The Sapulpa Farmers’ Market is a great resource for locally-grown produce and vendors of all kinds, from succulents to soaps and everything in between.
The only problem is, the Market is on Saturday mornings, and so getting some of the items you might want any other time can be challenging.
The newly-opened Crossroads Market on Route 66 (2 N. Main) is hoping to alleviate some of that challenge by providing at least some of those products at their new store in what was formerly an outlet store for the nearby Purple Rabbit Art Emporium on Dewey Avenue.
In the new Crossroads store, you can find locally-produced honey from Dobbs Farm and soaps and bath bombs from Finn Knows—both of whom can be found on Saturdays at the Sapulpa Farmers’ Market. Additionally, they carry “Sandy’s Sauce” from Mounds and Fury BBQ Sauce from Tahlequah. Owner Trey Merrick says they hope to carry even more local products in the future. He still owns the Purple Rabbit location down the street, so he says that as the need comes up for more space at the Crossroads store, they’ll move more of the other “filler items” like their DVDs for sale or their Frankoma pottery collection over to the other store.
“We’re wanting to become the premiere location for local producers and artists,” he says, as he walks over to a wall dedicated almost exclusively to local artists. Paintings include cows and chickens and birds by Kathy Soliday, who says she’s been painting “pretty much my whole life” and has had her work featured at the Creek County Fair, the Tulsa Mayfest, and in a gallery at Utica Square, among others. The
Donnell Dobbs, the owner of Dobbs Farm, says they’re excited to get their locally-grown honey into the Crossroads Market and hope more people will check out the health benefits of consuming locally-produced honey, which Dobbs says does wonders for allergies. Because this honey is grown and harvested locally, it contains small amounts of all the things that make your seasonal allergies flare up in the spring. “If you take a teaspoon of this honey every day over the course of the winter, then by the time the spring comes, your body has built up a tolerance to all these things and you’ll have a much better time when the ragweed hits,” he said. Dobbs says that in this regard, the honey is better than even the stuff you can buy that was locally made in say, Broken Arrow. “This honey has all the allergens from this area that you might not get over there.”
Dobbs says the honey business is booming and in addition to produce, baked goods, eggs, and meat, he’s looking to expand that side of his farm, planning to grow from 50 beehives to around 400 in the next year or so.
As far as artists go, the selection of paintings ranges from farmyard animals to geometric shapes and abstract emotional situations. In one room, a wall is covered with brilliantly colored tributes to Native Americans. Artist Kendra Allen says that her paintings are inspired by her heritage, but she wanted them to be a bit different than the more traditional Native American art because she “just loves color.”
Near the back of the store is a separate room dedicated to foot and full-body massages by a soft-spoken masseuse. Seems like an odd thing to have at a market, but Merrick says it’s about providing a comfortable experience for anyone who might need it. “We’re at the heart of Route 66,” he said. “People are coming here from all over. It’s time we had a place like this here, and we’re the only one like this at the crossroads! Nobody else can say that.”
The Crossroads at Route 66 is located in the Young Law building and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday.
