A boarded-up building at the northwest corner of Main and Dallas in downtown Broken Arrow is about to become something new again: a neighborhood grocery and deli called District Mercantile. Owner Randall Ryan, who already runs a coffee shop in the Rose District, is turning the long-empty space into a bodega-style market that will also house an expanded version of his coffee business, rebranded as Wanderlust Roastery.
The building had sat vacant for about four years before Ryan’s project moved forward, according to the Broken Arrow Sentinel, which reported that the site sits at the northwest corner of Dallas Street and Main. City officials have described the new market in plain terms: Brent Brassfield, who works in the city’s business development department, said it will provide milk, eggs, aspirin, a deli and grab-and-go sandwiches, according to 96.5 KRMG. That mix lines up with how the Sentinel’s reporting characterized the project, describing grab-and-go food, everyday grocery essentials and locally sourced products.
A Coffee Shop Expands Into a Full Market
Ryan’s coffee business has deep roots in the neighborhood. The Sentinel’s report notes the operation has been running in the Rose District for 11 years, starting at the Farmers Market before relocating to 521 N. Main St. Now that business will be folded into the new building, with the Sentinel reporting the space will be rebranded as Wanderlust Roastery on one side and District Mercantile, a downtown market, on the other.
City officials told KRMG that Ryan plans to open District Mercantile in a couple of weeks or sooner. That timeline follows an earlier estimate from a July report by News On 6, which said the market was expected to open this fall near the corner of Dallas Street and Main Street.
City Incentives Tied to Renovation Costs
The project comes with public money attached. The city of Broken Arrow is helping pay the costs to renovate the space through a public-private partnership, and the numbers behind that partnership are substantial: the Sentinel reports a total capital investment of approximately $255,310 for renovating the 2,200-square-foot space, with about $150,000 of the improvements expected to stay with the building itself.
Under the agreement, the city will reimburse Ryan’s business, Rise Grind & Ride, an amount not to exceed $80,000 once renovations are completed and the market opens, per the Sentinel’s reporting. The City of Broken Arrow has described the arrangement as covering up to 50 percent of renovation costs along with permitting and inspection fees, capped at that $80,000 figure. The Broken Arrow Economic Development Authority unanimously approved the incentives, the Sentinel reported.
Part of a Broader Rose District Push
District Mercantile isn’t happening in isolation. News On 6 reported that Rose District redevelopment also includes planned improvements and the expansion of the Rose District Farmers Market, suggesting the neighborhood is seeing a broader wave of investment alongside Ryan’s project. For a district that has watched one storefront sit boarded up for years, the combination of a reopened building, a rebranded coffee shop and a new grocery option marks a visible shift for shoppers in downtown Broken Arrow.
