Antinia Robinson, 54, knew exactly how she wanted to spend part of her day off Wednesday. She traveled the two blocks from her home to Addison Plaza in Seat Pleasant, Md., and walked into Good Food Markets, an affordably grocery, for its soft opening.
Support our journalism. Subscribe today ArrowRight
“Hello, welcome to Good Food Markets,” a cashier called out.
Robinson, who has lived in the Seat Pleasant community for over 30 years, smiled, grabbed a shopping cart, and walked up and down the store’s three aisles. She was pleased with both the selection and the prices and began filling her cart with large white eggs, smoked uncured ham, red onions and cucumbers. The last time she was able to purchase fresh produce and vegetables so close to home had been in 2016, before a Safeway in the plaza closed.
Story continues below advertisement
“Losing the Safeway hurt the community a great deal,” said Robinson, an administrative assistant for Prince George’s County Public Schools. “It left us on this end of Maryland, Capitol Heights, right at the D.C. line, without services, so this has been a long-awaited opening for us to get us something back in the community to get groceries, to get eggs, to get onions, simple things.”
Advertisement
Prince George’s County officials have identified six areas that are considered food deserts, including Capitol Heights, which borders Seat Pleasant. Philip Sambol, executive director of Oasis Community Partners, which operates Good Food, had planned to open the Seat Pleasant store in the fall of 2018, but plans for funding from the city and Industrial Bank fell through. Prince George’s County ended up stepping up by offering more than $1 million in funding.
Sambol was thrilled that the store’s soft opening finally happened Wednesday.
Story continues below advertisement
“It's been a long time, working on this with a lot of people, and to see it open and see people coming in, shopping the store buying produce is really — it’s hard to put into words,” said Sambol, who has been running a Good Food Markets pilot in D.C.’s Ward 5 for seven years. “ Once we start getting feedback and once customers are able to share their desires with us in a more direct way, I think this store will really evolve to be something that can serve the Seat Pleasant community really well.”
One way Sambol hopes to meet the community’s needs is by hiring local residents. One hundred percent of the employees must live in Prince George’s, an agreement the organization made when it received county funding.
Lacey Thornton, 36, has lived in the Seat Pleasant community for almost 15 years, and she learned about the store the first week of August after shopping at the Dollar Tree nearby. She had walked by the empty storefront and saw writing on the outside notifying the public that the store was hiring. She looked the organization up on Instagram and was excited by what the store would mean for residents like herself. She said she sometimes traveled 30 to 45 minutes to go grocery shopping.
Advertisement
Story continues below advertisement
“It means that we have a store with healthier options in walking distance, which is so needed, because within walking distance right now we have, like, just McDonald’s and CVSs everywhere, which is fine but you can't get fresh produce from, like, CVS and from the Dollar Tree,” said Thornton, who immediately applied for a position. She now works as the store’s shift supervisor and oversees four staff members.
Thornton hopes to eventually have 15 people working at the store. About 50 people have submitted applications since the store’s postings went live last month, but nearly a dozen have been turned away, Thornton said. “A lot of our interviews have been null and void because people are not willing to get vaccinated,” she said. “We’re really doing it for their protection because you’re interacting with the public and you just want to have that extra layer of protection.”
The store was open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, and 117 people made purchases, Sambol said. Akibi Archer, 37, lives two blocks away and visited after his wife shared with him a Facebook post she saw about the soft opening. Ted Smith, 69, lives across the street and wandered into the store carrying CVS and Dollar Tree bags. He was delighted to see the stand of fresh apples, bananas and pineapples and made a beeline to the cashier after seeing a sign about seniors saving 10 percent when they sign up for the store’s rewards program. Donna McCain, 56, entered the store after picking up medication nearby.
Advertisement
Story continues below advertisement
“I'm glad we have this in this area because we really need it. .？.？. If you go to D.C. you find organic stores, but Maryland, in our area, you don’t get that,” McCain said, who is interested in eating more organic and natural foods because she has diabetes. McCain, who frequently buys calf liver, chicken and turkey wings from Shopper’s, hopes that Good Food will expand its meat selection.
The store has a cafe and kitchen. It hasn’t opened yet, but staff are currently preparing fresh food that people can purchase. Sambol said he knew the store needed a cafe and kitchen after hearing what people wanted from the Ward 5 location. “We’re small, we can’t be everything to everyone but we can be something for everyone,” Sambol said. “I think that’s really where the fresh produce and perishable stuff comes in; that’s what you won’t find at other locations, other types of businesses that are serving in this center.”
The store’s grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 2. Shortly afterward Sambol plans to open a third store, which also has been delayed by more than a year, in the District’s Ward 8, another food desert. Residents and Ward 8 advocates appear to be waiting patiently for that opening.
Advertisement
Story continues below advertisement
“The challenge is you can’t miss what you never had,” said Calvin Smith, chair of the Ward 8 Health Council. “When the store opens, and they find value in the store, then if it goes away it could be potentially missed, but right now it’s a nonissue because it’s not open.”
For Robinson’s part, after studying the products in each aisle, she felt she had a good idea of the store’s offerings and what her friends and family, including her sister, daughter and grandchildren who all live nearby, might enjoy. “I’m going to share with my neighbors that it is here for those that don’t know, so that they can come out,” Robinson said.