(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – An Englewood activist says she’s still processing the weekend’s closure of the local Whole Foods supermarket, which hopefully is not part of a trend.
Asiaha Butler, co-founder and CEO of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood, or RAGE, described one of her final trips to the Whole Foods on West 63rd as “somber.”
“It wasn’t necessarily for any sentimental values towards Whole Foods,” she said.
“I think it was the symbolism of what we experienced with having such a different type of store in our community and now seeing that it’s gone.”
After being open for just six years in an area considered a “food desert,” the store has closed its doors for good.
“It’s another shuttered space, which is unfortunate because we have so many shuttered spaces,” she said.
Butler said some planned discussions with city leaders this week are a start, but she and others want more proactive methods to avoid more closures moving forward.
“This problem that we are faced up against is not just about a grocery store,” Butler said. “It’s about plenty of amenities, plenty of institutions that are needed in these communities that we just don’t have.”
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