Junction 66, a grocery store and full-service restaurant with gas pumps, opened Monday along Route 66 in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.
KTUL-TV of nearby Tulsa had the story:
“People can come in, order off the menu for dinner and they can grocery shop,” said Junction 66 Manager Bonnie Barrera. “They can get their items to take home with them, like a gallon of milk, bananas for breakfast, whatever it may be.”
That last part may not sound exciting to you, but it certainly is for a neighborhood that hasn’t had a grocery store in years.
“All they have had is convenience stores, and I’m sure there are folks that don’t have cars, and this will be in walking distance for them. It will be beneficial for them,” said Sapulpa Chamber of Commerce President Suzanne Shirey.
Shirey said Junction 66, in a salute to the Mother Road, also has displayed a loaned collection of vintage neon signs.
Here’s the full video from KTUL:
The store sits on Line Avenue and Mission Street (aka Route 66) on Sapulpa’s north side. There also was a Junction 66 on the city’s west side, but it closed.
The Junction 66 concept is unusual, but not unique. Pops along Route 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma, has served as a gas station, restaurant and convenience store for years — plus those 500 varieties of soda pop.
(Screen-capture image of Junction 66 in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, from KTUL report)