His vision for a "funky community on the edge of downtown" includes oil paintings on the walls, cornbread mix near the couscous, and layers upon layers of blue paint.

When Scott Smith shows up to open the Blue Jackalope Groceries & Coffee in Tulsa -- usually clad in some variant on 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.

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 states of disrepair.

“For me, a lot of what this store represents is an opportunity to recreate community,” said Smith, who is also the president of the Crosbie Heights Neighborhood Association.

His store, which is in the former Church of Christ, underwent a major renovation that took more than half a year to complete. Reminders of the building’s history still exist, including a lone pew and a baptistery – something that Scott plans to eventually convert to a koi pond.

Stephen Carr, a senior planner for the City of Tulsa, said the store is creating a buzz. He has visited a handful of times to check in as Smith prepared to open. Carr said that small business owners are flexible and able to respond to the community’s needs.

One of the biggest issues among people 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 to see 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 Jackalope between major grocery store visits.

“I’ll stop by very frequently because it’s convenient,” Pagan said.

David Parker dropped in on another day to try one of Smith’s coffee creations and discuss the Blue Jackalope serving as a hub for area gardeners.

Parker lives in nearby Owen Park neighborhood and said he has known Smith for years and is glad to have a coffee shop in the area.

“I prefer to shop with people I know as much as I can,” Parker said.

Smith said making the jump from employee to business owner has been validating.

“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,” Smith said. “It has been pretty interesting so far and I think it is only going to get more so.”

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Read Ryan's blog about how he found the Blue Jackalope.