DIY Downtown Business...

[dsjeffries]

Many times, we talk about certain locally-owned businesses going in (or worse, leaving) downtown, the creative re- and mixed-use of buildings, and high-quality urban design.  We always want these local, creative-types to open places for us, but we don't really go out and do it ourselves...

So I'd like to challenge each of us on here to create an idea for a business of our own that incorporate all of these elements.  I think it could be fun...  

If you could open up any kind of business in downtown, what would you open and why?  ...Or, if you don't want to open one, what would you like to see downtown?

Tell us:
-Your location/intersection (or current building) within downtown
-How you would re-use a current building or construct to match
-How many floors is the building?
-Who will occupy the upper floors?
-What would the inside look like? (Center 1-ish, or Cherry Street-esque?)
-Would you incorporate green building materials?
-What type of business is it?  Restaurant/Retail/Entertainment, etc.
-What segment you cater to?
-How would you draw people in from outside the IDL (those who think downtown is so scary)?
-How large would it be?

[TURobY]

Oh! This should be fun. I've had a concept for the past few years, but I've never pursued it. I'll sketch it out and post it in the next couple of days.

[tulsa1603]

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

Many times, we talk about certain locally-owned businesses going in (or worse, leaving) downtown, the creative re- and mixed-use of buildings, and high-quality urban design.  We always want these local, creative-types to open places for us, but we don't really go out and do it ourselves...

So I'd like to challenge each of us on here to create an idea for a business of our own that incorporate all of these elements.  I think it could be fun...  

If you could open up any kind of business in downtown, what would you open and why?  ...Or, if you don't want to open one, what would you like to see downtown?

Tell us:
-Your location/intersection (or current building) within downtown
-How you would re-use a current building or construct to match
-How many floors is the building?
-Who will occupy the upper floors?
-What would the inside look like? (Center 1-ish, or Cherry Street-esque?)
-Would you incorporate green building materials?
-What type of business is it?  Restaurant/Retail/Entertainment, etc.
-What segment you cater to?
-How would you draw people in from outside the IDL (those who think downtown is so scary)?
-How large would it be?

Oh great post!

Mine isn't downtown, but it's in an area that needs some revitalization.  The Carpet City store at 15th and Delaware.  It's been going out of business for about 5 years now!  Anyway, I'd clean it up and keep it basically the same, kind of 1950's funky, but I'd tear the warehouse off the back to create additional parking.  There is a brunch place in Houston called LaStrada, and basically, you go there on Sunday for the brunch, bloody mary's, and mimosas.  They play music, the waiters are a ton of fun, and there is always a line to get a table.  This place could be the same.  Turn it into a huge, slightly cleaner and more energetic, Brookside By Day.  Living in Florence Park, this is the kind of thing I would want to walk to.  It would attract TU students on Sunday mornings for brunch after a night of drinking, Florence Park and Renaissance residents who could walk there, and I imagine it could do a pretty good lunch business, since that area of town seems underserved by restaurants.

[RecycleMichael]

I have a little warehouse at 1st and Detroit. It is just a shell of a building that needs a lot of work.

My dream is to make it into a grocery store...some place that sells lottery tickets and condoms to the bar crowd.

[TURobY]

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael


My dream is to make it into a grocery store...some place that sells lottery tickets and condoms to the bar crowd.

Sorry, but some bars give out free condoms.

[sgrizzle]

I have wanted to take either the Tulsa Club or the green building at 6th and Cincinnati and do ground floor retail, upper floors residential and live there myself, offsetting much of the cost. Statistically myself, and a good portion of americans, work at least one day a week just to pay for housing anyway. If no-one wanted to move into the retail portion, I would open up my own retail. Stick in a few Redbox DVD rental machines, a small book/movie/cd store like airports have and a coffee shop/small menu restaurant.

[safetyguy]

I have no idea where I would want this business, but I would love to a have a place similar to this.
http://www.nickyblaines.com/ This was a very cool place that I went to a few years ago.
While I like the Cigar Box at Riverwalk it's too small and not as inviting as Nicky Blaines was.

[dayzella]

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

Many times, we talk about certain locally-owned businesses going in (or worse, leaving) downtown, the creative re- and mixed-use of buildings, and high-quality urban design.  We always want these local, creative-types to open places for us, but we don't really go out and do it ourselves...

So I'd like to challenge each of us on here to create an idea for a business of our own that incorporate all of these elements.  I think it could be fun...  

If you could open up any kind of business in downtown, what would you open and why?  ...Or, if you don't want to open one, what would you like to see downtown?

Tell us:
-Your location/intersection (or current building) within downtown
-How you would re-use a current building or construct to match
-How many floors is the building?
-Who will occupy the upper floors?
-What would the inside look like? (Center 1-ish, or Cherry Street-esque?)
-Would you incorporate green building materials?
-What type of business is it?  Restaurant/Retail/Entertainment, etc.
-What segment you cater to?
-How would you draw people in from outside the IDL (those who think downtown is so scary)?
-How large would it be?

The husband says I should post one of my zillion of ideas, so here is one of the zillions:

The Downtown Lunch Trunk

Tulsa area restaurants would sign on for week to two week stretches to provide the food and menu, splitting the proceeds with the owner and serving personnel for the truck.  It would all be already cooked fare - scoop and serve style.  

The truck would park at different sections/interesections of downtown - with the hopes of luring the workerbees away from from their in-house cafeteria and out to the sunshine.

The truck would be available for special downtown night events service.

So one week it might be Wilson's BBQ Pork sandwiches on the corner of 3rd and Denver.  And the week after that, it might be Daylight Donuts that is the dedicated vendor, selling jalepeno sausage rolls and donuts over by TCC in one of the area's many, many surface parking lots.  Another week, maybe Lanna Thai would be offering pad thai and spring rolls outside the downtown farmer's market.

Maybe there would be a web map tracking the lunch trunk and listing it's offerings.  Maybe a big ol' grant or private foundation would want to fund the truck and employees of the trucks, themselves.  Maybe the truck could also sell local baked goods or foodstuffs made by entrepreneurs who can source their own food certified kitchen and who have dreams of starting a food business but need a lowcost, low investment way to try out the product on an audience.

The Lunch Truck would provide a kind of "Taste of Tulsa" for locals and visitors without the overhead of opening another location for Tulsa restaurants.  It would be a point for conversation for downtown denizens.  It would a quirky physical expression of hometown pride that would be unique to Tulsa.  It might prove that there is a market for Thai or Indian or whatever down here - a kind of cuisine that isn't currently on the Tulsa scene.

I would consider calling the Lunch Truck the Lunch Taxi.  I would not, however, call it the Vittles Van.  Except maybe unofficially.

[NellieBly]

I think a small drug store, like Walgreen's, would do well right at fifth and main. It would be great to have a little card shop and a place to pick up things on my lunch half hour.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by NellieBly

I think a small drug store, like Walgreen's, would do well right at fifth and main. It would be great to have a little card shop and a place to pick up things on my lunch half hour.

CVS would do well to break into the Tulsa market that way.

[Conan71]

quote:Originally posted by tulsa1603

quote:Originally posted by DScott28604

Many times, we talk about certain locally-owned businesses going in (or worse, leaving) downtown, the creative re- and mixed-use of buildings, and high-quality urban design.  We always want these local, creative-types to open places for us, but we don't really go out and do it ourselves...

So I'd like to challenge each of us on here to create an idea for a business of our own that incorporate all of these elements.  I think it could be fun...  

If you could open up any kind of business in downtown, what would you open and why?  ...Or, if you don't want to open one, what would you like to see downtown?

Tell us:
-Your location/intersection (or current building) within downtown
-How you would re-use a current building or construct to match
-How many floors is the building?
-Who will occupy the upper floors?
-What would the inside look like? (Center 1-ish, or Cherry Street-esque?)
-Would you incorporate green building materials?
-What type of business is it?  Restaurant/Retail/Entertainment, etc.
-What segment you cater to?
-How would you draw people in from outside the IDL (those who think downtown is so scary)?
-How large would it be?

Oh great post!

Mine isn't downtown, but it's in an area that needs some revitalization.  The Carpet City store at 15th and Delaware.  It's been going out of business for about 5 years now!  Anyway, I'd clean it up and keep it basically the same, kind of 1950's funky, but I'd tear the warehouse off the back to create additional parking.  There is a brunch place in Houston called LaStrada, and basically, you go there on Sunday for the brunch, bloody mary's, and mimosas.  They play music, the waiters are a ton of fun, and there is always a line to get a table.  This place could be the same.  Turn it into a huge, slightly cleaner and more energetic, Brookside By Day.  Living in Florence Park, this is the kind of thing I would want to walk to.  It would attract TU students on Sunday mornings for brunch after a night of drinking, Florence Park and Renaissance residents who could walk there, and I imagine it could do a pretty good lunch business, since that area of town seems underserved by restaurants.

Heh, interesting you say that.  I was just thinking the other day of what would be cool to really revitalize upper 15th.  I drive past that store at least twice a day coming and going from work.  More if I run an errand after I get home.  There's also the abandoned Ray England TV around behind there as well.

I think you are right on with your idea.

Does anyone know what the odd white house is right on the NE corner of 15th and I think it's College or one of the Florences.  It's got very high, small windows, and I never see anyone coming and going.  Reminds me of some sort of headquarters for a weird cult.

Funny how we get so used to driving or walking past things, we don't even notice what cross streets are.

[circassia]

I've always wanted to open a Jazz club downtown. I'd do the decor in the 30's glam of the time, lots of stainless steel, blues, etc.

I'd serve a menu comparable to something like Flemings, with an extensive wine list and full bar.

I'd try to do the glasses in an art deco design and have the entire restaurant feel like you're back in the heyday of downtown.

I'd love to do it in the Tulsa Club building. I'd renovate the entire building and take the top two floors for my space. The rest would be converted into lofts with the lowest floor a jazz club/restaurant.

All I need to do now is win the lottery.

[MichaelBates]

quote:Originally posted by tulsa1603


Mine isn't downtown, but it's in an area that needs some revitalization.  The Carpet City store at 15th and Delaware.  It's been going out of business for about 5 years now!  Anyway, I'd clean it up and keep it basically the same, kind of 1950's funky, but I'd tear the warehouse off the back to create additional parking.  There is a brunch place in Houston called LaStrada, and basically, you go there on Sunday for the brunch, bloody mary's, and mimosas.  They play music, the waiters are a ton of fun, and there is always a line to get a table.  This place could be the same.  Turn it into a huge, slightly cleaner and more energetic, Brookside By Day.  Living in Florence Park, this is the kind of thing I would want to walk to.  It would attract TU students on Sunday mornings for brunch after a night of drinking, Florence Park and Renaissance residents who could walk there, and I imagine it could do a pretty good lunch business, since that area of town seems underserved by restaurants.

Great idea! It's a neat building, convenient to Florence Park and Renaissance neighborhoods and the renovated Tulsa Little Theater, and with those big windows, it would attract the attention of people driving by. It would be an anchor for the whole area.

I know locally owned bookstores are almost extinct, but that would also be a great place for a big bookstore like Denver's Tattered Cover.

[MichaelBates]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71


Does anyone know what the odd white house is right on the NE corner of 15th and I think it's College or one of the Florences.  It's got very high, small windows, and I never see anyone coming and going.  Reminds me of some sort of headquarters for a weird cult.

If it's the one I'm thinking of, at 1449 S. Florence Ave., in 1957 it was the "I Am Sanctuary of Tulsa reading rooms," according to that year's Polk Directory.

[TheArtist]

quote:Originally posted by TURobY

quote:Originally posted by RecycleMichael


My dream is to make it into a grocery store...some place that sells lottery tickets and condoms to the bar crowd.

Sorry, but some bars give out free condoms.

Yes, apparently you havent been out in the last decade or so.  Most bars have them in a large bowl near the exits. Grab a few cuties then as your leaving grab a hanfull or two from the bowl. For an added bit of entertainment, get the glow in the dark ones. Creates a really fun strobe lighting effect.


So I hear...