Smoothie Cafe Opens In New North Tulsa Shopping Center

Another business inside the Shoppes on Peoria opened its doors this week.

The shopping center at Pine and Peoria is a $3.8 million project funded through a federal grant. It's a joint effort between the city and several community groups and its newest tenant says the plan is working.

The Tropical Smoothie Cafe has only been open for three days, but judging from the busy cash register, it seems to have caught on quickly.

"It's been crazy. This area has really adapted to us well," said owner Tim Smallwood.

He already has one store at Tulsa Hills, but this one is in one of the city's newest ventures, and not too far from where Smallwood was raised.

12/9/2012 Related Story: The Shoppes On Peoria AimsTo Pump Money Back Into Tulsa's North Side

"This is very important for me to come back to an area that has treated me extremely well," Smallwood said. "I am who I am today because of the people that was around me in that area, so I am happy to be coming back."

Brittany Barnett lives nearby and came for a drink with two of her nieces. Nine-year-old Kamryn went for the Paradise Point Smoothie.

Barnett said it's great having a shopping center in this part of town.

"Nothing has been here in years and actually to see something here and see something doing good, it's a good impact on the north side, period," Barnett said.

Shoppes on Peoria is a 17,000-square-foot retail center. It already has a Little Caesar's pizza, a mobile phone store, and a donut and coffee shop. It's in an area that's often been overlooked, but the recent rise of the Gateway Market next door has entrepreneurs like Smallwood excited for the possibilities.

"I hope it grows to where there's more businesses that want to come north, and that sees the opportunity that you can have a franchise or bring a business north and it's going to be successful," Smallwood said.

Smallwood has 17 employees at his new location. He said all but two of them live within a mile and a half of the store.