West Oakland is already a bit of a food desert, with few supermarkets and shops available for people living in the area to get fresh groceries.
Now that desert is going to get a bit bigger as the area's only full-scale grocery store has announced that it is permanently closing on Sunday.
Community Foods Market at 3105 San Pablo Ave. announced the closure on Thursday in an Instagram post, sharing that the pandemic caused irreparable damage to the store's success.
"Community Foods Market was only open for 8 months when the pandemic began," the post stated. "This led to a shaky foundation from which to endure the impacts of the pandemic: a customer traffic decline of 30%, labor shortages of 20-30%, supply chain shortages of 30-40% and the highest rate of inflation in 39 years."
Since opening in June 2019, the store has struggled to stay afloat amidst the pandemic’s economic impacts and the divide in the neighborhood itself.
Racial and economic inequalities and structural barriers that were already pervasive in West Oakland were exacerbated by the pandemic, according to the post. "This cut Community Foods Market off from a larger customer base and diminished the spending power of our local shoppers," the post continued.
Despite the store's struggles, the announcement was met with an outpouring of support on Instagram. Many cited the store's presence as a positive one in the neighborhood.
"I am so sorry to see this. Y'all have been a shining light in our community and such a huge relief for our food deserts," wrote one user in the comments.
The store's workforce also represented the community's diversity. The post noted that 90% of its employees were BIPOC, as were about 70% of its customers.
"We hope to see you at our store one last time before we close," the post said.
Everything in the store will be 50% off through Sunday.
Community Foods Market CEO Brahm Ahmadi did not respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment at the time of publication.
Related
