Trader Joes Tulsa?

[Dustin]

This image is floating around the internet today.



Could be April fools, could be real. Does anyone know?

[bchris02]

It wouldn't surprise me if Tulsa gets Trader Joe's. They usually get everything before OKC does.

However, I would be skeptical of anything announced on April 1st. If Trader Joe's did come to Tulsa first, which I think is likely, I would really be surprised if it was downtown Tulsa.

[Pete]

If they were coming to Tulsa, their first store certainly wouldn't be downtown.

They aren't even in downtown L.A.

[Dustin]

I think this was a pop up thing they did in February to try to lure certain companies downtown. Wasn't permanent.

Sigh.. oh well.

[OKCisOK4me]

I noticed on Saturday that another Whole Foods is being built in Tulsa on the southwest corner of 91st & Yale, so I wouldn't be surprised if this were real.

[bchris02]

I noticed on Saturday that another Whole Foods is being built in Tulsa on the southwest corner of 91st & Yale, so I wouldn't be surprised if this were real.

Tulsa always seems one step ahead of OKC in terms of development.

[G.Walker]

Tulsa always seems one step ahead of OKC in terms of development.

Um, not really, lol. Maybe from a retail perspective, but other than that Tulsa is playing catch up.

[betts]

Retailers don't seem to be very good at math. All they look at is average income and density. They don't understand how far we will drive for something new .

On that note, I hear the Anthropologie here is doing VERY well. They won some sort of award at Christmas from the company. Maybe, just maybe, some of these companies talk amongst themselves or rumors diffuse.

[bchris02]

Retailers don't seem to be very good at math. All they look at is average income and density. They don't understand how far we will drive for something new .

On that note, I hear the Anthropologie here is doing VERY well. They won some sort of award at Christmas from the company. Maybe, just maybe, some of these companies talk amongst themselves or rumors diffuse.

Until OKC de-annexes some rural land to get the density numbers up or figures out a way to sell the city to lazy market researchers, OKCitians are going to have to continue to live with our most coveted retailers opening in Tulsa first.

[G.Walker]

The Outlet Mall has many stores that are first time for Oklahoma. Von Maur is also a big win for OKC, which is Oklahoma's first. And if I am not mistaken, Lululemon in Classen Curve will be a Oklahoma first, for a full retail store, not just a showroom.

[dankrutka]

Um, not really, lol. Maybe from a retail perspective, but other than that Tulsa is playing catch up.

There are other areas where OKC could learn from Tulsa besides retail. As I've mentioned a lot of times, Tulsa has far better urban districts than OKC and this has long produced better local art, music, etc scenes. OKC has only started to catch up in the last 5-10 years. OKC has a ton of momentum right now. No need to disregard Tulsa's strengths though.

[bchris02]

There are other areas where OKC could learn from Tulsa besides retail. As I've mentioned a lot of times, Tulsa has far better urban districts than OKC and this has long produced better local art, music, etc scenes. OKC has only started to catch up in the last 5-10 years. OKC has a ton of momentum right now. No need to disregard Tulsa's strengths though.

Agreed. Tulsa's Blue Dome and Brady districts are far superior to anything in OKC. I know several people who regularly go to Tulsa for the weekend because they prefer more sophisticated nightlife than what Bricktown offers. It's really unbelievable that a city the size of OKC lacks such a district. I believe that greatly contributes to the perception of OKC as boring and devoid of culture to young professionals. Hopefully that changes in the near future.

The momentum is on OKC's side though and there is definitely a market for more arts/cultural attractions here. Hopefully an entrepreneur will take the lead soon.

[G.Walker]

This thread turning into another OKC vs. Tulsa thread in 5...4...3...2...1...

[adaniel]

This thread turning into another OKC vs. Tulsa thread in 5...4...3...2...1...

Meh, this is much ado about nothing.

The myth that Tulsa retail is far and above what you get in OKC is just that...a myth. We got an Apple Store and Microsoft Store before they did. They got a Whole Foods and Anthropologie before we did. Its probably much more evenly matched than it was in the past. If some people want to act all hoity-toity because Tulsa have a Saks, well...just let them.

To answer the original poster, Trader Joes has already squashed rumors of a pending location to Tulsa, although I will commend TYPros for their campaign to bring them there. This was probably an April Fools joke.

[jdcf]

Trader Joe's. I'd walk a mile or two or one hundred for the cookie butter.

[okcpulse]

Until OKC de-annexes some rural land to get the density numbers up or figures out a way to sell the city to lazy market researchers, OKCitians are going to have to continue to live with our most coveted retailers opening in Tulsa first.

There are data tools available to give retailers a more granular picture of Oklahoma City's demographics. The issue is not at all land that must be de-annexed, it is that Oklahoma City's affluent areas are not concentrated into a single area. If we moved Gaillardia, the affluent subdivisions near Moore, Rose Creek and a handful of other affluent subdivisions in NW and NE OKC and grouped them between Heritage Hills and Nichols Hills, then the marketing departments would be salivating at the mouth to come to Oklahoma City before Tulsa.

[bluedogok]

The first Trader Joe's in Colorado broke ground here in Denver last week. It is east of downtown in the redevelopment of the former CU Medical School/Hospital campus (which moved out to Aurora on the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center campus. There is another planned for Boulder right on the heels of the Denver location. The Denver location will be the only one in Colorado with a liquor license to sell wine and high point beer, the rest will only have low point beer.

[betts]

The medical school moved to Aurora? Sad.

[bluedogok]

The medical school moved to Aurora? Sad.

When Fitzsimons was BRAC'd it gave them more room and some newer, better facilities. The light rail line is now being extended up 225 to the campus.

[betts]

I loved the old medical center, although I worked at Children's and lived near it.

[Spartan]

Tulsa always seems one step ahead of OKC in terms of development.

Wtf are you talking about? Seriously, what do you know about "always" when you just recently moved here I think from Charlotte? No 621 sq mi's has nothing to do with it, a site locator's 3 and 5 mile radius will pay no attention to city boundaries. By the way, a radius is a circle.

The problem is that we have started building much better for residential and office, but our retail building standards are still stuck in the 1990s and those developers lack any vision. The City can't do it for them as much as some people want it to. On the bright side, this has led to N. Broadway flourishing as an urban shopping street.

[Spartan]

The Outlet Mall has many stores that are first time for Oklahoma. Von Maur is also a big win for OKC, which is Oklahoma's first. And if I am not mistaken, Lululemon in Classen Curve will be a Oklahoma first, for a full retail store, not just a showroom.

I hope they sell their new yoga pants there..