Silhouette Sneakers & Art closed its doors Thursday, Oct. 29, after seven years on Tulsa's Black Wall Street, following the closures of Fulton Street Books & Coffee and Isla’s Southern Kitchen last October.

Owner Kellen James pointed to low sales and weak foot traffic as the reasons, reported by the Oklahoma Eagle.

"It's nothing deep about it. It's just not making enough money," James told the Eagle. "The industry has kind of changed. Traffic is tough to try to bring people in."

The shop at 10 N. Greenwood Ave. specialized in reselling high-end footwear, typically retro Jordans, classic Nike Dunks and other athletic attire. Venita Cooper founded the business in 2019, moving her online reselling operation into a physical suite. James, a Tulsa native, took over in 2024 and began promoting local designers who told the story of Greenwood.

A shifting market

The sneaker resale market peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, when interest in online shopping surged, according to the Eagle. Sales have dropped since then because of high prices and diversified consumer interest. Even Jordans have seen a decline, James said.

In a July interview with the Eagle, James described the pricing problem. He said he had just sent a customer a pair of shoes listed at about $550. "It shouldn't be that much. But that's marketing," he said.

James said the district lacks the everyday foot traffic a retail shop needs. "Not everybody is just looking to come through and spend $400 on shoes," he told the Eagle.

A pattern in Greenwood

Silhouette follows Fulton Street Books & Coffee and Isla's Southern Kitchen, which both closed in October 2025. Fulton Street owner Onikah Asamoa-Caesar cited a lack of support for Black-owned businesses and said she would seek opportunities in New Jersey, according to the Oklahoma Eagle. Isla's Kitchen, a Creole and lowcountry restaurant, shut down less than two years after opening, the Tulsa Flyer reported.

Guy Troupe, owner of Black Wall Street Liquid Lounge, relocated his coffee shop from Greenwood Avenue to the Greenwood Entrepreneurship at Moton building at 609 E. Pine St. for a similar reason. The coffee shop reopened June 21 after a two-year hiatus, according to the Oklahoma Eagle.

"Where it was located on Greenwood, it's not great in terms of drive-by traffic, it's a destination," Troupe told the Eagle. "So you'll get tourists, but it's not some place that a local would typically hit."

Business owners in the district have voiced concerns about the viability of growing a business in the area, despite its historic roots, the Eagle reported.

Looking ahead

James said he does not consider the area hopeless. He said he loves Greenwood and believes it can thrive, but Tulsa's business community needs more collaboration. In a July interview with the Eagle, he compared the market to larger cities.

"Tulsa is trying to get somewhere, and so in order to do that, we need to support each other a little bit more," he said.

James said he hopes to return to the resale business in the future. Silhouette's is scheduled to close Thursday. Final hours are noon to 4 p.m.