent amount of varied retail on that stretch. The area has a walkscore of 72 which is high for Tulsa. Would be good if they could create a place to draw students out a bit more from TU, an easy walk away from the Bucaneer lounge!

I always thought that lot was such and awkward and expensive waste of land. I've never seen it used except for TU games. The Prosperity Bank lot is ridiculous, taking up 20 lots. I've never seen it more than half full except for TU games. You could put in 6 home lots or a mixed-use development there and still have plenty of parking.

[TylerBGoode]

I've parked in that lot during TU games for years. I would selfishly kind of hate to see it developed.

[SXSW]

I saw this new listing for a new build retail development where there was an empty parking lot just south of where Retro Den is at 1232 S Harvard:
https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1232-S-Harvard-Ave-Tulsa-OK/11306537/#



Looks to be about 5,600 sq feet and up to 4/5 units. That's good news for the area.  There's already a retail strip across the road and already a decent amount of varied retail on that stretch. The area has a walkscore of 72 which is high for Tulsa. Would be good if they could create a place to draw students out a bit more from TU, an easy walk away from the Bucaneer lounge!

I always thought that lot was such and awkward and expensive waste of land. I've never seen it used except for TU games. The Prosperity Bank lot is ridiculous, taking up 20 lots. I've never seen it more than half full except for TU games. You could put in 6 home lots or a mixed-use development there and still have plenty of parking.

That's a narrow strip between the houses and Harvard, will this front the sidewalk with parking behind?

[SXSW]

Outdoor patio at Mother Road Market with a skyline view

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Outdoor patio at Mother Road Market with a skyline view

Wow! That's looking awesome! Thanks for the sneak peak!

I was hoping they'd utilize that entire covered area for a patio. That could be the best patio in Tulsa. Definitely a top-notch outdoor area which looks like it's in similar vein to what they did at Fuel 66. Seems like a big key to have that these days, especially in a food-court type place. On Saturdays, parents want to take their kids to enjoy outside. If you can eat and enjoy some leisure time outside, all the better.

[Laramie]

Beautiful view of the Tulsa Skyline, simply awesome!  My son who lives in Tulsa loves to remind me; now dad, there's a skyline.  He loves the blaze of the refineries.

That's the difference where I'll give Tulsa's downtown skyline the edge over OKC's; the beautiful lighted towers, they highlight & reflect the downtown towers.  Oklahoma City's underground Metro Concourse killed its street life.  

The OKC downtown at night looks dark and dead.

[Laramie]

11th & Utica?

I dated a young lady in Tulsa back in the late 70s; IIRC she took me to a small bar over near what use to be a closed Safeway grocery store on somewhere on Utica called Friends; great time we had watching the female impersonators; nearly died with laughter when one of the guy impersonators performed with what appeared to be a crystal chandelier hat covering his/her head. We had a very enjoyable night back then.

[SXSW]

Mother Road Market is now open

http://www.newson6.com/story/39405117/tulsas-mother-road-market-to-open-today

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Mother Road Market is now open

http://www.newson6.com/story/39405117/tulsas-mother-road-market-to-open-today

It is really well done! It is as nice as any of the similar places I've been to around the country like City Market in KC, Central Market in LA or Chelsea Market in NYC. Smaller than those maybe but seems perfectly large for what Tulsa's market should demand. More options than a typical food court in a mall and the options are much better quality.

I wasn't sure how big each "kiosk" would be or if some would feel sort of dinky, but most are pretty sizable with a few small carts on one side. Patio is awesome and will be fun for kids.

They did this right. It's an experience being there and I expect it'll be well supported for a while, although weekday evenings could be tough and I'd expect weekends will likely be crowded which will make parking a trick.

[SXSW]

It is really well done! It is as nice as any of the similar places I've been to around the country like City Market in KC, Central Market in LA or Chelsea Market in NYC. Smaller than those maybe but seems perfectly large for what Tulsa's market should demand. More options than a typical food court in a mall and the options are much better quality.

I wasn't sure how big each "kiosk" would be or if some would feel sort of dinky, but most are pretty sizable with a few small carts on one side. Patio is awesome and will be fun for kids.

They did this right. It's an experience being there and I expect it'll be well supported for a while, although weekday evenings could be tough and I'd expect weekends will likely be crowded which will make parking a trick.

One here and one downtown is probably about right.  Interested to see what future phases around the market look like, especially the proposed retail project across Lewis and the lots fronting 11th (not sure if they are currently owned by Lobeck-Taylor or not though).  Lobeck-Taylor Foundation could do to 11th what GKFF has done to downtown and the river corridor.

[SXSW]

One thing I noticed on a particularly busy day last week was that a lot of people park on the lot at the NW corner of 11th & Lewis and walk over.  Is that owned by the Lobeck-Taylor Foundation?  It's not really a parking lot but rather the old slab for the warehouse that used to be there.  Hoping for future phases that incorporate this lot, the buildings along 11th just to the north and the proposed development to the east (adjacent to Renaissance Brewery).

[TulsaGuy]

Yes the Lobeck-Taylor Foundation or affiliates own most of the properties around the 11th and Lewis intersection including that giant empty lot on the NW corner that they are using for temporary parking as well as Fuel 66 east of the intersection and the land N of Renaissance Brewery that a retail strip center is planned.  The proposed TIF for the area will benefit this area and their properties immensely (not passing judgement - just stating the obvious). 

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

Mother Road Market is creating booming business on Route 66

It is not La Boqueria in Barcelona or the Fulton Fish Market in New York City. The Mother Road Market — Tulsa's new food, farm and retail hall — is a unique space adapting the traditional market to northeastern Oklahoma.

It is not near an ocean, but some of the nation's most fertile farm land is within minutes of midtown Tulsa.

"We are in a very rich area for home-grown farm products, innovative chefs and entrepreneurs," said Jeff Thompson, general manager of the Mother Road Market. "Tulsa has long been known as an every-man city. We've been used as a test market for many years.



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"So if this concept works anywhere, it should be here. So far, so good."

The Mother Road Market, developed by the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation, has been a hub of activity since it opened at 11th Street and Lewis Avenue.

Tulsans have embraced the idea of a food hall, with 15 food options and five retail spaces, on a piece of historic Route 66 that is undergoing a renaissance.

"When you see pictures of Seattle, one of the iconic scenes is Pike Place Market," said Thompson. "Because of where we are located, right on Route 66, I believe we have a chance to be an iconic location on one of the most famous roads in the world."

Like most food hall markets, the days start early and at a frenetic pace.

Bakers start working at 4 a.m. By 7 a.m., locally grown produce and other farm products start arriving for the Farm Stand, a small farm-to-market space that works with 27 local farmers.

"Everything is grown in Oklahoma, most of it very close to Tulsa," said Penni Shelton, coordinator of the Farm Stand. "We like to say everything in our space tastes like Oklahoma because all of it — 100 percent — is grown in this area.

"So far, it has far exceeded everything we thought possible. We have so many farmers that want to be a part of it, but we have limited space. But, no question, this has been as popular — actually much more popular — than we expected."

If you think the Mother Road Market is busy at lunchtime on Saturday, try it any morning around 9 a.m. before the doors open at 10 a.m.

Deliveries are being made to all of the 15 food stands. Farmers are bringing locally produced milk, cheese and meat to the Farm Stand.

"This place will change with the seasons," said Thompson. "No question, when it comes to the spring and we start getting some of the locally grown vegetables and fruits, it will change.

"This market will continue to evolve. It will change. Some things will work better than others. That's typical of a market like this."

Any of the famous markets change through the seasons and as the tastes of a region change. The Ferry Building in San Francisco remains extremely popular, but it is different now than it was five years ago.

Currently, there is a waiting list of entrepreneurs/chefs wanting space at Mother Road Market.

"It is sort of like putting together a rock band," said Thompson. "You go out and get a drummer and a guitar player and singer. They all might be great individually. But you have to see how those people fit together to make beautiful music.

"Right now we're seeing how all of these individual food and retail stands work together."

So far, fantastic.

Thompson said the sales volume at the market has exceeded all estimates by more than 170 percent.

"In many cases, it is double what we've expected," said Thompson. "So we are still kind of feeling our way through this. We're doing what we can to make adjustments and make this the best experience possible."

Thompson said Mother Road Market did a lot of research before deciding on what type of businesses and foods would work best for Tulsa.

"We certainly looked at a lot of other markets, but every city is different," said Thompson. "The good news is that I believe we got it right in a lot of ways. When we were planning for this market, we had more than 5,000 followers on Facebook, so we got a lot of feedback from people in what they wanted.

"We have a good mix of iconic Tulsa brands like Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue and Andolini's Sliced to new Tulsa-born ideas such as Bodhi's Bowl and Chicken and the Wolf."

A handful of food stands, including Big Dipper Creamery, are operated by entrepreneurs from the Kitchen 66 Launch Program, a food business incubator in Tulsa.

Bodhi's Bowl is a food stall that's gone from idea to actual business thanks to Mother Road Market.

"One of the great things about this market is all of the energy created here," said James Wegner, chef and owner of Bodhi's Bowl. "When I get here in the morning, it is a hive of activity. ... All of the people that work here are arriving to prep for the day. You've got all of the deliveries being made to the various restaurants. And I'm right across the hall from the Farm Stand, and you see the local farmers bringing in their products. It is a very cool place early in the morning."

Thompson said he can't estimate how many people are visiting Mother Road Market.

Obviously, anyone who has been to the market on Saturday mornings, with the winter farmers market in the parking lot on the west side, knows there is a traffic jam in every direction getting to 11th and Lewis.

"We estimated we needed about 600 customers a day to support everything we have here," said Thompson. "I don't have any specific numbers, but I can assure you we're doing far more than that every day.

"This is a unique space for Tulsa. We think people have embraced this idea, and we expect Route 66 visitors to make this a must-stop on the trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. We'll continue to change and evolve.

"The idea for this market has added another jewel for Tulsa just like Gathering Place. It is another cool thing to do and a reason to stop and spend some time here."

https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/columnists/johnklein/john-klein-mother-road-market-is-creating-booming-business-on/article_c3104e6e-dc07-5eb3-b0c0-1124d64c30c1.html