| Updated: 11/23/2011 11:04 am |
Published: 11/22/2011 9:20 pm
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Years ago, downtown streets were home to Vandever's and Woolworth and Kress department stores. Those stores are now long gone, and what little retail there is in downtown Tulsa is spread in every direction.
That is about to change, for thirty days, starting next Monday, the deco shopping district pops up downtown.
By day, Libby Auld owns Elote Café and Catering on Boston Avenue.
“There's a lot of people down here who want downtown to grow, they want it to be successful,” she said.
Maybe no one more than Libby. “We already have a lot of food. There's lots of entertainment down here, so I think it's just one part that's missing from downtown
That part is retail. Auld has taken it upon herself to create a pop up shopping experience
“Basically, it's a shop that just pops into a location,” she explained.
In the Philcade and Thompson Buildings in the Deco District.
“We got ten different business to pop up. It's been a collaborative effort to get everybody moved in and window displays put together,” she said.
Rob Stuart is the man behind one of those ten buisnesses. He is getting ready to open Earthly Delights.
“Everyone is just super excited,” Rob said.
On Tuesday, he was working hard to finish his shop.
“This is it right here, the beginning of Earthly Delights in downtown Tulsa in the pop up,” Stuart said.
He's a bartender and home remodeler by day.
“You got a feeling and you just kind of go with it. When I heard that this was happening, I just had to be a part of it.”
The shops open for business in six days, but already Libby's heard a buzz on the streets.
“The response has been really really positive. People have stopped me on the street and said, ‘This is the best thing I've heard for downtown in so long.”
Starting on Monday, the stores will be open from 10:00 in the morning to 7:00 at night Monday through Friday and on Saturday from Noon to 8:00 in the evening. They'll close for good on December 30th.
