INDIANAPOLIS — An east side grocery store is fighting to keep the area from becoming a food desert.
“It was a Herculean task to get this to where it was, and I think we all realized it was just bigger than what we thought,” Cook Medical President Pete Yonkman said.
Yonkman helped fund the opening of the Indy Fresh Market back in September 2023.
“People we met in the community talked about their grocery stores had left in the last five years,” Yonkman said. “People would tell stories about how they're trying to feed their family by going to the gas station and trying to find food and fresh vegetables there.”
The store gathered a lot of hype after opening, but now each day is a fight to stay open.
“Right now, it's not survivable,” Yonkman said. “It is not anywhere near the revenue it needs to be.”
Grady Mcgee is the senior director of operations for the market. He explained that the store is struggling to compete with big chains.
“Walmart, for example, they have the buying power that they can go directly to the manufacturer. When you have a small community grocery store, we don't have the ability to go right to the manufacturer. We have to use a food broker,” Mcgee said. “Going through that food broker already puts us out of cost comparison to your buyer, or your Walmart, any big box store.”
Neighbors hope the store can remain, so the area doesn’t become a food desert.
The United Northeast Community Development Corporation released the following statement:
United Northeast Community Development Corporation celebrates the efforts of the owners Michael and Marcus. They endeavored to open a fully functional grocery store on the Northeast side of Indianapolis, which has suffered as a food desert for several years after the closing of Kroger in Devington Plaza. Managing a grocery store is a very difficult task and sometimes assistance is required. We celebrate the support Cook Medical and Goodwill has provided to both Michael and Marcus. Now, more than ever we must continue to push for community support for the store and work with the owners and operators to make things better over time. The store opened in October of last year and like many businesses need time to find their footing. We ask as a community member that neighbors continue to visit the store and spread the word of not only of it's existence but also the story behind two community members who wanted to make a difference for their neighbors and the Northeast side a whole.
Yonkman hopes the east side neighborhood comes out to support the store as it fights to stay open.
“We want feedback so we can service community better,” Yonkman said. “I just hope people will give us a second look and come in with an open mind.”
