Last week, Tim Landes of TulsaPeople magazine sat down for a chat with Mary Beth Babcock, owner of the Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66 shop in Tulsa.
For the uninitiated, the gift shop in a repurposed gas station at 1347 E. 11th St. (aka Route 66) not only commissioned its own Muffler Man fiberglass statue a year ago but it also recently erected an elaborate neon sign.
Here’s the recording, which clocks in at about 51 minutes:
Landes wrote in an introduction to the podcast:
We discuss why she moved to Rt 66 and what it means to be able to help support the famous Mother Road as global tourists cruise through Tulsa.
A few months back tourism came to a stop as did most of Tulsa due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We start this conversation about how she’s been able to continue operating despite having to lock the doors to her shop and how she had to alter her scheduled celebrations, but still had lots of fun.
Despite those setbacks, Mary Beth just kept on trucking. That’s her in a nutshell. Always looking forward and moving ahead to accomplish whatever it is she envisions. I’ve known her for nearly a decade, and she’s always inspired me to pursue my own creative endeavors just by watching her lead by example. She’s full of life and her excitement for things is contagious. I don’t think it’s possible to spend time talking to her without laughing and also getting fired up to go do something.
We recorded this conversation by phone on Tuesday, June 2. I had been covering the protests the past few days and was exhausted, but chatting with Mary Beth gave me new life. That’s what she does. We both really love Tulsa, so we talked about what makes the city great, which includes a lot of creative people doing great things.
Mary Beth also talks about her friendship with friend of the pod, Danny Boy O’Connor, and she shares some tips on the places to eat and places to see on Oklahoma’s portion of Route 66.
As usual, Babcock comes across during the podcast as effervescent and irrepressible. It’s easy to understand why she’s gained so many admirers in Tulsa and beyond in recent years.
(Screen-capture image from Oklahoma State Department of Education video of Mary Beth Babcock at Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66 in Tulsa)