When the Kirkwood-based grocery chain Shop N Save , many north St. Louis County residents were left with few options for purchasing affordable, healthy food.
鈥淪ome of the former buildings became Schnucks鈥� stores, whereas three of the buildings that are located in very highly concentrated, populated neighborhoods did not become stores,鈥� said Erica Williams, the founder and executive director of A Red Circle. 鈥淲e were left with three very large, vacant buildings.鈥�
Residents must now drive farther and pay more to maintain a nutritious diet, Williams told St. Louis on the Air. It鈥檚 these burdens that motivate her new goal: to create a community-owned and operated grocery store that will not only feed residents, but also create jobs and raise tax revenue for local schools.
鈥淲e want to be able to feed into the economic development of the region,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚t's not just food, but it鈥檚 jobs; it鈥檚 revenue. This can be a holistic way to meet the goal of , which is to promote community betterment in north county through a racial equity lens.鈥�
To date, Williams has . A Red Circle is eyeing a former dry cleaner鈥檚 office in unincorporated St. Louis County just south of Black Jack as its future home.
On Monday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air, Williams also discussed the success of other recent A Red Circle projects, including the and .
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , , and . Jane Mather-Glass is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
