To celebrate Mother Road Market being open one year, The Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation announced tenants on Friday for an adjacent retail development.
Shops at Mother Road Market is slated to open in the spring. It has four tenants: Eleanor's Bookshop, a bookstore aimed at children and young adults; Felizsta, an authentic Mexican cookie bakery; Graham Collective, a wellness boutique; and Oklahoma Distilling Co. Cocktail Co., a bottle shop and supply store.
Lobeck Taylor Foundation CEO Elizabeth Frame Ellison said Mother Road Market visitors made it known there were some retailers they wanted to see.
"More stuff for kids, more stuff so that they can learn more about eating and drinking in the community. And so, we were focused on really trying to find retail options that met those needs," Ellison said.
Like the food hall does for food businesses, Shops at Mother Road Market is intended to help first-time retailers launch and grow. One slot is left at the shops for an established retailer.
The Lobeck Taylor Foundation also provided some figures for Mother Road Market's first year in business. It pulled in more than half a million visitors since opening day, surpassed $7.7 million in sales and created 266 jobs along with its merchants.
Ellison said the hope is Mother Road Market anchors further Route 66 development.
"Route 66 really has such a rich history and has been a really underutilized asset in our community. And so, we hope to see more development and more people and see this space really become a destination much like it was in its heyday," Ellison said.
In the coming year, Mother Road Market’s patio will be enclosed for year-round use, and the food hall will cut out single-use plastics. Ellison said they've always considered sustainability.
"Through our waste management system, we’ve already diverted 3.5 tons of garbage that would have gone to the landfill has gone to composting, and over 200 pounds of food has been donated to other nonprofits, like Iron Gate," Ellison said.
