Most people in North Texas take stories of neighborhood grocery stores for granted. But that’s not the case in a neighborhood of southeastern Dallas, a food desert with shops more than five miles away, when the Save U More opened in 2016.
That shop at the corner of Simpson Stuart Road and Bonnie View Road closed on New Years Day.
People who shopped there on the last day found very little left to buy.
“You can see all the way from the front of the store to the back of the store and all the way through the shelves,” said customer Pearl Smith.
In the months leading up to Friday’s closure, some neighbors said poor stock led to the store’s decline.
City councilor Tennell Atkins who represents the area fought for years to find a developer willing to open a store in the food desert.
“We need to make sure this community has fresh vegetables, fresh fruits and fresh meat,” he said.
There was a good supply in 2019 when Rodney Wiggins, who ran the store at the time, said it was a challenging location.
“Many people are afraid to come to this area. This area needs to be addressed, ”Wiggins said.
In that corner there have been crime problems in the past.
But there are also hungry people living in apartments and single-family homes in the area. Paul Quinn College is just down the street.
The City of Dallas provided a $ 2.9 million grant to the developer to renovate a dilapidated old shopping center and open the grocery store. In return, the developer had to keep a store available for the neighborhood for 10 years.
‘He’s been there for five years. He said yesterday that he is determined to be here for 10 years. He needs time to restructure, to come up with a different kind of concept to reopen, ”said Atkins.
In August, a group of critics held a demonstration outside the store to oppose further city spending.
“Where did all the money go and when did the city start rescuing supermarkets and failed businesses,” critic Eric Williams said that day.
On Friday, Atkins did not rule out additional city spending.
“I think all options are on the table,” said Atkins. “The city always invests in the community. I don’t think the city will stop investing in the community. “
Atkins said the neighborhood needs a grocery store and will support it to get it open again.
“That would be great. That would be really great,” said customer Pearl Smith.
She left the store on a longer drive on Friday, which she said she didn’t like finding food elsewhere.
Some neighbors in surrounding apartments say they will rely on convenience stores and a dollar store within walking distance of the corner. Those stores deliver milk and packaged goods, but not fresh food and full-service groceries.