ALLINACE, Ohio — News 5 is following through as a new grocery store opened in a local food desert. We took you to the newest StarkFresh location in Alliance last month while they were still getting ready to welcome customers.
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An overwhelming sense of relief and joy beams from customers inside the new StarkFresh Grocery Store.
“It’s really nice,” said Sandra Justice. “We really needed this. It’s going to be wonderful. I just have to walk across the street and not get in my car. I think it’s going to be really convenient for everybody.”
For years, the Alliance Towers neighborhood has fit the UDSA definition of a food desert, with more than a hundred households a half-mile from the closest supermarket, with little to no vehicle access. But on Monday, StarkFesh Executive Director Tom Phillips said that narrative is no longer.
“We’ve been in the Alliance community in this particular neighborhood for years now with our mobile market,” said Phillips. “So, to actually be able to take and actually have a stationary spot where people can walk to is huge.”
The overall goal of the new bodega-style grocery store is to provide fresh everyday meals for families without people needing to hop in their cars or on the bus. It’s all within walking distance for thousands of people.
“It’s one of the lowest income areas in Alliance,” Phillips added. “We hope that they find their way here eventually.”
Shopper Stacy Young said this store is perfect for her mother, who lives nearby.
“My mother is one of those people who doesn’t like to go on State Street and drive in all that traffic, so being in this area is very helpful to her,” said Young.
Another shopper, Allma Hogan, added this store not only helps offset costs for groceries but gas, too.
“Sometimes you’re out of gas, and you know you got to get to the gas station, and there’s not too many down right here,” Hogan said.
If customers show their EBT cards, they will get 50% off fruits and veggies, but Phillips reminds all ages and incomes are welcome.
“Even though we cater to people who are lower income, it’s open to anyone…to shop at,” Phillips said.
The store is in the old Alliance Community Center on S. Linden Ave. It’s StarkFresh’s second location in Stark County. The first one opened in Canton three years ago, and they hope to not stop here.
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