City-funded grocery store in Kansas City plagued with empty shelves, rotten produce due to mismanagement, rampant crime

The store, located on the corner of Linwood Blvd. and Prospect Avenue, was part of a revitalization project for Kansas City's east side and has seen millions in taxpayer dollars invested in it. The store was part of a Community Improvement District in what was considered a food desert.

The store is on the verge of closing and has lost $900,000 over the last few years. Since opening, the store has received tens of millions of dollars. Customer traffic apparently declined during the pandemic and the non-profit operators have not been able to get back to pre-pandemic levels.

"Customers say they are increasingly afraid to shop there — even with visible police patrols — because of drug dealing, theft and vagrancy both inside and outside the store and the public library across the street," reported the Washington Post.

They go on to say that "Police data show assaults, robberies and shoplifting in the immediate vicinity have been on an upward trend since 2020. Shoplifting cases have nearly tripled.

However, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said that can't be the only problem.

"While I hear and understand the crime issues and concerns," Lucas said, "there's a grocery store right down the street — largely in the same kind of area, some of the same criminal numbers and statistics — that still is doing pretty darn well. So we do want to make sure that we can get those operations right and that's the work that we're collaboratively trying to do."

"I still have confidence in the long-term future of a grocery facility in that area," Lucas said. He said the current store must be saved and that "Changing consumer behavior" is another challenge.

There's a lack of inventory, shoppers say. One shopper said "There's no meat. There's no vegetables. There's no nothing. Are you going to take care of the community that's surrounded around you? If not, sell the store to someone that can be more responsible."

"A rancid odor fills the market, with shoppers turned off by bare shelves and coolers, along with empty meat and deli departments," reports local station KSHB. Shoppers who attempted to buy their grocery items at the store often have to go elsewhere to find what they need.

The city has had to spend "tens of thousands of dollars on security because of persistent crime problems." The Kansas City City Council approved an additional $750,000 in funds for Sun Fresh, allocated for security, lighting, and infrastructure improvements.

That $750,000 was in federal funding from the Community Block Development Grant. But none of these outlays have resulted in a grocery store that serves the community's needs.

In their 2024 report, the non-profit group claims that they "partnered with University Health to bring a nutrition education program into our Sun Fresh stores." They further state that the store is a resource for the elderly.

Community Builders of Kansas City, a non-profit, came in to take over running Sun Fresh in 2020 after a private grocer left. The lease the building from the city, which spent $17 million to revamp the strip mall the store anchors. They also operate another Sun Fresh on Blue Parkway.

They blame the city for the crime and security problems. The city was also to blame for not handing over the promised $750,000 in a timely manner in May.

They state their mission as: "We are Kansas City’s largest urban core developer strengthening families and transforming communities. A not-for-profit community development corporation, we personally work with the neighborhoods we serve to build meaningful relationships, acting as community convener, facilitator and resource for services. Since 1991, we have invested $300 million in urban renewal, earning recognition and respect on the national community development stage."

Emmet Pierson Jr., who heads up the group, said of the store "We're in a dire situation." The store has only 4,000 shoppers per week, down from 14,000 in years past.

New York Democrat nominee for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has been running on a platform of creating city-owned grocery stores in every one of the city's five boroughs.