Something has shifted on East Main. A year ago, a Saturday morning in Jenks meant either the Riverwalk or the antique mall. This July, the same block that used to house a KFC is pouring espresso at a 60-seat patio, and the building that anchored the old antique-mall identity is preparing to come down for a Lululemon.
If you already live here, you have felt it in the parking. If you have been away for two weeks, you have probably missed an opening.
Here is what a resident should actually know about the summer, block by block, without the tourist gloss.
Three doors, nine months, one street
The most concrete way to see the change is to stand at the intersection of Main and Elm and count coffee within a two-minute walk.
Jenks Main Street is experiencing a revitalization as new businesses open along the historic downtown corridor. Jenks Coffee Co, 103 E. Main St., and Pure Kitchen and Market, 102 E. Main St., both opened in October 2025 right across the street from each other in Jenks. Pure Kitchen is the second act for Cynthia Beavers, whose Pure Food and Juice in Brookside at 3524 S. Peoria Ave. closed in January 2026. She moved the concept south because customers kept telling her they would eat there every day if she were in south Tulsa, so when it came time to open another location she started looking out south and found the space in Jenks. She spent close to a year rebuilding a 100-year-old former antique store and added something Jenks did not previously have on Main: a full bar with beer, wine, and what she set out to make one of the best cocktail menus in all of Tulsa, positioned as more upscale and also very healthy.
Across the street, Jenks Coffee Co is the design-forward counterpart. Co-owner Britny Pittman told Tulsa People that Jenks was the only place that made sense, citing a loyalty and community spirit here that you don't find everywhere. Private booths and conference rooms have, per Pittman, stayed full with students studying, friends meeting and small businesses hosting clients.
Then, on July 18, 2026, a third door opened. Laurannae opened Friday at 3 p.m. at 212 E. Main St., bringing what Broken Arrow coffee drinkers and pastry lovers have been buzzing about for years. Owner Kimberly Cronkhite took the building that used to be a KFC until its closure in 2024 and overhauled it to feel more like her Broken Arrow location. The patio matters: Laurannae Jenks' patio seats 60 in the covered portion and also features a large lawn for gatherings and events. Programming is not just coffee. Cronkhite has told reporters to expect live music on the weekends and movie nights, trivia and popular pop-up markets, with line dancing classes, yoga sessions and cake classes likely on deck.
Three operators, three programming calendars, one block. That is new.
The Miss McGillicutty's block, read literally
The visible bookend of this shift is happening 200 feet away. Downtown Jenks is set for a major revitalization with the upcoming closure of Miss McGillicutty's to make way for new restaurants and a Lululemon store. If you drive Main daily, mark the calendar: construction is scheduled to begin on August 1st.
The developer is candid about the mechanics. Bryan Wilks noted that while 27,000 cars pass through the main street daily, the current setup doesn't encourage them to stop, and believes that by introducing sought-after businesses like Lululemon and diverse dining options, downtown Jenks can become a more attractive destination.
The number to hold in your head is that 27,000. Almost none of it stopped. That is the problem the block is being redesigned to solve, and it is why the mix skews toward reasons-to-park rather than reasons-to-browse.
For the vendors currently inside Miss McGillicutty's, the transition is not a wipeout. Some of the vendors currently operating within Miss McGillicutty's will be relocating; six vendors are moving to nearby stores, Red's and The Pink Lily. If your favorite booth disappears in August, check those two addresses first.
The Ten District, by the numbers
Zoom out one block and the pattern is not a fluke. Downtown sales tax revenue has doubled in the revitalized blocks compared to the previous antique mall era, and 80-90% of Jenks residents previously shopped outside the city, a trend The Ten District has reversed by meeting local demand with businesses like McNellie's Group restaurant, The Lodge, The Social, Cedar and Lily boutique, Motley Market, and regional brands Hatch and Sidecar.
Since 2022, over 40 new projects have launched or are currently underway, spanning restaurants, boutiques, specialty retailers, and entertainment venues. That density is why you can stack three coffee openings inside nine months without any of them starving.
A quick way to think about where to go for what, now that Main has caught up:
| If you want | Go to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend brunch with a cocktail | Pure Kitchen, 102 E. Main | Full bar, health-forward menu |
| A booth to work from for three hours | Jenks Coffee Co, 103 E. Main | Private booths, conference rooms |
| Patio hangout with a pastry case | Laurannae, 212 E. Main | 60-seat covered patio, weekend live music |
| A sit-down dinner room | McNellie's, The Lodge, The Social | Anchor Ten District tenants |
| Riverfront view with your meal | Waterfront Grill, Los Cabos | Arkansas River patios |
The Riverwalk still owns the calendar
The center of gravity for daytime hangs has moved to Main, but the Riverwalk is still where evenings happen, and the summer schedule is why.
The Summer Concert Series, presented by Mythic Press, returns to the Jenks Riverwalk amphitheater stage this June and July, and all concerts are free of charge. The address to give a friend is 300 Riverwalk Terrace.
July 4 is the annual anchor. The Oklahoma Aquarium starts their celebration at 6:30pm and will offer a front-row view to watch the presentation on their riverfront backyard, with exhibits available to peruse ahead of watching the fireworks, and food and beverage options onsite. A logistical detail worth knowing before you commit: paid parking will also be available to the public at the Oklahoma Aquarium for $20, and lawn chairs and blankets are encouraged. The RiverWalk itself runs a parallel program with a full day of family fun on July 4, including live music, food and more.
If you are still deciding whether to fight for a spot near the bridge, remember the aquarium math: since opening in 2003, this 72,000-square-foot facility has welcomed visitors with over 500 species and 10,000 aquatic animals across a dozen exhibits. Members walk in free on the Fourth. Non-members pay general admission. It is one of the few nights of the year the ticket doubles as fireworks seating.
A Saturday shaped by the new geography
Put it together and a resident's summer Saturday looks different than it did a year ago.
Morning belongs to Main. Coffee at Laurannae's patio if you want to be outside, Jenks Coffee Co if you want a booth, Pure Kitchen if you want a real breakfast plate. Late morning shopping across the same three blocks, keeping in mind that after August 1, the Miss McGillicutty's footprint becomes a construction zone and the vendor mix redistributes to Red's and The Pink Lily.
Afternoon is still a Riverwalk move. The aquarium anchors the Riverwalk Crossing development, a mixed-use area with shops and restaurants, and dinner options within a short walk include Waterfront Grill overlooking the Arkansas River, Los Cabos Mexican Grill and Cantina with weekend mariachi bands, and District Burger on Riverwalk Terrace using 100% grass-fed, organic beef from Oklahoma ranchers with fries fried in beef tallow.
Evening is a coin flip. Free concert at the amphitheater, an upscale room like The Melting Pot for upscale fondue dining, a four-course experience running about two hours, or back to Main because Laurannae is programming weekend live music now too.
If out-of-town guests are coming
Two things to point them toward that a Google search will not surface cleanly. First, the free concert calendar at 300 Riverwalk Terrace. Second, the fact that Main Street is now a walkable morning, not a five-minute drive-through. Park once, work the block from Pure Kitchen to Laurannae, then decide whether the afternoon is aquarium, river, or one of the boutiques anchoring The Ten District.
That is the piece of Jenks that has actually changed. The Riverwalk was already the postcard. Main is what a resident now brags about.
If you own on this side of the river, the pace of these openings is worth paying attention to for reasons beyond a coffee run. A block that draws 27,000 cars a day and just doubled its downtown sales tax revenue is a block whose surrounding homes are being priced against a different Jenks than the one buyers were shopping two years ago. When you are ready to talk about what that means for your address, Brandi True and the True & Co. team are a short conversation away. Let's Connect.
