Food desert no more: Grocery shopping returns to downtown Tulsa after a decade

After more than 10 years, downtown Tulsa is once again home to a grocery store. 

Oasis Fresh Market held its soft opening Monday inside the ARCO Apartment building at 119 E. 6th St. The store was originally set to open in June, but faced a series of delays. 

AJ Johnson, CEO of Oasis, said it was worth the wait. 

“Twenty-one months we have been in this journey to open Oasis downtown. Amongst the shipping delays and the tariffs and all the craziness, today is a soft opening day to test our systems,” Johnson said. 

The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m Monday through Thursday, with a full opening slated for Sept. 28. During this time, employees will take feedback from residents on how it is functioning while they continue to unload produce onto the shelves. 

The 14,000-square-foot location features a grab and go section at its center. In the coming weeks, a salad bar and Oasis deli — where customers can buy a hot meal — will be added. The bike lanes out front will be converted into parking spots.  

Oasis worked with Price Family Partnerships, owners of the ARCO building, to get the project done. Oasis owns the store, Johnson said, and the property management company is leasing the space to them. 

Downtown Tulsa has been without a grocery store since Folks Urban Market closed in 2014 after only seven months of operating. Before then, Homeland closed in 2002. Johnson said the key to sustaining Oasis, which runs stores in north and south Tulsa, is investing in a good team that can provide quality service to downtown residents. 

Jesse Marsh lives on 11th Street about a mile from Oasis. He and his wife don’t own a vehicle so they have to routinely walk to the Warehouse Market on 301 S. Lewis Ave. The journey takes over an hour. 

“There’s all kinds of people that live downtown that have to find other ways or other places to get their groceries, and sometimes it’s just not possible. If it’s raining, we have to do without,” Marsh said.

The walk to the downtown grocer is significantly shorter. For Marsh, who has had two back surgeries, it also reduces the physical burden. 

“This puts it right next to our house, and so (it’s) much easier. We’re blessed that they’re putting it downtown,” Marsh said. 

In August, Oasis officially took over a former Cox Cash Saver near 61st and Peoria, and earlier this month they opened a micro-store in the downtown Western Supply apartments. Their original store stands in north Tulsa at 1725 N. Peoria Ave.

Regular business hours at the downtown site will begin Sept. 28 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. An official ribbon cutting ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. Sept. 30. 

Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.

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