Tulsa: Farewell Miss Jackson, hello new era

The recent demolition of the Miss Jackson’s anchor store at Utica Square in Tulsa, a fixture in that town’s retail scene for more than 100 years, was a stark Heartland example of the changing face of retail. But mall owners and managers in Oklahoma’s second-largest city feel poised to enter the new era, according to a report in Tulsa World.



New women’s clothing arrivals at Utica Square, which is owned by Helmerich & Payne, include Madewell, Evereve, and Athleta. At Simon Property Group’s Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa, the Texas De Brazil steakhouse and The Fix — which repairs smartphones and tablets — present new options to upscale shoppers.



Woodland Hills Manager Scott Budge said additions such as Texas de Brazil are aimed at enhancing the value of the property for shoppers, but he by no means envisioned the end of department stores.



“Although we cannot predict the future, what we can tell you is that our department stores continue to see full parking lots and steady foot traffic,“ Budge told Tulsa World.



Miss Jackson’s lingerie was opened by Pennsylvania native Nelle Shields Jackson in 1910. The store filled a need in the community among an upscale clientele and prospered by moving into jewelry, furs, and apparel.

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