Tulsa - The name is "Gateway" and for North Tulsans, it's their ticket to a new grocery store.

It has been two years since the Albertson's store near Pine and Peoria closed. And, a lot of customers have been waiting for a new place to shop.

The new store will be located in the same space. But, what will it take for the new store to make it on the north side? The answer is customers who will support the new grocery store. That was one of the things new owner Antonio Perez wanted to know before deciding to open.

For two years, residents of north Tulsa have had to pass by a boarded up Albertson's every day, wondering when they would once again have a grocery store. Now, people can't wait for the Gateway Market to open.

"I think it's going to do real good," says Isiah Mack, who manages the Subway in the same complex. He has some advice about what it takes to do business there.

"Personally, I think it's going to be the workers, the employees. Take pride that we have something on the north side that we can call our own," Isiah says.

Perez operates four grocery stores in Tulsa already. He caters to a Hispanic clientele and has no worries about doing business in north Tulsa.

"I like the grocery business and it has a lot of potential in the areas since there's no grocery store around," he says. "It's a beautiful store and ready to go and I got a lot of help from the Tulsa Economic Development Center."

But, this store is more than groceries. It's a lifeline to the community.

"The grocery store is a key thing," says Councilor David Patrick. "Other retail development is not going to come in without a base and the grocery is the base for that areas of room that point to good development, good retail that whole areas is going to be turned around even in next year you'll certainly be surprised."

The Gateway Market will open in mid-January. That's around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, which will be another reason to celebrate in the community. The opening will provide 70 new jobs. The management is working with the City of Tulsa to hold a job fair at the store.

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