North Tulsa Grocery Store Closes Doors Early

Getting groceries is now a concern for people who live in north Tulsa. Gateway Market, the only supermarket for miles in that area, closed its doors for good Monday.

The store wasn’t supposed to close that soon, and it surprised even the clerk who said she found out Monday morning that the store would close the same night.

The store should have closed on Wednesday, and those extra two days could have made a difference for customers who now have to walk miles for groceries.

"Snacks, just something to last for the next couple of days," said customer Terri Rippetoe.

She can no longer walk around the corner for groceries. She'll have to ride a bike or bus at least three miles.

"Catch a bus, then transfer and catch another bus," Rippetoe said.

That can be a difficult task for her and her son, both suffer from asthma.

"It's going to be really hard because of the heat," she said.

Several people stocked up at the now closed Gateway Market Monday and they expressed the same sentiment as Rippetoe.

David Campbell wondered how his neighbors would feed their families.

"Everybody's frustrated, the whole neighborhood. You know, I mean, they ain't got no cars, no way of getting their groceries. What they going to do now," he asked.

The store owner said he's closing because he's not making money. Residents said shoplifters aren't strangers to the store.

Tulsa City Councilman Jack Henderson is now lobbying big grocers, trying to get a major market to move in.

7/19/2014 Related Story: City Councilor Working To Attract Grocery Retailer To North Tulsa?

"Gotta feed my kids somehow,” Rippetoe said. “I can't let them say, 'I'm hungry,' and not get them nothing."

Campbell said bags of canned food will have to last a while because he wasn’t sure when he would be able to get to the grocery store again.

There’s been no confirmation regarding what the space will be used for, or if a new grocer will move in.

For now, the closest grocery store is The Warehouse Market at 3rd and Lewis.