The sign says “open”. But, there is not much left inside; a handful of tomatoes, some apples, oranges and a good size mess of okra. A shopping cart out front looks almost lonely. Where mounds of pumpkins, watermelons and bushels of corn were once stacked, there's only bare concrete. Today is Conrad Farms last day in business.
Conrad’s has been a fixture in Bixby for nearly 80-years. The two brothers, who own the farm and produce business, are retiring. They made the announcement back in June. The closing day has arrived.
When the Conrad brothers' dad started the farm, Bixby was a small, rural community on the south bank of the Arkansas River. Bixby was so far out; it was long distance call from Tulsa until the late 1960s. That is not the case anymore. Bixby is one of the fastest growing communities in the state.
The rich farm land is for sale. Mostly likely, it will become the site of upscale homes as the complexion of Bixby changes.