Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Food Access topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dawson resident outlines plan for 'The Bazaar' micro grocery, seeks local ARPA funding
Summary
A Dawson neighborhood speaker described 'The Bazaar' micro neighborhood grocery, a membership-based, cashless store aiming to serve 450 students and source Oklahoma-grown food; speaker said District 3 ARPA funds and other ARPA dollars are supporting infrastructure.
A Dawson neighborhood resident told the Tulsa City Council the project known as “The Bazaar” will open a small, membership-based micro neighborhood grocery intended to address local food access.
The resident said The Bazaar will be a member store with free memberships for people who live in the Dawson neighborhood and low-cost memberships for nonresidents. “The bazaar is, Micro Neighborhood Grocery,” the resident said. “It is a cashless grocery ... you can use your bank card, you can use your SNAP card, or you can upload cash onto our Bazaar card.”
The project, the resident said, will focus on locally produced food by Oklahoma farmers and will operate with sustainability features including solar power, biodegradable packaging and reusable cloth bags. “We are hoping to connect with our Oklahoma producers ... to be able to provide a market for them,” the resident said.
Why it matters: The presenter framed the project as a response to an identified local food desert and, if built as described, an anchor for neighborhood services. The speaker said The Bazaar plans to provide one free meal per child for all 450 students who attend schools in the Dawson neighborhood (K–12), and that Phase 1 of the project will include a grocery store and food trucks.
Details and funding: The presenter said The Bazaar has applied for and received ARPA funding and that $500,000 of District 3 ARPA funds were chosen to support infrastructure. The speaker described ongoing work to locate additional funding and partners but did not present a final financing package.
What remains unsettled: The presentation was a proposal and a public comment; no formal council action on the project was recorded during the meeting. The speaker described programming goals and sustainability features but did not supply a firm opening date or final operating budget.
A council staff summary and any formal applications will be needed to confirm precisely how much public funding is committed, how membership terms will work and which city permits or approvals will be required.
