Boomerang

[SoonerDave]

Location: S. Western and 89th, Brookwood Shopping Center
Menu: Family fare, burgers, chicken, salads
Cost: $$
Open: Years ago! :)

[SoonerDave]

From a person I consider quite credible, heard some disappointing news about Boomerang...

Looks as though the property management company/ownership of for the Brookwood Shopping Center have decided not to renew the lease for the Boomerang Restaurant at SW 89th and Western.

There's apparently some upheaval going on at that shopping center, as long-time tenant Wholly Grounds coffee shop at the north end of the center recently shuttered the location it has occupied for the last 20 or so years, and Swadely's BBQ in the old A&W building in the north outparcel plans to be moving as soon as their new building is complete.

Boomerang is apparently in the midst of building a new restaurant in Norman in conjunction with the HeyDay bowling lanes expansion, and was presumably intending to make this a second operation. The loss of the on the S. Western site - the last of the "Boomerang"-named restauarants (which are not affiliated with the similarly named "Boom-A-Rang" locations in the city area) apparently came as a surprise to ownership, who had apparently been trying to negotiate a new lease for some time, but site ownership refused. The latest story is that they've already rented the space to - of all things - a Goodwill thrift center.

There is presently a Goodwill thrift center located at SW 89th and Pennsylvania, operating in the old Buchanan's grocery store space. As I can't imagine they'd operate two within a mile of each other, I have to infer Goodwill is planning to move its operations. But given the generally poor disposition of that existing Goodwill store, I'm surprised Brookwood ownership would prefer that to Boomerang, especially given the substantial overhaul of Brookwood in the last couple of years.

Current information is that Boomerang must vacate the Brookwood location by August 31st of this year, and unless something changes drastically between now and then, it will close, and will be out of business pending the opening of the prospective operations going in at HeyDay.

I will caveat this by advising it is not first-hand information, but was given to be my someone who received the details from an employee who advised that most of the staff had been notified of the situation.

While I can't say I was a *huge* fan of Boomerang, they were a fun place to visit, and it'll be sad to lose a locally owned place. I'm hoping they can find a new location somewhere in the area and keep going. If anyone has any more detail on this, would love to get any refinements/confirmation.

[kevinpate]

FWIW, the Goodwill occupied building at 89th/S.Penn has had either a for lease or a for sale sign on that property for a while now. No clue what the pans for that spot might be though.

[SoonerDave]

FWIW, the Goodwill occupied building at 89th/S.Penn has had either a for lease or a for sale sign on that property for a while now. No clue what the pans for that spot might be though.

I think that for lease sign has been there for a long time, leading me to suspect that perhaps Goodwill has been on a month-to-month arrangement possibly. Don't know. At the risk of sounding a bit snotty, I drive by that Goodwill almost daily, and it has become a repulsive dumping ground for everyone's "donations." They drive by and just unceremoniously dump whatever garbage they want to "donate" before hours and let the GW people sort out the mess. It's simultaneously disgusting and embarrassing.

[SoonerQueen]

I think that for lease sign has been there for a long time, leading me to suspect that perhaps Goodwill has been on a month-to-month arrangement possibly. Don't know. At the risk of sounding a bit snotty, I drive by that Goodwill almost daily, and it has become a repulsive dumping ground for everyone's "donations." They drive by and just unceremoniously dump whatever garbage they want to "donate" before hours and let the GW people sort out the mess. It's simultaneously disgusting and embarrassing.

They used to have a location at Hefner and N May and we ate there a lot. Then they closed it, but still had the location on S Western. I wish they would open another location NW. I miss that place.

[Easy180]

Ate at Boomerang tonight and our waiter said they are closing at that location at end of month and opening inside Hey Day with a different owner. Said it should all be open in September.

[jn1780]

Won't be nearly the same being inside Hey Day.

[Larry OKC]

Well, my mother is going to be bummed about this...where abouts in Norman are they relocating?

[catch22]

To the HeyDay family fun center on I-35 and Tecumseh. (I think it's Tecumseh)

[Larry OKC]

Ate there Sat... Last day will be today, Sun...practically a full house...relocation is to I-35 and Indian Hills but wont be until mid-September

Said they were planning on opening another location near where they are now but couldn't secure a space in the short amount of time they had.

[Easy180]

To the HeyDay family fun center on I-35 and Tecumseh. (I think it's Tecumseh)

Actually a little north of Indian Hills.

[SOONER8693]

Just drove by the S Western location. Sign gone, everything gone, closed.

[Zuplar]

That didn't take long. I wonder what they are planning for that strip center.

[SoonerDave]

That didn't take long. I wonder what they are planning for that strip center.

Darned good question. Apparently the owners have something in mind, because a bunch of fairly long-term tenants there have been chased out. Wholly Grounds, a 20-year occupant, closed up a couple of months ago; a small hair salon immediately to it's south is gone, and there were apparently some tensions around Swadley's departure to the new location they're building - supposedly planned to rebuild on the same location, but owners wouldn't allow it. Not sure.

Have heard Boomerang folks would like to reopen somewhere on the S. side of OKC again in near future if opportunity arise.

[Zuplar]

Darned good question. Apparently the owners have something in mind, because a bunch of fairly long-term tenants there have been chased out. Wholly Grounds, a 20-year occupant, closed up a couple of months ago; a small hair salon immediately to it's south is gone, and there were apparently some tensions around Swadley's departure to the new location they're building - supposedly planned to rebuild on the same location, but owners wouldn't allow it. Not sure.

Have heard Boomerang folks would like to reopen somewhere on the S. side of OKC again in near future if opportunity arise.

Yeah it just doesn't make sense unless they got something big planned. Maybe they are going to level it and rebuild or maybe someone else has bought it and going to drop a big box there. I just ate at Ted's today and the Swadley's is coming along nicely.

[Roger S]

Yeah it just doesn't make sense unless they got something big planned. Maybe they are going to level it and rebuild or maybe someone else has bought it and going to drop a big box there.

Was wondering about a big box myself.... Oddest thing about all this is that they just remodeled the whole center about 4-5 years ago.

[Larry OKC]

true and there was another thread somewhere that had a rendering showed specific stores that were coming in....as far as I know, that never happened?

[old okie]

Very sorry to see Boomerang leave there. They ought to consider moving to SW 104th & S. May on the out-parcel at Crest. With the development of the apts there, plenty of potential customers. Likewise, have heard that a restaurant is proposed for the east side of May across from Crest. Would be a good spot for the Boomerang too.

[SoonerDave]

Very sorry to see Boomerang leave there. They ought to consider moving to SW 104th & S. May on the out-parcel at Crest. With the development of the apts there, plenty of potential customers. Likewise, have heard that a restaurant is proposed for the east side of May across from Crest. Would be a good spot for the Boomerang too.

Oh really?? What have you heard?

The long-time Circle-K/Phi 66 at SW 104th and May shut down rather suddenly about two weeks ago, and the building now has a "For Lease" sign on it; initially thought perhaps someone associated with the apartment project (or related to it) had bought it and was going to tear it down. Had heard a bank branch was also slated for the same intersection. Would love to see a nice family restaurant go in at that corner - long overdue in my book. The outparcel on the SW corner of 104th and May is begging for a nice, simple, sit-down family place, like a Cheddar's or something of that ilk.

[SoonerDave]

true and there was another thread somewhere that had a rendering showed specific stores that were coming in....as far as I know, that never happened?

I think those renderings were all conjectural. Not to say they might not, at one point, have had a bigger name tenant lined up which later fell through, but in large part I think those were just wishful thinking.

The only other thing I can think of is that they want to be able to lease out the larger spaces - eg combine the spaces like Wholly Grounds and the old salon and get a bigger rate per sf? Purely a guess on my part. That said, the Boomerang space is plenty large, maybe they want to divvy it up - along with the other stuff in that center that's not been remodeled, like the AF recruiting office and the Workforce OK site...

Who knows. I surely don't

[old okie]

Oh really?? What have you heard?

The long-time Circle-K/Phi 66 at SW 104th and May shut down rather suddenly about two weeks ago, and the building now has a "For Lease" sign on it; initially thought perhaps someone associated with the apartment project (or related to it) had bought it and was going to tear it down. Had heard a bank branch was also slated for the same intersection. Would love to see a nice family restaurant go in at that corner - long overdue in my book. The outparcel on the SW corner of 104th and May is begging for a nice, simple, sit-down family place, like a Cheddar's or something of that ilk.

At the beginning of the planning procedure for the apts., the developer showed drawings of the "frontage" spaces that will set between the apts. & May. Included in his renderings were a bank, a "sit-down-style" restaurant, and some office spaces. Don't know if all that is still in the works or not. Also heard the developer was trying to buy one tract between the wine shop and his land, but can't tell if he succeeded or not. It's probably on the Cleveland Co. site. If he did buy it, that would provide another parcel for commercial development.

And yes, a Cheddar's would be wonderful! Save us the drive to Norman or MWC!