They already have a bank with an ATM!!

I checked out a new shopping center in downtown Tulsa last week. It takes up a fraction of a city block and is constructed of thirty nine shipping containers. The containers were actual containers used in international commerce for the last ten years. Or at least that is what their website claims. It is called the Boxyard and I love it.

I was kind of semi aware of it and knew that it was built kind of quickly so I was expecting something kind of rough but to my surprise it looks very cool and the design is very attractive. It just opened a couple months ago but they already have several businesses open.

It is laid out on two levels centered on a plaza on the first level. They packed a lot of potential businesses in a relatively small space. They have spaces for both retail and food and beverage businesses. I’m intrigued by the whole thing because of its use of recycled shipping containers and the idea of a “micro” shopping area. Tulsa’s downtown is pretty frothy right now with new businesses popping up and people investing in renovating old buildings.

It has been a remarkable transition. When I first showed up in Tulsa twenty five years ago there was very little going on downtown. No restaurants, no bars, no retail, no nothing. Now there are lots of such businesses and there are lots of people living downtown and I think an active downtown is good for the whole city.

There is this gigantic “OPEN” sign you can see through the glass of this space for a bar on the second level. I’m looking foward to it actually being open during warm weather. Maybe Heather and I can have a beer up here on this patio of this remarkable space.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday.