A typical corner store, however, is crammed, small, and does not carry fresh food options, explains Elliot Clay, state programs director at the Illinois Environmental Council. Results of concentrated shopping at corner stores vary from health problems \u2013 obesity, diabetes, and shorter life expectancy \u2013 to social issues, where neighborhoods do not evolve, and locals drain their own neighborhoods of income, trying to access food options elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCorner stores are typically the only stores residents can access without a private vehicle, \u201cexplains Sana Syed, senior director of strategic initiatives at the Inner City Muslim Association (IMAN), an organization behind Englewood\u2019s community market. \u201c51% of Englewood\u2019s population does not own a car.\u201c This creates a 30-year life expectancy gap between Englewood \u2013 where an average resident is expected to live up to 60 years \u2013 and Streeterville, just nine miles north, where life expectancy is up to 90 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
“You cannot bring investment to the community without talking to the community and making sure the investment makes sense for that community.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>Lori Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nDespite the implication in the name, food deserts are not naturally the case for Chicago, Syed adds. Rather, they are a result of people\u2019s decisions. One such decision is the announced closure of the Whole Foods Market<\/a>, just two intersections away from Go Green. Less than six years ago, Whole Foods promised to bring more fresh food options to Englewood, yet Mayor Lori Lightfoot now insists that the corporation never made the right investment, to begin with: \u201cMost Chicagoans are hard-pressed to pay, for example, $15 a pound for a piece of steak,\u201d Lightfoot said. \u201cTo me, what it underscores \u2014 and I wasn\u2019t here when this decision was made \u2014 you cannot bring investment to the community without talking to the community and making sure the investment makes sense for that community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now IMAN is stepping in to fill in the gap meaningfully, trying to find the best-tailored approach for Englewood. At first, the organization worked directly with corner store owners, encouraging them to diversify the products and improve the aesthetics of the stores \u201cBut we could only preach that much,\u201d Syed smiles.\u201dAt some point, these corner stores needed a viable model. They needed to see what their store could look like.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nKaye Akexander, Grocery Operations Manager<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Interior of the market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Go Green Fresh Market on 63rd and Racine, Englewood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSince opening its doors in March 2022, the Go Green Fresh Community Market has shown what a neighborhood market can do for local vendors and consumers alike. The market carries 40 local products owned by people of color; It also offers halal, kosher, and gluten-free options for consumers with specific diets. Pre-packaged lunch options made on the spot in the deli \u2013 a rare luxury in Englewood \u2013 are hit products that vanish from shelves in an instant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what\u2019s more important, Syed says consumers finally have a local store that feels dignified to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe overwhelming reaction has been of gratitude,\u201d she says, recalling how residents would leave tips at the cash register. \u201c It is such a heartwarming gesture if you think of it. This is a low-income neighborhood where people barely have enough to pay bills, and yet they were leaving tips.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A market \u2013 a model of a successful small business in Englewood also served as an important example of local success. Syed explains that IMAN made a conscious choice to start a business rather than a food pantry: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are some pantries [serving Englewood residents],\u201d she said. \u201cBut it was just the lack of confidence that business operators or corporations have around the viability of business in our neighborhood.\u201d So IMAN insisted upon fostering business development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helping existing businesses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just a state away from Chicago, \u201cMax\u201d Kaniger also saw an opportunity in corner stores strewn across Kansas City, where countries like Jackson in Missouri and Wyandotte in Kansas, parts of which classify as food deserts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI realized convenience stores provide a really great infrastructure that’s already in place,\u201d he recalls. In 2017 Kanger partnered with one store on May 31st and Prospect, which allowed him to bring and install a refrigerator for fresh produce. Kaniger would deliver perishable goods for it, and the store would keep some income from the sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
4 months of partnership and a year of analyzing its results gave way to what is now Kanbe\u2019s Markets \u2013 a 30,000 square-foot warehouse with six trucks going in and out, supplying 40 corner stores in the city\u2019s Black and Brown communities with fresh goods and making sure they can store the items properly: For each store, Kanbe\u2019s buys refrigeration, shelving, racks, and baskets. Then, it delivers fresh produce on consignment, meaning that no charges are applied to corner stores until the produce is sold. \u201cIf anything goes bad, we replace it at no cost,\u201d Kaniger adds. All the corner stores have to do is sell the produce and the two sides share profits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith the consignment model, we make it easier for them to sell healthy foods,\u201d Kaniger says, explaining that as a supplier, Kanbe\u2019s gets to control the quality and the price of all the food in the store. He remembers instances of severed relationships because partners inflated prices. \u201cJust because they are the only option in a particular neighborhood doesn’t mean I want the prices to go up,\u201d Kaniger concludes. The model also enables Kanbe\u2019s to keep shelves stacked even if the product sells out quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kanbe\u2019s operational area starts from the northern end of the city and spans to Independence in the south. It includes Coleman Highlands and Troost Avenue, which has historically served as a divide between the city\u2019s East and West sides \u2013 the life expectancy in East Kansas City, where Black and Brown communities reside, is 14 years less than in areas west of Troost Avenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Kaye-Alexander-grocery-operations-manager-busy-at-the-cash-register-scaled-e1661826970358-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Interior-of-the-market-with-full-shelves-and-colorful-decorations-edited-scaled.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Exterior-of-Go-Green-Fresh-Market-on-the-interesection-of-63rd-and-Racine-in-Englewood-1024x612.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/illatinonews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/BCB3B1BC-1551-400C-8C59-F16A557231B3-e1639545102794.jpeg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n