How a 21-foot-tall space cowboy has revitalized a strip of Route 66

This week, we've been bringing you stories from small businesses along Route 66 in honor of the historic highway's centennial.

Travelers far and wide have been driving down the 2,500 miles of open road to see America from the rearview mirror — and maybe even stop for an attraction or two.

Mary Beth Babcock owns Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios and two other retail shops in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“I started a shop downtown Tulsa on the old alignment of Route 66,” Babcock said. “The building sold, rent went up, so [it] forced me to make a change. I said, ‘I want to do retail, but something small.’ And 30 minutes later, this 1950s Pimco gas station got posted on Facebook on Route 66.”

That’s where Babcock opened her souvenir shop. She said one of her first thoughts was that she was going to need a mascot.

“Owning a shop on historic Route 66 means to me that you have got to get a roadside attraction,” Babcock said.

So, that’s what she did.

Babcock commissioned a 21-foot-tall space cowboy statue from Mark Cline, a fiberglass sculptor at Enchanted Castle Studios responsible for some of the strangest roadside attractions across the country. She named him Buck Atom.

From the moment she put up Buck, visitors from all over have come to take pictures in front of her shop. The giant has been huge for her business.

“I've seen so much change in the neighborhood,” Babcock said fondly.

To listen to Babcock’s story, use the media player above.