Buc-ee's is officially looking at Oklahoma. Could Shake Shack, Meddy's be next for OKC?

OKC yearned for years for a Trader Joe's before one finally landed in 2016. Same with Costco until 2019. Now, Buc-ee's ​has people's attention.

The pain of seeing a favorite store close is soothed by seeing something new open, and it happens all the time. So, what's next for Oklahoma City?

First, although it's been reported second hand, Buc-ee's is looking in Oklahoma. Here it is from Bucky the Beaver himself − actually, his spokesman:

"We have not identified a specific location in Oklahoma, but are considering expansion opportunities across the country, including in Oklahoma," Jeff Nadalo, Buc-ee's Ltd. general counsel, told The Oklahoman after several inquiries over several months.

The latest talk says Buc-ee's is looking along Interstate 40 around Yukon, just west of Oklahoma City. But experts say Buc-ee's could land anywhere around OKC, depending on traffic and available land.

Bring on the Beaver Nuggets!

Five would-be-new-to-OKC retailers looking to open in Oklahoma City

"It seems like there are always new tenants looking in our market. Of course, looking doesn’t mean a deal will be struck. Remember how long Costco looked before they opened their first store here," said Jim Parrack, senior vice president and retail specialist at OKC's Price Edwards & Co. commercial property brokerage.

Here are a few of national and regional name-brand retailers currently searching for spots, according to Price Edwards & Co.:

• Meddy’s, "serving fresh, fast, and authentic Mediterranean flavors since 2014," founded in Wichita, Kansas.
• Shake Shack, fast-casual restaurant that started as a hot dog cart in New York City in 2001.
• Daiso, a Japanese variety store chain founded in 1977, in Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.

Some brand-name and local retailers OKC has lost, or could lose, this year

"As the Lord giveth, he taketh away," Parrack said. "Several struggling retailers have either closed stores, will close some stores, or will most likely go into bankruptcy, in which case, they may or may not reorganize and stay open."

• Red Lobster at 4243 Northwest Expressway plus Stillwater and Lawton.
• Joann, which filed for bankruptcy in May.
• Conn’s HomePlus, which is struggling. OKC-area stores remain open for now.
• US Cellular, which is being acquired by T-Mobile, including stores, with some likely to close.

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Senior Business Writer Richard Mize has covered housing, construction, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com since 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Real Estate with Richard Mize. You can support Richard's work, and that of his colleagues, by purchasing a digital subscription to The Oklahoman. Right now, you can get 6 months of subscriber-only access for $1.