The Dawson neighborhood in northeast Tulsa is no longer a food desert for the first time in 25 years.
A new nonprofit grocery store, Bazaar, has opened at 5215 E. Pine Street, offering fresh, local produce and meat to a community that has long struggled with food access.
Dawson has one of the lowest scores on the Tulsa Neighborhood Conditions Index — just 1.3 — and residents previously had to drive miles to reach the nearest store. Mayor Monroe Nichols says the opening marks a turning point, giving families access that earlier generations never had.
Membership at Bazaar is free for anyone living within a half-mile radius and $25 per year for others. The store is already easing daily life for residents, and it’s also providing one free meal a day to students at Hamilton Elementary and Tulsa MET schools.
Tulsa Metropolitan Ministries, which helped bring the store to the area, plans to open a 29‑acre community garden in the coming weeks. Former councilor and Dawson resident Crista Patrick says the store is helping rebuild community bonds that were lost when the last grocery closed.
Bazaar is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
