Half-off sale at the soon to close Englewood Whole Foods Market

 Starting on Friday there is a half-off sale at the soon to close Whole Foods Market Englewood store. The store is scheduled to close for business on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022. The closing was announced earlier in the spring after being in business since Fall 2016.

According to the Sun-Times some customers are lamenting the loss of this store located in Englewood's former business district 63rd & Halsted Streets. Also those who are working there were offered transfers to other locations, when the store opened in 2016 they hired 100 people to work there many of whom live in the community.

Of course here's a silver lining, the store's closing has inspired a community garden in Englewood.

Whole Foods’ decision to close its Englewood store inspired resident to build a thriving community garden. https://t.co/hLW29lA7Av pic.twitter.com/R3EBTflW9q

— Block Club Chicago (@BlockClubCHI) November 11, 2022

Whole Foods Englewood closing

I'm sharing this news with you because Roseland can be viewed in the same way as Englewood. The Whole Foods store at 63rd and Halsted is closing in the near future after being open since Sept. 2016. It was supposed to be an oasis in the food desert.

The Englewood Whole Foods was supposed to be a South Side Chicago game-changer. Now it's pulling out. https://t.co/YkHesTVTtc via @crainschicago

— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) May 3, 2022

I want to note the statement of the Mayor recently on this issue via Block Club Chi:

At an unrelated news conference Monday, Lightfoot called the closure a “great disappointment” and “gut blow” to Englewood. She said the Whole Foods was an “interesting experiment” from former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who she said championed a store that was too expensive for the neighborhood and where few residents shopped.

“I don’t know about most of you, but most Chicagoans are hard-pressed to pay, for example, $15 a pound for a piece of steak,” Lightfoot said.

The store was often empty, even on Saturdays when “grocery stores all over the city are absolutely crowded with people,” Lightfoot said.

“To me, what it underscores — and I wasn’t here when this decision was made — you cannot bring investment to the community without talking to the community and making sure the investment makes for that community,” Lightfoot said.

...

The storefront won’t be left empty, leaders said. Lightfoot said her team will work with the community to make investments that “make sense for those neighborhoods.”

“We’re going to work our tails off to get a new alternative — one that the community wants and can access and participate in,” Lightfoot said. “It shouldn’t be that we’re plopping something down in a community where we haven’t engaged with them, we haven’t talked to relevant stakeholders to see if it’s something that they want, they need and that they’re going to be able to take advantage of.”

Curbed Chicago: Englewood residents organize to take back their block

Via @buyblackeconomics

Over at The Sixth Ward we've discussed the "dreaded G word" especially as it pertained to the now open Whole Foods Market in Englewood. I always figured that the activists of Englewood - I'm mainly referring to the Resident Association of Greater Englewood - would find a way to stop gentrification.

If there was a fear that long-time small businesses or long-time low-income residents could eventually be displaced by long term economic redevelopment then perhaps Englewood residents who "buy the block" will change the direction of redevelopment. For many the Whole Foods store would likely be the beginning of this, but then if I recall the history there were some Englewood residents who fantasized about Whole Foods coming in and they did.

As you see in this article below buying the block is about buying up residential properties. Check it out below from Curbed Chicago.

Englewood residents organize to take back their block https://t.co/yJgcs9KsBA pic.twitter.com/M7wjJjoR3S

— Curbed Chicago (@curbedchicago) July 23, 2018

If you bought a whole city block or a vacant lot, what would you like to do with it?