"Pop" in for a treat at Tulsa's Pop House

By Kyle Crutchfield

The Pop House's simple, bright colors bring
a refreshing flavor to Brookside.

It looks like a child's drawing, but it's real. Its four sky blue walls, two fire red engine windows and single brick chimney stand in three dimensions in the heart of Brookside. In front, like a welcome mat made of chalk, the sidewalk reads "POP in for a treat!," welcoming you to Tulsa's tastiest house, The Pop House.

The Pop House provides sidewalk chalk for
the many kids that visit, leading to fun drawings
like this one.

I order a strawberry lemonade popsicle and take a seat at one of the three wooden picnic tables next to the house. Cars whizz by as Shaggy's "Angel" plays softly overhead. A fire ant, eager to slurp up popsicle drippings, scurries across the face of a blue chalk man with pink eyebrows. A little girl sleeps in her mother's arms. I hear the creaking of swings from a nearby playground and children's laughter. I lick my lips at the tanginess of the lemonade flavor and smile at the simplicity of this space, giving in to a part of my imagination I thought long-lost.