2 new grocery stores aim to bring relief to food deserts in parts of Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — Two new grocery stores are set to open in Minneapolis, with the hope of alleviating some of the areas that have been tagged as "food deserts."
Tuesday morning, city leaders gathered at the former Aldi location in North Minneapolis to celebrate the announcement.
"This is an example of people coming together and responding to a known need," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
In December that need will be met. The former Aldi location on the intersection of Penn and Lowry avenues will soon be home to Colonial Market and Restaurant. It's one of two stores coming to Minneapolis this year. A second store is set to open on the south side of town in September.
"Places like Solo and Cub have held down the north side for a long time," Ward 5 Minneapolis city council member Jeremiah Ellison said. "But this is a community that deserves and needs a lot of grocery stores and we have historically not had it."
The former Aldi in North Minneapolis closed in February of 2023. Residents in the area say they've struggled living within a food desert. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food deserts as being "areas where people have limited access to a variety of healthy and affordable food."
With the new one-stop shop at Colonial Market comes an opening for hope.
"This grocery store provides the kind of access that I think every single person needs," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said. "It provides pride in the neighborhood that we already knew has been there, but it bolsters it even further by saying, 'Hey, look, we have a grocery store, we have a place where we can gather. We have a place that we're proud of that's right here in this spot.'"
It's a project near and dear to Colonial Market owner, Daniel Hernandez's heart.
"This is one of the best things I'm doing right now," he said. "Because this means so much for me, my background, my ethnicity, my people. It's here."
Both store design's are based off an already existing store in south Minneapolis. Once completed, it will include a butcher, fast food restaurant, ice cream shop and fresh produce.
"You use grocery stores for a multitude of reasons, obviously, to connect with people but it's also to run out at 11 p.m. and get a pint of ice cream," Frey said. "Northsiders are going to be able to do exactly that."
Beyond the food itself, both stores will supply dozens of jobs.
"Our money is gonna stay in north Minneapolis," Hernandez said. "Jobs are gonna stay in north Minneapolis."
It's a mission he hopes will continue to serve the city for generations to come.
"There are people who talk and there are people who do," Hernandez said. "And this is what we're doing. Colonial Market in north Minneapolis."
The North Minneapolis location is set to open in December, while the south Minneapolis location in the Hi-Lake shopping center near Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue will open in September.