A decade after opening, a series of violent incidents may be the ultimate downfall for The Boxyard as its tenants are being told to pack up and vacate.
Located in the Blue Dome District at 502 E. 3rd St., The Boxyard consists of 39 repurposed shipping containers that at one point housed nearly 20 businesses. During this time, Tulsans regularly visited to mingle, eat ice cream, drink coffee and shop.
The vision for a downtown business hub earned critical acclaim, with The Boxyard winning the Honor Award for Design Excellence in 2017. But the unexpected pitfalls of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in several businesses either closing their physical locations or shutting down entirely, a tenant told The Eagle.
What once was a common place to congregate downtown became a ghost town during the day, with several businesses shuffling in and out unable to replicate its glory days.
In March, Tulsa police arrested three people after breaking up a fight near the venue where nearly 200 people had gathered. A month later, leased tenants were told to cease operating by May 12. Other businesses that operated without a leasing agreement were given until June 1.
According to Rene’ Bramlett, owner of Da’Shade Room Eyewear, the space has been no stranger to “guns, fights, and riots.”
“It’s been a lot,” said Bramlett, who has operated out of The Boxyard since 2023. “It was always after business hours, so it didn’t affect what we were doing as a business, but it does affect the businesses’ (image) so they thought (it) better to save our businesses from going under.”
Originally starting as a pop-up, Bramlett had aspirations of providing affordable optician services for north Tulsans.
She then became a liaison between small Black-owned businesses and Fishless Desert, The Boxyard’s management company owned by Elliot Nelson. The Tulsa entrepreneur has been credited with transforming the city’s downtown restaurant scene through his leadership of McNellie’s Group.
The Eagle reached out to Fishless Desert several times for comment, but did not receive a response.
In collaboration with Downtown Tulsa Partnership’s holiday pop-up shop, Bramlett helped several businesses acquire a space to test their concepts in an effort to “revitalize” the space.
LAMIK Beauty, Sugar Chic Glam Couture and NCrowd Clothing Co. were a few of the businesses to move through the pop-up program. Each will now have to find alternative ways to do business.
“They were saddened by it,” Bramlett said. “They felt like it was too sudden for them, but they also said they enjoyed their time.”
Despite the “abrupt ending,” she thanked Fishless Desert for allowing her to have a brick-and-mortar location. She plans to go mobile with her business.
But not everyone shares Bramlett’s view. Both My Momma’s House and Rozay’s Wingz raised issues with how they were managed.
Rozay’s, which operated on the first floor, closed over the weekend while the last day for My Momma’s House is set for May 10.
“They’re breaking their lease, and they’re not giving us anything for it,” wings shop owner Roosevelt Rozay Walker said.
He admitted to being late on a few rent payments in the past, but said he’s currently paid everything off.
Unsatisfied with his departure, he said he is considering taking legal action against Fishless Desert. For now, he’ll continue operating his Broken Arrow location and plans on opening more spots in the future.
“They just need to make it right,” Walker said, adding his lease agreement didn’t end until 2027.
My Momma’s House owner Chris Mitchell described his time at The Boxyard as unpleasant, with issues regarding delayed maintenance and a lack of security.
“I think (The Boxyard) has all the potential in the world under the right management,” Mitchell told The Eagle in February.
As the only business on the second floor, Mitchell said he lost a lot of clientele due to the lack of wheelchair accessibility and an elevator that would routinely go out of service. Now, he said he’s searching for another space downtown.
Neither Walker nor Bramlett were told what would become of The Boxyard’s space following their departure.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
