District 3 City Councilor Crista Patrick was joined by representatives from Tulsa Metropolitan Ministry for the groundbreaking of BAZAR, a new micro grocery store, located in the Dawson neighborhood.
"I am beyond excited to break ground on this much-needed resource in District 3." Councilor Patrick said.
“BAZAR is not only an innovative, community-focused way to provide increased access to fresh produce, meats, and other farm-to-table grocery items, but Tulsa Metropolitan Ministries will also activate partnerships to address food insecurity, provide resources, and cultivate a space for community to gather. I look forward to seeing all the good to come from this space as we move forward."
The BAZAR proposal is a membership-based facility for economically marginalized residents in Council District 3 with a grocer vending machine, self-service, and a hot foods vendor.
The vision of BAZAR is an Automated Micro-Convenience Store (AMCS) pilot unit where customers access the store using a credit/debit card and SNAP benefit cards, as well as prepaid BAZAR-specific cash cards. BAZAR will use a vending system that will account for inventory shifts and automatically deduct or credit user accounts as they make purchases through the store.
The program plans to partner with local food providers to stock the store with healthy and affordable groceries and provide daily meals to area children. The BAZAR area also intends to be home to a community gathering space offering programming and resources.
Tulsa Metropolitan Ministries was awarded $220,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from the City of Tulsa to support the BAZAR proposal.