Decopolis, a gift shop “where science and magic meet adventure,” recently installed a large, Art Deco-inspired “Tuisa 66” sign in front of its second location on the city’s east side.
Here’s a look at the 30-by-30-foot sign, which will feature neon lighting that will be installed later.
More images from the sign’s installation:
Decopolis owner William Franklin recently opened the second store along Sheridan Road and East 11th Street (aka Route 66), according to News on 6 in Tulsa.
Inside the front door of the new location is a 1950s-style ice cream parlor inspired by Oklahoma’s semi-centennial celebration.
“So right now we’re in the TulsaRama ice cream parlor, which celebrates Oklahoma’s semi-centennial, is kind of the theme we’re using,” Franklin said. “And during that 50-year celebration, Tulsa had its big party, they called the TulsaRama, so we’re using that as our inspiration for our ice cream parlor.”
Franklin says the 1957 celebration encouraged men to grow beards and for women to wear calico dresses similar to the lifestyle back in Oklahoma’s first year of statehood in 1907. The celebration also included major community events and even the burial of the Plymouth Belvedere, which was famously unearthed decades later in rusted condition.
The first store is also on 11th Street, in the Meadow Gold district.
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