# Civic Matters > Ask Anything About OKC >  Abandoned Mayfair West

## RadicalModerate

My wife and I were driving north on May Ave. yesterday and noticed that almost every single store in that strip center on the West side of May, across from "Mayfair" was closed.  Anyone know what's up with that?  I remember when Souper Salad closed and apparently started the exodus of business from the rest of the place, but is there some weird reason behind the desertion?

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## rezman

A lot of the decline started  after Gene Warr died, afterwhich the shopping center was sold off, and also after Mayfair Market was bulldozed to make way for the CVS, and the bigger names started pulling out.

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## bluedogok

That CVS was relocated from further down in that strip. Their developers tried at one time to buy the Central Presbyterian Church on the NW corner there to tear it down and put in a CVS.

When I lived in the neighborhood just west of there it was about half full, Mayfair Market was a nice store to run into and buy something quick.

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## clz46

I grew up in this area. I went to Mayfair Elementary. We would walk up to Thrifty Wise Grocery or over to Humpty Dumpty on the east side. Back then May Ave was just a two lane road. On the west side there was Jerome's, Powder Puff hair salon, another small woman clothing store. East side had Penny's, Streets, a shoe store, Tg&Y, Langstan Drug, Harts(?) cafeteria, Otasco (I think it was) at the far south end. It was great! The Mayfair Market originally was Katz Drug built in the 60's.

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## Snowman

I remember seeing a market analysis for the city, it seems like about a year ago and one of the things that surprised me a bit was that practically every area of the city it stated there was too much retail space available. Some of seems to be normal developer competition and newer stores coming online in parts of the city where population grew, cutting off the customer base they would have had ten/twenty/thirty years ago. Looking back there has been a lot of mergers in the last few decades, a lot of chains go out of business across the entire country, a lot of medium to smaller shop's product was absorbed into the lines of a big boxes, are now available online and/or went to being digital entirely. Then many chains that do come into existing retail areas want a new building, whatever their latest style is just down the road instead of leasing older space that was not built in the company's style/layout.

It also seems like there is just a massive amount of retail space in that region, along May north of Mayfair there is similar rental product all the way to Wilshire (with clusters at each mile line road north of Wilshire), then somewhat similar spaces nearby west along 39th & NW Expressway. Also a mile east is Penn Square Mall, Belle Isle Station and Classen Curve/The Triangle.

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## rezman

> I grew up in this area. I went to Mayfair Elementary. We would walk up to Thrifty Wise Grocery or over to Humpty Dumpty on the east side. Back then May Ave was just a two lane road. On the west side there was Jerome's, Powder Puff hair salon, another small woman clothing store. East side had Penny's, Streets, a shoe store, Tg&Y, Langstan Drug, Harts(?) cafeteria, Otasco (I think it was) at the far south end. It was great! The Mayfair Market originally was Katz Drug built in the 60's.


Back in the mid to late 60's and early 70's, Before it was Mayfair Market, it was Stone's IGA.

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## RadicalModerate

I guess a related question might be why the stores on the East side of May seem to be doing fairly well, while a ghost town has evolved from what was on the West side.  (I'd insert an audio vidclip of a famous Gene Pitney song here that starts with "M" but I'll spare you. =)  Although people are sure to disagree, one of my favorite Indian Restaurants is located there, and I actually found a visit to that GIANT WAREHOUSE of Baubles and Frills a bit to the North of the restaurant, at my wife's insistence (the name of which escapes me at the moment--the store, not the wife) to be not unbearable.  =)

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## windowphobe

So no bacon cheeseburgers at Ron's, then?    :Wink: 

(I don't have every single record Gene Pitney ever made, but I'm getting there.)

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## Soonerinfiniti

I saw a Midwest Wrecking truck over there the other day.  Anybody know if demolition is pending?

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## Bill Robertson

> I saw a Midwest Wrecking truck over there the other day.  Anybody know if demolition is pending?


OMG I hope not. I'm as much for progress as anyone but I have a soft spot for Mayfair because I grew up nearby.

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## Pete

I can't find any demo or building permit.

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## stick47

> I grew up in this area. I went to Mayfair Elementary. We would walk up to Thrifty Wise Grocery or over to Humpty Dumpty on the east side. Back then May Ave was just a two lane road. On the west side there was Jerome's, Powder Puff hair salon, another small woman clothing store. East side had Penny's, Streets, a shoe store, Tg&Y, Langstan Drug, Harts(?) cafeteria, Otasco (I think it was) at the far south end. It was great! The Mayfair Market originally was Katz Drug built in the 60's.


I worked at Otasco there in 1973-74. The drug store was Langsams.  Used to grab a lunch in there. I never saw a TG&Y store there at that time.

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## Pete

Here is an ad from 1970:

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## Patrick

> I guess a related question might be why the stores on the East side of May seem to be doing fairly well, while a ghost town has evolved from what was on the West side.  (I'd insert an audio vidclip of a famous Gene Pitney song here that starts with "M" but I'll spare you. =)  Although people are sure to disagree, one of my favorite Indian Restaurants is located there, and I actually found a visit to that GIANT WAREHOUSE of Baubles and Frills a bit to the North of the restaurant, at my wife's insistence (the name of which escapes me at the moment--the store, not the wife) to be not unbearable.  =)


I think because the east is taken up mostly by 2 anchor stores, Michaels and SteinMart.  The west side had mostly smaller shops, all of which have left.

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## TheTravellers

Old thread, but seems appropriate.  Read on Nextdoor that Mayfair Village has been sold and new plans, possibly including demo of one (or some) section(s), are pending.  Searched and found this, don't know how I missed it, but has some details:

https://oklahoman.com/article/565879...-oklahoma-city

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## mugofbeer

Man, it's going to be tough to fill that space but it's good news to see someone local buying it.  I wish them luck.

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## Celebrator

Hadn't driven by this area in a while, but was shocked to see ALL of the trees along the east side of N. May which softened the street view of the shopping center.  The loss of that nice long line of trees significantly reduces the beauty of that stretch of road.  Shame.  Perhaps the new owners will bring some new beautification to that center.

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## TheTravellers

> Hadn't driven by this area in a while, but was shocked to see ALL of the trees along the east side of N. May which softened the street view of the shopping center.  The loss of that nice long line of trees significantly reduces the beauty of that stretch of road.  Shame.  Perhaps the new owners will bring some new beautification to that center.


Read on Nextdoor they were Bradford Pears and a traffic nuisance.  If so, good riddance, but yeah, hopefully something will go in to replace them.

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## Celebrator

> Read on Nextdoor they were Bradford Pears and a traffic nuisance.  If so, good riddance, but yeah, hopefully something will go in to replace them.


Yeah, I know they were Bradfords, but they kept them trimmed up and out of traffic, so I don't understand THAT concern, and they would probably eliminate themselves as the years went by, but why not just let them be there until they took themselves out.  I mean, during blossom time, that stretch of road was really pretty.  Just a shame to take out perfectly good tree even if the _specimen_ is not perfectly good.

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## foodiefan

> Yeah, I know they were Bradfords, but they kept them trimmed up and out of traffic, so I don't understand THAT concern, and they would probably eliminate themselves as the years went by, but why not just let them be there until they took themselves out.  I mean, during blossom time, that stretch of road was really pretty.  Just a shame to take out perfectly good tree even if the _specimen_ is not perfectly good.


. . problem is they have become invasive and can impact the surrounding landscape and fields.  If you want to read further, this is a good explanation:  https://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2011/03/stop-spread

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## Celebrator

> . . problem is they have become invasive and can impact the surrounding landscape and fields.  If you want to read further, this is a good explanation:  https://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2011/03/stop-spread


Thanks for this!

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## Bill Robertson

> Man, it's going to be tough to fill that space but it's good news to see someone local buying it.  I wish them luck.


I think so too. I grew up near there and loved Otasco, TG&Y, Radio Shack, etc. so I have some emotional attachment. I’d love to see Mayfair come back. But I’m afraid there will be a long hard road to get tenants that will make this endeavor successful. I hope they can pull it off.

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## Newbomb Turk

I think the west side led to the demise of Dick Christmans. I sure miss them.

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## barrettd

> I think so too. I grew up near there and loved Otasco, TG&Y, Radio Shack, etc. so I have some emotional attachment. I’d love to see Mayfair come back. But I’m afraid there will be a long hard road to get tenants that will make this endeavor successful. I hope they can pull it off.


Same here. I grew up just a few blocks away and Mayfair was where we'd usually end up biking to window shop at Otasco, get ice cream at Langsam Drug, grocery shop at Puddin' Lane...

I think it could be an awesome shopping center again.

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## clz46

I used to bike up there too. I lived on the west side of May (2 lane then) Thrift -T-Wise was our go to grocery. I crossed over to Humpty Dumpty some. I actually stole a candy bar when I was about 6. The clerk waited until I got outside to take it from me. A police officer drove me home.

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## HangryHippo

Hopefully there are some plans to revise the exterior(s).  This place was a gem back in the day.

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## rezman

I used to enjoy going there with my parents when I was a kid. We used to go to Stone’s IGA and Humpty Dumpty, my Mom enjoyed shopping at Streets, and my Dad and I would hit Otasco. There used to be that big sign on the east side of May that had the yellow chase lights, that would zip around the sign and end at the top with a bright white light that flashed twice. When we were riding in the car, my brothers and I would pretend it was a giant camera and we would hide behind the front seat of our station wagon so when the light flashed, it couldn’t take our picture.

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## clz46

This thread has some history dating back to 10/5/2014

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