Oaks Village’s former grocery store at 1104 E. Fourth St. in Monroe is for sale and the owners want to set the record straight.
Posts on social media about the property are garnering negative feedback and opinions.
Garry Moore, executive director of Oaks of Righteousness, said he wished someone would have talked to the organization before making any public posts.
“The store was put up for sale. Oaks had originally bought the store about five years ago,” Moore said. “It was opened to help the community because it’s a food desert over here, scientifically speaking, because there are no other grocery stores in the area.”
Oaks Village developed the property, known as Village Market, to operate as a nonprofit grocery store with fresh meats, fruits and vegetables to serve the Orchard East community.
In March, both the store and the organization’s homeless shelter closed.
The co-op operating the store formally dissolved and Oaks Village Homeless Shelter at 1018 E. Second St. was closed after a building and fire safety inspection by the City of Monroe deemed “an imminent threat to the health and safety of occupants if the building were continued to be occupied.”
Chelsea Wade, executive outreach director, said the organization is making a concentrated effort for financial transparency.
“Through our monthly newsletters and through a lot of our Facebook correspondence, we are forthcoming with every project we are working on with the shelter reopening,” Wade said. “Every quote we’ve gotten, working with a contractor, architect and the city. I think it gets muddy because this has nothing to do with the shelter.”
“They ask why we aren’t using all the funds to fix the shelter,” she continued. “They are such separate entities. We have a loan still on this property that we have to pay for. It’s important to note, they didn’t get the whole story when they put this out (on social media).”
On March 25, Cole McNew, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Haynes Real Estate, listed the property priced at $270,900.
“It’s a great building for a great price,” McNew said. “Hopefully someone purchases it and continues to use the space to give back to the community in some fashion.”
The retail building, built in 1968, can be used as a grocery market, convenience store or neighborhood retail.
According to the listing, the location offers high ceilings, recently renovated interiors, storage space and multiple upright beverage and dairy coolers. Interior features include forced air, central air and a slab basement. On-site parking is also available.
The Orchard Food Co-Op officially took over operation of the market from the ministry in April 2025. Oaks Village supported the efforts by negotiating a one-year lease to allow the co-op time to organize and build capacity.
“They weren’t able to sell enough shares right away, so we worked out a lease agreement with them to lease the property for one year,” Moore said. “At the same time, the ALCC was going under construction, and the library had been forced out so we worked with the library leadership for them to utilize part of the building.”
In February 2025, the Monroe County Library System opened a temporary location for the Navarre Branch Library while renovations were being made at the original location.
Moore said partnering with the library provided temporary space within the building so services to the community could continue uninterrupted. It is still in operation despite the property being for sale.
“As of April 2026, we have made the faithful and responsible decision to list the property for sale,” Moore said. “We are being proactive and getting this property on the market because we have other financial obligations like the loan on the building.”
Funds received from the sale will be used to fully pay off the outstanding loans on the property.
“This is not a retreat from our mission, it is a reaffirmation of it,” the organization said. “Good stewardship means knowing when to hold on and when to release, trusting that God will redeem even this for His purposes and for the good of our community.”
— Contact reporter Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling at lvidaurribowling@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Here’s why Oaks Village grocery store is for sale
Reporting by Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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