People who live in a food desert neighborhood in Roanoke now have access to a full-service grocery store.
Customers began lining up outside the new Market on Melrose hours before it opened Wednesday. It’s not just a new option in the predominately Black Northwest Roanoke neighborhood. It’s the only full-service grocery store option.
Lucretia Brown grew up in the neighborhood. "I still live in the same house I grew up in," Brown told a group gathered for Wednesday's opening. "I have never seen a grocery store in the community."
Brown is also the customer service manager for the store, which will be operated by the non-profit Goodwill. It’s the only such project for the non-profit in the entire country.
The path to creating it began back in 2017 when researchers from Roanoke College, along with community advocates, began to identify food access as the number one health need for the neighborhood.
"Data doesn’t lie," Goodwill CEO Richmond Vincent said. "The data said this community needed a grocery store and it deserved a grocery store."
Roanoke City put a good chunk of COVID-era American Rescue Plan funds toward the project. Mayor Sherman Lea said the project will be transformational for Northwest Roanoke.
"This project has been about more than just building a market. It’s about investing in an area that has long been underserved," Lea said.
Melrose Plaza now includes the market and a library branch. A bank branch, wellness center and adult high school program are also coming to the location.
