Building on a dream
BY RYAN GLADSTONE World Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
7/16/08 at 2:38 AM
Watch a video of Scott Smith
sharing his philosophy about
building community:
tulsaworld.com/bluejackalope
A grocery store on downtown's edge is just a start for the man trying to revive Crosbie Heights.
His vision for a “funky
community on the edge of
downtown” includes oil
paintings on the walls, corn bread
mix near the couscous, and layers
upon layers of blue paint.
When Scott Smith shows up to
open Blue Jackalope Groceries &
Co7ee at 306 S. Phoenix Ave. in
Tulsa — usually clad in some variant
of a blue dress shirt with khaki
shorts and brown boat shoes — he
is acting on an idea that had been
floating around his head for years.
Smith has developed his newly
opened community grocery store
with the abandon of a man not
encumbered by a knowledge of
what is safe or practical.
He doesn’t have any experience
running a grocery store, unless
you count the year he spent as a
convenience store clerk while attending
college in Austin, Texas.
He wants to do more than
just sell quarts of milk and baby
carrots. He wants to help revive
Crosbie Heights, the nearly 100-
year-old neighborhood northwest
of downtown, where many of the
homes have fallen into disrepair.
“For me, a lot of what this store
represents is an opportunity to
re-create community,” said Smith,
also the president of the Crosbie
Heights Neighborhood Association.
His store, in a former Church of
Christ building, underwent a major
renovation that took more than
half a year to complete. Reminders
of the building’s history remain,
including a lone pew and a baptistery,
which Smith plans eventually
to convert to a koi pond.
Stephen Carr, a senior planner
for the city of Tulsa, said the
store is creating a buzz. He visited
a handful of times to check in
as Smith prepared to open. Carr
said small business owners are
flexible and able to respond to the
community’s needs.
One of the biggest issues among
residents considering relocating
downtown is the availability of
services such as groceries.
“I think it is a service that
was missed, and it is a market
niche that Scott Smith is filling,”
Carr said.
Smith said he opened the
Blue Jackalope with about
half of the inventory he plans
to carry and has been polling
customers about what they
would like on the shelves.
Manny Pagan walked over
to shop on a recent Sunday
afternoon. He picked up a
loaf of Mrs. Baird’s bread and
a box of Ghirardelli brownie
mix to satisfy a nagging sweet
tooth.
Pagan said he plans to shop
at the Blue Jackalopebetween
major grocery store visits.
“I’ll stop by very frequently
because it’s convenient,” he
said.
David Parker dropped in
on another day to try one of
Smith’s co(ee creations and
discuss the Blue Jackalope’s
serving as a hub for area gardeners.
Parker, who lives in the
nearby Owen Park neighborhood,
said he has known
Smith for years and is glad to
have a co(ee shop in the area.
“I prefer to shop with people
I know, as much as I can,”
he said.
Smith saidmaking the jump
from employee to business
owner has been gratifying.
“I think the greatest thing
about having started this
business is all the characters
who come in the door and
shop here and come in and
visit,” he said. “ It has been
pretty interesting so far, and
I think it is only going to get
more so.”
Ryan Gladstone 918 732-8103
ryan.gladstone@tulsaworld.com
Open for business
For more information on the Blue Jackalope, call Scott Smith
at 582-5344. The store is at 306 S. Phoenix Ave., west of Interstate
244 and north of Charles Page Boulevard. Hours Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are 7 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 7 p.m.
Hours Saturday and Sunday are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Associated Images:
Scott Smith adds new items to the computer inventory. Smith’s grocery store experience is limited to a year he spent as a convenience store clerk while in
college. RYAN GLADSTONE/Tulsa World
Scott Smith adds new items to the computer inventory. Smith’s grocery store experience is limited to a year he spent as a convenience store clerk while in
college. RYAN GLADSTONE/Tulsa World
Scott Smith’s Blue Jackalope is a “mom and pop grocery store” at the corner
of Charles Page Boulevard and Phoenix Avenue. Smith said he hopes that
the store will be a community hub for the area northwest of downtown. RYAN GLADSTONE/Tulsa World
Scott Smith plans to transform the former Church of Christ’s baptistery into a koi pond. It took more than half a year to renovate the
building. RYAN GLADSTONE/Tulsa World
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