An esteemed veteran of Tulsa’s independent retail scene will open a shop along the city’s Route 66 main corridor and focus on Mother Road-type items.
Mary Beth Babcock, best known for establishing the Dwelling Spaces shop in downtown Tulsa, is scheduled to open her Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66 in a former gas station at 1347 E. 11th St. (aka Route 66) in Tulsa on June 1. It’s down the street from the historic Meadow Gold neon sign.
Selling more Route 66 items has been in the back of Babcock’s mind for some time. According to the Tulsa World:
“When I had my old shop, we did a little (merchandise) on Route 66, and it just amazed me how many people, how many tourists in the United States were coming through on the route,” said Babcock, who no longer operates Dwelling Spaces. “So this go-round, I’m going to focus solely on that.” […]
The shop will celebrate Route 66 with items such as books, shirts, buttons and signs. Official mascot of the store is Buck Atom, a fictional space cowboy that was conceived by Babcock, drawn and digitized by local artists and named by friends.
She also told the newspaper Michael Wallis, author of the bestselling “Route 66: The Mother Road,” and his wife Suzanne are “big supporters” of her ventures.
Although her 11th Street shop isn’t open, Babcock already has dozens of items for sale through the store’s Facebook page.
Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66 also has a dedicated website here and is selling apparel, toys, souvenirs, home accessories and art.
Like with her Dwelling Spaces store, many Route 66 items are specific to Oklahoma and often uses local artists to create them.
I suspect Babcock’s latest venture will be a successful one. She opened Dwelling Spaces when Tulsa’s downtown revitalization had barely started. Through her enthusiasm and support for other creatives, she quickly became a pillar of the community.
(Image of Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66 logo via Facebook)
“Buck Atoms” sure is a fun, mid-century type of name and artwork. Congratulations to Mary Beth on her new store. I’m sure it will be wonderfully successful!