Ok, so we have a Whole Foods coming next year, now what?

What stores or businesses do we realistically have coming to the city in the next year or two?

Well The Container Store said they were coming and they're new to this market so I guess that counts.Not really sure whats next though

Before we start naming them, ones that are not coming are Ikea, Nordstoms, Saks, and Brooks Brothers. The higher ups of these retailers have said they don't plan an OKC expansion anytime in the near future, per a recent ULI luncheon.

that was then. but what about after a few years of success and "PROVING" that other upper end retailers coming to OKC will show?

If I remember correct, didn't Whole Foods say the same thing a few years ago? Now, that was foot and mouth. In business, times do indeed change.

Also, it's Nordstrom (not s). I wouldn't get into a hussy fit about Saks, Tulsa has it - let them.

Yay for the container store!!!!!

Look at the retailers that typically surround a WF store (don't look to Tulsa) and their is probably your answer.

Within a half mile of the St. Louis Whole Foods (that are not in OKC):
REI
Crate and Barrel
Arhaus
Nordstrom Rack
Maggiano's
Galleria Mall with a few higher-end retailers

Within a half mile of the St. Louis Whole Foods (that are not in OKC):
REI
Crate and Barrel
Arhaus
Nordstrom Rack
Maggiano's
Galleria Mall with a few higher-end retailers

Remember the St. Louis metro is twice the size of OKC. It would be better to look at what metros close to or slightly larger than OKC have, like Richmond, Louisville, Memphis, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Austin, Indianapolis, and Charlotte.

REI would be awesome! I love that store!

that was then. but what about after a few years of success and "PROVING" that other upper end retailers coming to OKC will show?

If I remember correct, didn't Whole Foods say the same thing a few years ago? Now, that was foot and mouth. In business, times do indeed change.

Also, it's Nordstrom (not s). I wouldn't get into a hussy fit about Saks, Tulsa has it - let them.

Obviously things can change over the course of 5 years, but the retailers I mentioned will not be here within 5 years. Ikea: would need 500,000 more residents to be on their radar. Nordstrom, the midwest is their worst performing stores and are not looking to expand. Brooks Brothers, only goes to places with other super high end retailers that we dont have. Saks, just wont happen. Steve can back me up on this, he was at the ULI luncheon.


REI would be great, but I think they are in the boat with the ones above. At this point, scoring a Dicks Sporting Goods would be a great get.

There is an REI in Boise ID which is much smaller than OKC. I have also been hearing there commercials on the Sports Animal for a while now. I don't know exactly what that means if anything but it is curious at least.

Keep in mind that retailers in general are not in expansion mode as 1) most are still reeling from the last few years of recession and 2) on-line options and deep discounters are shifting lots of dollars from brick-and-mortar stores.

For example, I love REI but almost never buy anything there. I like cruising through the stores but if I see something I like, I'll just buy it on-line for generally a significant discount.

I think OKC could support just about any store but I not so sure the ones everyone wants (mainly the higher-end stuff) will be looking to expand to new markets in the next couple of years.

Hope I'm wrong!

I shot some video of the WF site and the 4 signs that went up today, will post them in my video thread here shortly.

What about a Cabellas?

I get a lot of clothes and stuff from REI. A store in Oklahoma that's similar is the Stillwater Summit Co in downtown Stillwater--an awesome area. Edmond has a Summit Co too but it's newer, owned separately, smaller, and a lot less authentic. I know the Stillwater one is well supported, don't know about Edmond I never go there..metro reminded me of it the other day when I suggested OKC should try and attract a Summit Co-like place or an REI. I think it would be well-supported because there are a lot of outdoorsy Oklahomans, even though we're definitely a minority.

There is a lot of gear they wouldn't be able to sell in OKC, such as their awesome (but overpriced) collection of snowboards and other equipment for sports such as skiing and climbing equipment. They would be able to make up for it I think if they specialized an OKC store towards running and rowing, however. Those sports are really strong here.

Spartan, OKC has several ski shops, you'd be surprised at how many would buy ski gear, heck even Academy carries it seasonally.

I am just saying that there has to be either a huge local demographic or an outdoors connection for an REI to be successful in a market. That's why there's in big cities..as well as places like Boise and Montana.

OKC's strongest outdoors connection is running and rowing, which REI could capitalize on, and we may have demographics as well that can support non locally-connected items like skiing and climbing equipment.

I was just proposing something that they could really capitalize on.

I think we'd overwhelmingly support one REI, but not two. There are many more outdoors enthusiasts than people realize, just have to get the right company and marketing strategy in place as REI seems to have. Heck, I'd say we have more support for skiing than we do rowing, although it's rapidly catching on.

Remember the St. Louis metro is twice the size of OKC. It would be better to look at what metros close to or slightly larger than OKC have, like Richmond, Louisville, Memphis, Jacksonville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Austin, Indianapolis, and Charlotte.

Well, within approximately one mile of the north Austin Whole Foods location there's all of those places just listed (except Arhaus, ?), along with numerous "high-end" retailers like Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co., Ralph Lauren, etc., etc., none of which OKC has...

Let's start with the grass roots emails.

REI All Other Questions (http://www.rei.com/help/feedback/servicefb.html)

Please consider Oklahoma City for the next REI store location.

Just emailed them as well.

Well, within approximately one mile of the north Austin Whole Foods location there's all of those places just listed (except Arhaus, ?), along with numerous "high-end" retailers like Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co., Ralph Lauren, etc., etc., none of which OKC has...

Austin, Indianapolis, and Charlotte (at #33 with 1.75 million) would be at the higher end of that spectrum of those larger metros. The 10 metros, bigger and smaller, around OKC using 2009 numbers:

34 Indianapolis
35 Austin
36 Virginia Beach
37 Providence
38 Nashville
39 Milwaukee
40 Jacksonville
41 Memphis
42 Louisville
43 Richmond
44 Oklahoma City
45 Hartford
46 New Orleans
47 Birmingham
48 Salt Lake City
49 Raleigh
50 Buffalo
51 Rochester
52 Tucson
53 Tulsa
54 Fresno

We would also need to know if they have New Whole Food's stores or were they existing stores that were acquired through buyout.

^ That doesn't matter, really..a lot of the bought-out stores that WF acquired ended up being renovated and expanded, such as the case with the Tulsa store, and a lot of the stores that WF decided it didn't want they just closed. The playing field has been mostly leveled by now between stores built for WF and those built for Wild Oats and acquired later.

Hello Nick,

Thank you for contacting REI regarding a store in the Oklahoma City area.

Customer feedback is our best tool for improvement and we appreciate your input regarding the possibility of a new REI store in your community. As a co-op, we approach our store openings slower than most national retailers, only opening seven to ten stores per year. This allows us to be very thoughtful and deliberate in our real estate selections.

Thank you for choosing REI as your clothing and gear resource and we hope you continue to use our website at REI - Gear, Equipment and Clothing for a Lifetime of Outdoor Adventure and Stewardship. (http://www.rei.com) for your online shopping needs.

To stay informed of our latest news and openings, please refer to the link below:

REI: Newsroom (http://www.rei.com/aboutrei/newsroom.html)

Wishing you happy outdoor adventures!

Brianna P
REI Online Customer Service

___

It's worth a shot, I guess..

Hello Matt,

Thank you for the email regarding having an REI store in Oklahoma City.

We appreciate hearing your desire to have an REI store in your area. REI opens three or four new stores every year, unfortunately we do not currently have plans to open one in Oklahoma City. We are always on the look out for real estate that will provide a good home for REI. I will forward your email to our Real Estate Department.

Best wishes for great outdoor adventures.

Jonathan D
REI Online Customer Service

----

My response email said they only open 7-10 per year. (mine is bigger)

Well, within approximately one mile of the north Austin Whole Foods location there's all of those places just listed (except Arhaus, ?), along with numerous "high-end" retailers like Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co., Ralph Lauren, etc., etc., none of which OKC has...
All of those store opened in The Domain about 2.5 years ago which has a City of Austin tax subsidy. There were a couple who had locations in The Arboretum a mile or so away and moved when The Domain opened. My office is located in the Offices at The Domain, it was a bit cheaper than our other options when we moved there because of the subsidy.

All of those store opened in The Domain about 2.5 years ago which has a City of Austin tax subsidy. There were a couple who had locations in The Arboretum a mile or so away and moved when The Domain opened. My office is located in the Offices at The Domain, it was a bit cheaper than our other options when we moved there because of the subsidy.

How is The Arboretum doing? Are the retail spots all leased, or is it spotty? That used to be THE place when I was there for 3 months in 1999. I still love Austin.

All of those store opened in The Domain about 2.5 years ago which has a City of Austin tax subsidy. There were a couple who had locations in The Arboretum a mile or so away and moved when The Domain opened. My office is located in the Offices at The Domain, it was a bit cheaper than our other options when we moved there because of the subsidy.

No, not all of those store (sic) opened in the Domain--REI is next door to Whole Foods in the Gateway development. Thanks for the great info, though!

How about a Dick's sporting goods? Does anybody think OKC will land a Dick's?

How is The Arboretum doing? Are the retail spots all leased, or is it spotty? That used to be THE place when I was there for 3 months in 1999. I still love Austin.
It is still pretty full, there have been some new things move in like 5 Guys Burgers (not impressed with their burgers) and The Cheesecake Factory has been in about 5 years now. It is managed by Simon, the same as The Domain, Arbor Walk and most of the other shopping options in Austin, since they control most of the market and almost all the popular options they are going to make sure their properties don't cannibalize each other. The ones like Gateway that look like they are struggling tend to be managed by others who don't have the options that a Simon does.

A former boss of mine did that complex, the shopping center and office buildings.


No, not all of those store (sic) opened in the Domain--REI is next door to Whole Foods in the Gateway development. Thanks for the great info, though!
The ones that you listed in your post were...that was what I was referring to.


Well, within approximately one mile of the north Austin Whole Foods location there's all of those places just listed (except Arhaus, ?), along with numerous "high-end" retailers like Neiman Marcus, Tiffany & Co., Ralph Lauren, etc., etc., none of which OKC has...
Yes, REI is in The Gateway center next to the North Austin WF, that was the first REI here, now they have one in part of the old Whole Foods downtown location and one up in the University Commons area by Ikea in Round Rock. It looks like quite a few stores may be moving out of the Gateway center, it and some of the later developments have quite a few vacancies. Some have moved over to Arbor Walk just south of The Domain. CompUSA, Linens 'N Things closed, Circuit City moved to Arbor Walk and then closed, it is quite an area in flux.

How about a Dick's sporting goods? Does anybody think OKC will land a Dick's? Hard to tell, however if you look at their website there are stores in Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas, Nebraska with the exception of New Mexico. Oklahoma is one of only a handful of states without Dicks Sporting Goods.

The Dick's stores here in Austin have opened up in the last year or so. The Hill Country Galleria location was first, The Domain location opened up in February of this year.

I would think OKC and Tulsa would be in the near future.

Dick's is not really an "elite" retailer it's just one that oddly has decided against Oklahoma. And despite not being "elite" in my opinion, so much better than Academy. Gander Mountain is also not a "big deal" but pretty cool nonetheless.

REI would however signify some upgrade in the OKC market..

I wonder why Dicks would be against Oklahoma? I mean even Wichita Kansas has a couple of thier stores.

Hello Matt,

Thank you for the email regarding having an REI store in Oklahoma City.

We appreciate hearing your desire to have an REI store in your area. REI opens three or four new stores every year, unfortunately we do not currently have plans to open one in Oklahoma City. We are always on the look out for real estate that will provide a good home for REI. I will forward your email to our Real Estate Department.

Best wishes for great outdoor adventures.

Jonathan D
REI Online Customer Service

----

I got the exact same canned response as well.


I wonder why Dicks would be against Oklahoma? I mean even Wichita Kansas has a couple of thier stores.


Academy

I wrote Restoration Hardware. That's a store I'd like to see here, along with CB. We'll see what they say. They're in Tulsa already...........of course.

Yeah, Dicks even has a store in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

So, they obviously need some attention to get a store here. If Hot Springs has a store and OKC and Tulsa don't something is wrong!

I wrote Restoration Hardware. That's a store I'd like to see here, along with CB. We'll see what they say. They're in Tulsa already...........of course.

There's no Crate and Barrel in Tulsa Betts....if that's what you're referring to. I'd also like to see a C&B and a H&M.

H&M would be awesome! The have a loyal following!

No, I meant they have a Restoration Hardware in Tulsa. I'd like to have Crate and Barrel here too. I've written to them in the past, but think I just got one of those "We're not consider Oklahoma City as a location at this point in time" e-mails.

Dick's was listed as a tenant in the development (and on the site plan) @ Western & Memorial, FWIW...

Restoration Hardware in DT Portland is pretty cool.

It would also be great if we could somehow do a coordinated movement to attract some of these stores, like Omaha did with TJs.

Academy
Plenty of those down here in Texas (based in Houston) and Dick's has been opening up stores here.


Dick's was listed as a tenant in the development (and on the site plan) @ Western & Memorial, FWIW...
I thought I that was where I saw them opening, with Main Event in the same big box mall.

What doe's WHOLE FOODS offer that other grocery stores either don't or can't offer?

What doe's WHOLE FOODS offer that other grocery stores either don't or can't offer?

quality as some see it.
granted some other stores has fresh and in some cases unique items.
but for some even that would be the "organic" or "earth friendly", or even hormone free meat, or humanly raised....

Plenty of those down here in Texas (based in Houston) and Dick's has been opening up stores here.


Yep in fact in the DFW area They have several of both stores. In fact Parks at Arlington has a Dicks Sporting goods and Academy is across the street from the mall.

Try this it's worth a shot:
http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/corp/index.jsp?page=contact

What doe's WHOLE FOODS offer that other grocery stores either don't or can't offer?

Quality EVERYTHING, better selection, fresh prepared foods, we could go on and on. Have you ever been to a Whole Foods or Central Market?

I wonder why Dicks would be against Oklahoma? I mean even Wichita Kansas has a couple of thier stores.

Market is probably oversaturated with Academy.... I sent an e-mail inquiry to Dick's a while back and they have no immediate plans for an OKC store. I would love to get one here too.....

Yeah, Academy has too strong a market share is what I've heard, they pretty much own the market, but I think the competition would have a good shot.

That makes perfect sense because Academy is like the Wal-Mart of outdoor stores.

Market is probably oversaturated with Academy.... I sent an e-mail inquiry to Dick's a while back and they have no immediate plans for an OKC store. I would love to get one here too.....
We were just down in San Antonio today, talk about over saturated, I lost count on the number of Academy stores that I saw just in north SA west of I-35...we did go to a Dick's at The Rim, it was much larger than the Hill Country Galleria one here. I haven't been in The Domain location yet even though I work in the complex.

Let's start with the grass roots emails.

REI All Other Questions (http://www.rei.com/help/feedback/servicefb.html)

Please consider Oklahoma City for the next REI store location.

my email:

Dear REI. Please consider expanding your wonderful store to Oklahoma City. I believe it is the biggest city in the nation without an REI or competing upscale outdoor specialty store, so you would essentially have the entire market of a 1.3 million metro area to yourself (not to mention the entire state of OK and neighbouring states - of whom do easily travel to OKC for business and pleasure). You may have noticed the rise of OKC displayed in the national press lately and it is one of the very few cities whose economy is still expanding; REI could capitalize on this with minimal investment and enjoy the fruits of a rising community. I urge you to contact the Oklahoma City chamber of commerce and city officials for information as I am positive that not only will you receive a warm welcome and assistance in coming to OKC but you also would receive a huge following of a rapidly growing populous who are still yet starved of local upscale shopping options.

my email:

Dear REI. Please consider expanding your wonderful store to Oklahoma City. I believe it is the biggest city in the nation without an REI or competing upscale outdoor specialty store, so you would essentially have the entire market of a 1.3 million metro area to yourself (not to mention the entire state of OK and neighbouring states - of whom do easily travel to OKC for business and pleasure). You may have noticed the rise of OKC displayed in the national press lately and it is one of the very few cities whose economy is still expanding; REI could capitalize on this with minimal investment and enjoy the fruits of a rising community. I urge you to contact the Oklahoma City chamber of commerce and city officials for information as I am positive that not only will you receive a warm welcome and assistance in coming to OKC but you also would receive a huge following of a rapidly growing populous who are still yet starved of local upscale shopping options.

You sure write prutty....lol

Metro OKC is growing at what..10% a decade, and don't forget the main reason they and others refuse to come..crappy Academy controls the market unfortunately.

I'm not saying REI shouldn't come, just pointing out what they're probably going to say to that argument.

Everyone "controls the market" in every city, it doesn't keep competitors from moving in. Academy was in Texas long before REI, Dick's, Sports Authority, Galyan's (bought out by Dick's), Gander Mountain, etc. ever came into the state. Eventually they will move into the market, I remember when there was no Best Buy, Comp USA, etc. in the OKC market either.

Let's face it. For whatever reason, we do not come up on the radar of many stores thinking about expansion. Whether it be preexisting stereotypes, average annual income, suburban sprawl or whatever, it just doesn't happen. In one way, that's a good thing. We have local stores that have filled the void, some of them very good. In fact, when I go places like Chicago and New York, I'm most excited about shopping in stores that are unique. I always have mixed feelings about wanting national chains to come in, but will admit some of them haven't been duplicated here, and those are the ones I covet. We just have to do everything we can to make this a city with an excellent national reputation, and things will happen.

I think to some extent our local businesses aren't as nice as they could be b/c they don't have a national chain to compete with..

my email:

Dear REI. Please consider expanding your wonderful store to Oklahoma City. I believe it is the biggest city in the nation without an REI or competing upscale outdoor specialty store, so you would essentially have the entire market of a 1.3 million metro area to yourself (not to mention the entire state of OK and neighbouring states - of whom do easily travel to OKC for business and pleasure). You may have noticed the rise of OKC displayed in the national press lately and it is one of the very few cities whose economy is still expanding; REI could capitalize on this with minimal investment and enjoy the fruits of a rising community. I urge you to contact the Oklahoma City chamber of commerce and city officials for information as I am positive that not only will you receive a warm welcome and assistance in coming to OKC but you also would receive a huge following of a rapidly growing populous who are still yet starved of local upscale shopping options.

Response:


Hello,

Thank you for the email suggesting that we open a new location in Oklahoma City. I have forwarded you request on to the appropriate department for consideration.

I can tell you that REI opens a few stores every year and I am sure that OKC would be a great destination for a REI location.

If you are interested in more information on how we select our store locations, look here: REI: Real Estate (http://www.rei.com/aboutrei/realestate.html)

Best wishes for great outdoor adventures.

Craig B.REI Online Customer Service

appears to be quite favourable (in that 1) it wasn't a canned/form reply and 2) he didn't dismiss OKC at all. .....). Thoughts.