Tulsa World: N. Tulsa to get grocery store

MAKE US YOUR HOMEPAGE | Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | WIRELESS

Home > News > Article

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

N. Tulsa to get grocery store
A local businessman plans to open Gateway Market in mid-January.

Antonio Perez, who owns four successful Las Americas stores in Tulsa, plans to open the Gateway Market in the former Albertsons site at Pine Street and Peoria Avenue. JOEY JOHNSON / For the Tulsa World

By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer
Published: 11/15/2009 2:30 AM
Last Modified: 11/15/2009 4:01 AM

Prominent local businessman Antonio Perez is ready to take on the task of providing north Tulsa with a much-needed supermarket.

Gateway Market is set to open by mid-January in the vacant Albertsons store at Pine Street and Peoria Avenue, Perez said Saturday in an interview with the Tulsa World.

Perez, 48, isn't new to the grocery business — he owns four successful Las Americas stores in Tulsa that cater to the Hispanic community.

His newest store, however, will be a traditional supermarket that caters to the needs of the north Tulsa community, whose residents now have to drive miles to shop.

"I'm excited to expand into that community," Perez said. "Like all my stores, I will provide quality products at the right price with good customer service in a clean environment."

Gateway Market will have all of the elements found in the chain stores, Perez said, including a deli, fresh meat and fish counter, a bakery and an international aisle.

Store hours will be from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, and Perez said he expects to have about 70 employees when he opens.

Perez said that because the concept for this store veers from his others, he decided to have a name that represents the area. It's being called Gateway Market because it is located in the Gateway Plaza, he said.

Snagging a grocery store for the area has been a year-long process for Tulsa Economic Development Corp., said its volunteer board chairman, Casey Stowe.

"We're really excited about it and feel like we've finally solved a problem that nobody else has been able to solve," said Stowe, vice president of commercial lending at ONB Bank and Trust.

Stowe said it "borders on shameful that the grocery store has been closed so long."

After years of work by city officials in the 1990s, Albertsons agreed in 2001 to build a store at the site. It opened in 2003.

But four years later, the store closed, once again leaving a significant portion of the city's population in desperate need of a place to buy groceries.

Shortly after Albertsons closed, city and elected officials scrambled to find a replacement but only had a few nibbles.

Then, Mayor Kathy Taylor created the North Tulsa Economic Development Initiative and turned the effort to find a grocery over to the corporation.

Stowe said the group came close to finalizing a deal with another operator, but a last-minute personal issue arose with the grocer, and the project fell through.

That's when Perez was approached.

"I thought it was a great opportunity," Perez said. "I went and looked at the store, and it's great. It has all of the equipment. It's just ready for someone to move in."

Stowe said that in addition to the grocery inventory, there are plans for an in-store bank. He hopes a pharmacist will want to move into an area inside the store.

Stowe said he has known Perez for a while, and "I think he will be a great fit."

"The advantage of having a locally owned business is that it can be responsive to the customer needs because they are here in town," he said.

"I think we're going to see an entirely different dynamic with this grocer and the community," Stowe said.

Perez said that at first he worried about how the community would accept a Hispanic opening a store there, "but the response has been very positive."

"I told them I would offer them respect and asked them to respect me not only as a human being, but a businessman," he said.

Ester Ogans, a north Tulsa neighborhood activist, said she is "tremendously happy" that Perez is willing to open a grocery store.

"We don't care who opens the store, what color they are, or what language they speak, as long as they provide quality meats, good customer service and a clean place," said Ogans, one of a group of people who met with Perez about six weeks ago.

City Councilor Jack Henderson, who has been a key player in getting the store, said he visited one of the Las Americas stores, "and they have all the qualities" that Perez promises.

"This is a long time coming," he said.

Henderson successfully lobbied the City Council to approve $2.2 million in Community Development Block Grants for the grocery store project.

"Without those funds, this would be dead in the water," he said. "We needed that financial incentive to lure someone."

The funds will be used to make a loan to Perez so he can acquire the property and buy inventory.

Stowe said closing on the property sale is set for the end of the month. The site is owned by a group of Tulsa investors, Omega Alpha Development LLC.

Henderson said an advisory committee made up of community members also will be created to assist Perez on any issues that arise.

"He understands that if the community accepts him and he gives what they want, he ought to be there for a very long time. We want this to be a success story," he said.

The Tulsa Economic Development Corp. also will hold a job fair to help Perez hire employees, Stowe said.

Perez said he is looking for a "racial mixed, quality group of employees."

Antonio Perez’s other Tulsa stores

Las Americas

241 E. Admiral Place

2118 E. Third St.

11330 E. 21st St.

1140 S. Garnett Road

P.J. Lassek 581-8382
pj.lassek@tulsaworld.com By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer

Newspaper View Print this story

Comment

RSS

Bookmark

Reader Comments

Show: Most Recent Comment First

Add your comment

80 comments have been made on this story so far. Tell us what you think below!

Reporting Comments

If you see a comment that violates our terms and conditions, please help us by clicking the "Report this Comment" link next to a comment. That will alert the web staff to review the comment. Thank you. -- Web Editor Jason Collington

	Report Comment mamamany, OKC (11/15/2009 7:52:54 AM) THERE IS A GROCERY STORE THAT DOES AWESOME IN NORTH TULSA!!! PINE AND LEWIS. maybe if people traveled past admiral they would realize that the store Save A Lot is a great store . w/ fantastic staff willing to help.
	Report Comment r0rschach, (11/15/2009 8:20:42 AM) ah....bringing a little bit of east tulsa to north tulsa....this is just going to THRILL the locals.
	Report Comment Teddy Bear 1975, Eufaula (11/15/2009 8:46:13 AM) About time a grocery store went in the old Abertsons. Maybe with a new mayor things will get done in North Tulsa.
	Report Comment born okay the 1st time, tulsa (11/15/2009 9:27:48 AM) Bartlett help out North Tulsa? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Good luck with that.
	Report Comment Sarge776, Tulsa (11/15/2009 9:32:43 AM) I think it is great someone finally stood up to the plate and offered to have a store at that location. Too many times, just like the area at 36th and Cinn. where the old DL office was, has gone to trash. I hope this man can succeed where Albertson's failed. However......if the stealing, robbing, and other things go on like what happened to Albertson's, then that will just show the people of Tulsa that this area will never change and the people who live in this area will just have to suffer and not have a store of this magnitude ever again.
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/15/2009 9:49:54 AM) Wish Mr. Perez well in his new venture.
	Report Comment snowwhite04, (11/15/2009 10:06:36 AM) does he not know why the Albertsons went out of business? The theft rate was so high at albertsons they could not afford to stay in business. I f they don't clean out town square and the income based housing of the gang members nothing is going to last in north tulsa. Look where the neigbor 4 neigbor is there use to be a shopping center there, theft shut it down. Until the cops stop letting people go there will be nothing nice on the northside, Heck the 2 that ribbed the sonic 1 in jail 1 walked can we say snitchin sets u free to rob again then tell on someone and go free.
	Report Comment flub-a-dub, (11/15/2009 10:07:35 AM) I would like to thank Mr. Stowe and his group for their "Dont take no for an answer" attitude. I read where they volunteered their time as well. I hope our new mayor takes notice and advantage of Mr. Stowe et al's initiative. A great example for the naysayers and ne'erdoers. Good job guys!
	Report Comment Brainiac, Tulsa (11/15/2009 10:12:32 AM) snowwhite04, you are just plain wrong. Albertson's closed every store they had in Oklahoma as a cost-cutting measure. It was purely a corporate decision, and was region wide.
	Report Comment Shooter, Tulsa (11/15/2009 10:21:06 AM) Well I hope this store succeeds. However Mr Perez better be willing to pay for good security. Security cameras down every aisle, and good security not rent a cops but real law enforcement like TPD or TCSO. I know security is expensive but people need to feel safe when they go shop and they cant let half of their inventory walk out the front door. If people feel safe and there is good enough security to stop shoplifters and deter other crimes the place well be a success.
	Report Comment flub-a-dub, (11/15/2009 10:21:42 AM) Mayor Bartlett, will you please create a Tulsa Economic Initiative for the rest of Tulsa too? Put Stowe and his bunch over it also. I get excited when locals show leadership; when they step up and make a difference in the name of economic progress. And thank you Mr. Perez for your visionary plan.
	Report Comment T!ger,, Tulsa (11/15/2009 10:25:00 AM) Yeah.. Good luck with that! I would like to see them try their first weeek up there without being robbed by a bunch of thugs. Hope Mr. Perez has enough money to pay for GOOD security like TPD or TCSO, and a lot of security cameras. I honestly hope Mr. Perez succeeds in his business. Just be careful. I would just keep an eye out for thugs that might go in there, and again Good Luck Mr. Perez.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/15/2009 10:46:18 AM) The store can be sucessful this time, if Antonio Perez can budget for a large on-site security force, and cameras covering every square foot of the isles. Maybe as many as a dozen, armed and trained security officers during business hours. TPD is way too busy with other violent crime in north Tulsa to babysit this storw. Everybody is dancing around the true issue, but every one of the former grocery stores that left his area, left due to extremely high shoplifting losses. In addition to shoplifting, armed robberies are a huge threat, along with the safety of the stores customers during armed robberies. It will be a colossal effort to effectively protect innocent customers. I wish Mr Perez more luck than the last twenty stores had......
	Report Comment proudresident, (11/15/2009 11:14:01 AM) The idea that burglary, robbery and theft only occur in North Tulsa needs to stop. Albertsons closed all of their stores, not just the one in North Tulsa. North Tulsa consist of honest working families that pay taxes as all of Tulsa does. Why should North Tulsa be constantly strapped with the negativity. People speak of North Tulsa as though it is located in another region of the world. Families have roots their and choose to remain in that area of town. Not everyone wants to live south. "If people feel safe, or income based housing", can be attributed to other parts of Tulsa and/or Oklahoma. Do the people of north Tulsa deserve less because it is north of south Tulsa?
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (11/15/2009 11:20:23 AM) The Gateway Market should be renamed to the Getaway Market.
	Report Comment messy, tulsa (11/15/2009 11:35:05 AM) What the heck? Seriously, there are some full-on racists in here. "homeboy supervising homeboy"? Do you really think Albertson's failed because they had black people working at one of their stores in North Tulsa? The company went bankrupt nation-wide, and all the buyers cherry picked their most profitable stores that didn't require much additional investment. Wal-Mart has more to do with Alberston's closing than shoftlifting!
	Report Comment hapbarb, (11/15/2009 11:42:52 AM) I agree, messy - racism on display (under screen names, of course...) - I am glad that North Tulsa finally has a full-service supermarket.
	Report Comment GreyRoof, Tulsa (11/15/2009 11:59:01 AM) I tire of hearing that the second rate stores currently in North Tulsa are sufficient for our needs. All other Tulsa neighborhoods except North Tulsa enjoy a wide variety of shopping options. You will find North Tulsans shopping in Brookside at Whole Foods or buying cookware at shops in Utica Square. A store in North Tulsa will find a huge and hungry buying public ready to shop. Why should North Tulsans have to travel to Midtown and South Town to by quality groceries and merchandise? Why should Midtowners be the only ones that can enjoy the convenience of stores located on their commute routes? And to those of you who continue to perpetuate the urban legends about why Albertson's closed, I hope a store in your neighborhood closes and suffers the same rumors that have helped prevent us from getting our store reopened. Oh that has already happened, hasn't it? Two Wal-Marts on Memorial, the former Albertson's in east Tulsa and Broken Arrow and the entire EastGate shopping center and Target across the street.
	Report Comment Barleybaby, Tulsa (11/15/2009 11:59:14 AM) Good job Mr. Perez and Tulsa community leaders. The environment may be a challenge, but I bet it is proven that there are many more good people there that will see to it that it's a winner. Stand shoulder to shoulder North Tulsa and don't let a few bad apples spoil your new store. Best wishes from Mid-town Bb
	Report Comment GreyRoof, Tulsa (11/15/2009 12:20:31 PM) The posters of low opinions and racial slurs about other neighborhoods because they are probably the ones who are guilty coming into our fine neighborhoods to rape, rob and kill our residents. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find out that some of them are cooking meth in their bathtubs and drive around town displaying racist symbols on their vehicles while they look for opportunities to harm others.
	Report Comment Mar, Tulsa (11/15/2009 12:20:34 PM) GreyRoof you are soooo funny. Yeah, I can just see a Whole Foods and a Utica Square type shopping center in north Tulsa. LOL LOL LOL For starters the majority of residents in north Tulsa could not afford to shop at those stores. Second, those stores would have such high theft rates, that the stores would be losing money. No business is in the business to lose money. As for Mr. Perez's stores. I noted they are in the areas where a lot of Hispanics live. Most black people do not like Hispanics, so I'm not sure how that will play out having a store in north Tulsa. I agree with others, I hope Mr. Perez's has very high security at the Gateway Market, because I'm sure it will be very important for the survival of the store. I wish him good luck.
	Report Comment Thunder196, Tulsa (11/15/2009 12:39:14 PM) Mar Quit looking down your nose at people because of where they live and who they are. . There are a lot of honest decent people that live in North Tulsa. They also earn paychecks. They want and deserve a place close to home to shop for food. . Who cares where Mr. Perez is investing. He is the only one so far that has stepped up to the plate. Not only is he opening stores, he is creating jobs in those areas.
	Report Comment Terree, Tulsa (11/15/2009 12:46:40 PM) Well I hope he does well with the opening of this new store. The "Las Americas" store at Lewis and 244, cators to the Latino's, I was wondering if this store will be the same or will it cator to all walks of live. I dont like going to a store where all the stuff is in Spanish, I cant read Spanish and im not gonna learn. I just hope its for all people, not just Latino's. Has anyone heard anything on this?
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/15/2009 12:47:10 PM) proudresident, don't take just waht the posters have said.... check with former employees of all the stores in north Tulsa that have closed over the past 35 years and ask them what the problems were. Not just Albertsons, which sold out and reduced outlets after the death of their founder. Talk to former employees of all the stores who boarded up. Stores who wished ot make an honest profit, and then had to close... Then take a look at offical Tulsa Police Department criminal statistic maps. These are a matter of public record and easily verifiable. Take a look at the major areas of drive-by shooting, armed robberies, sexual assaults, car-jackings, car thefts, shop-lifting, and the list goes on and on. Then come back and tell us about how poor ole north Tulsa is getting picked on unfairly...
	Report Comment Terree, Tulsa (11/15/2009 12:50:23 PM) Right on Thunder196. She(Mar)always has something neg to say about alot of stuff. I bet if she lived on the northside, she might change her thinking on somethings. I for one am glad the store is going to open i might be able to get a job there...Would (Mar) work at the store? humm that is a question...how about it Mar?

25 of 80 comments displayed. | View All

Add Your Comment
In order to post a comment on this article, you must sign in to Tulsaworld.com. If you do not have a site account, you can create an account for free.