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Work to redevelop the old Kmart facility at the corner of Frank Phillips Boulevard and U.S. Highway 75 has begun.

Jeremy Foraker, the president of Foraker Company, said they are now reviving the building by converting it into five suites. He said he is happy to finally work on the space after having an interest in it for eight-years.

Big box redevelopment is what the Foraker Company has specialized in over the years. Foraker said he is always interested in former Kmart and Walmart buildings. He said he knew Bartlesville was on the cusp of new development, and he said he knew Kmart would be a likely candidate for redevelopment over time as Kmart continues to close stores across the country.

Foraker said they are building out the old Kmart facility for five tenants. He said four tenants are set to go into the store, including: Dollar Tree, Tuesday Morning, Burke’s Outlet, and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.

A fifth tenant is still being sought. Foraker has no doubts that they will find that tenant once they get the space redeveloped.

On Monday, Oct. 7th, 2019 the Bartlesville City Council approved a recommendation from the Bartlesville Development Authority to allocate $203,830 to go towards a new shopping center at the old Kmart facility. Foraker Company received the funds from the Economic Development Fund to redevelop the building.

As for the stores themselves, Ollie's Bargain Outlet is an American chain of discount retail stores founded in 1982 with 330 locations in 23 states. They deal in merchandise obtained from various retailers, suppliers or manufacturers throughout the country, whether in the form of closeouts, bankruptcy sales or other similar means of buying the stock at below wholesale costs.

Burkes Outlet is a privately held company. Florida-based Beall's Inc. is the parent company of Burkes. The company was formed in 1915 and the corporation now operates over 500 retail stores. Customers at Burkes can find brand name apparel and accessories for the entire family at up to 70-percent off other stores' prices. Most Burkes stores carry shoes, home furnishings, gifts and toys.

As for Tuesday Morning, it is an American discount off-price retailer specializing in domestic and international, designer and name-brand closeout merchandise. The company has 700-plus stores across the U.S and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

And finally, there is Dollar Tree. This is an expansion of the Highway 75 store. This is located near Truity Credit Union and across the highway from ALDI. You can see an illustration of what might become of the old Kmart facility below.

The Foraker Company is on schedule to finish their work by the end of the summer.