Despite numerous setbacks in securing a grocery store, members of the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition say the opening of Three Sisters Market, a community-owned food cooperative that is planned for the corner of Romare Bearden Drive and West Boulevard, is now within sight. The co-op is expected to open in 2025.
On Saturday, the coalition will host a community celebration to share updates on the project. When built, the 12,000 square foot market will serve as a grocery store and community space. The total cost is expected to be about $10 million.
A market assessment and revitalization study from 2019 found that the idea for a food cooperative fit the area better than that of a commercial grocery store. The area does not meet the minimum requirements of commercial grocery stores because of lower population density and household spending power. The report included details of successful cooperatives in Durham and Washington, both of which include fresh, locally grown foods and products alongside community services.
Janiqua Jackson, general manager for Three Sisters Market, says while the basis of the project is a grocery store, it is also so much more. “The team has been working for this so that us Black folks can stop struggling physically and mentally,” she says. With over twenty years of experience in the grocery retail business, Jackson also has experience in the food co-op model. She was the general manager and only employee of the Urban Greens Food Co-Op in Providence, R.I. which opened in 2019.
A food co-op, or cooperative, is owned by the community instead of a corporate chain. Decisions are made by members, who can be customers, employees, or other stakeholders. The initiative ensures that money stays within the community.Three Sisters Market will serve residents in 19 communities that make up the West Boulevard corridor. The site is already home to a community garden and the Seeds For Change program, a youth-led initiative that was launched in 2016 to address food insecurity.
“The community is excited to see it finally come to fruition,” says Rickey Hall, a board member in the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition. Hall volunteers for Seeds For Change and says the Coalition has a comprehensive community engagement strategy with regular community-wide meetings to educate and involve residents.
Like projects in other cities, the Market will promote equity, wellness and access to affordable, fresh and locally grown produce. Named after three generations of women who tirelessly advocated for a grocery store, three trees on the property will symbolize their legacy.
Jackson says they hope to change social paradigms, emphasizing that the Market helps bring together an ecosystem approach in the neighborhoods. “Nineteen neighborhoods have been forced to rely on Family Dollar for survival,” she says.
Innovative programs will also educate the community about healthy eating and sustainable gardening. Beyond being a grocery store, Three Sisters Market is expected to include retail space, a community kitchen, meeting rooms and spaces for entrepreneurs.
Nearby city officials in Mount Holly approved the installation of five security cameras along the RiverHawk Greenway in July.
But some runners might still be hesitant to run alone. The club provides that extra level of safety in numbers. “It’s a great way to bond and for safety reasons, it’s better to run together,” said Sosa.
A project finally bearing fruit
Being involved in the forthcoming Market and the existing community garden has been fulfilling for many community members. Hall suggests that the project has been like watching a garden grow. “It’s always fulfilling to take a small idea and see it blossom into success,” he says. “It’s like planting a seed, nurturing it, and watching it bear fruit.”
When traditional methods to develop a grocery store failed twice, members of the community launched the idea for a cooperative market. The features for Three Sisters Market were then further developed in UNC Charlotte’s Community Innovation Incubator, with a group of community leaders and researchers from UNC Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith University. After launching a $10 million capital campaign, funding started to come in and the project took shape.
- 2022 – Three Sisters Market filed its Articles of Incorporation; U.S. Rep. Alma Adams earmarked $750,000 in congressional funds; and Mecklenburg County allocated $250,000 to hire a General Manager for the project.
- 2023 – West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition signed a 99-year ground lease with Inlivian; Mecklenburg County approved $3 million for the project; and Charlotte City Council approved $1.5 million and a rezoning petition for 3.5 acres to build Three Sisters Market.
The endeavor has brought immense satisfaction, and Hall says it will also yield long-term benefits for the community. According to UNC Charlotte’s urbanCORE, “the hope is that the grocery store will serve as a catalyst that advances West Charlotte from being a food desert to the epicenter of a regional food enterprise.”
Another board member, Elliot Royal, who helps with Seeds For Change, says “there is no reason your socioeconomic status or location should determine your health.” The communal aspect of the gardens and the Market offers a sense of purpose and builds stronger ties within the neighborhoods.
Some of the students at Seeds For Change say that working at the garden has taught them about sustainable agriculture and that working together can make things easier for a community. The program currently employs eight youth between 13 and 17 years old and develops skills in urban gardening, emotional intelligence, time management and financial literacy.
Hiawatha Beam Jr. is the lead farm hand and works with the students. He says he loves landscaping and working in the garden. He started working on farms as a child with his uncle. His father, who remembers picking cotton when he was younger, also works alongside him today. The elder Beam says he cherishes this time spent with his son, something he feels is not easy to come by these days.
On Saturdays, the students and some volunteers go out to sell their produce with a pricing system the youth created themselves. They accept any form of payment, including SNAP to ensure the food is accessible to everyone in the community. While the Market will establish a permanent community-driven retail development and expand on programming, Seeds For Change is already teaching some fundamental business skills, while increasing opportunities for social connection and entrepreneurship among the area’s youth.
If you go
Saturday’s event will include information about member benefits, food from local vendors and volunteer opportunities.
When: Saturday, Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Site of future Three Sisters Market, 2901 Romare Bearden Drive in west Charlotte.
Alanah Payne
Reporter (she/her)
Queens University News Service
