But the impact extends beyond residents. Local businesses are also feeling the strain.
“We probably spent $8,000 to $10,000 a year [at the Pick ‘n Save] between Tricklebee (Cafe) and my house, so the claim that they’re not making any money? They were always packed,” said Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Cafe, a pay-what-you-can community cafe in the nearby Uptown neighborhood, west of Metcalfe Park.
The closure of the Metcalfe Park Pick ‘n Save was part of a decision made by the Cincinnati-based Kroger Company to run more efficiently and ensure the company’s long-term health.
The decision drew criticism from city officials and sparked community activism to keep the 35th Street store open.
Though Kroger did not respond to requests from the Journal Sentinel for more information about the reasoning behind their decision, communications between Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s office and Kroger’s corporate office last August, obtained by the Journal Sentinel, found that the Metcalfe Park location was a part of four Milwaukee-area stores targeted for the implementation of “measures to deter crime.”
The 35th Street location was one of three stores targeted for crime prevention that are now closed. The grocery-store chain closed a total of five stores across southeast Wisconsin.
Tricklebee Cafe, open for lunch Wednesday through Saturday, relies on produce grown in its own garden plots, donations received from farmers’ markets, and, when recipes called for it, supplemental ingredients from the now-shuttered 35th Street Pick ‘n Save. Now, Melby-Gibbons and her staff must swap a previously less-than-one-mile drive for a roughly three-mile drive to other grocery stores, nearly tripling their grocery run time.
Other food-related businesses share her concern.
Zakiya Courtney, owner and chef of Vegan Soul, said the convenience of having a full-service grocery store less than a mile away was critical when she needed last-minute ingredients.
“Even if I forget one item, I have to go all the way down to 70th and State,” she said. “I actually just came from Metro Market. I forgot cornbread mix for my pop-up tomorrow.”
Courtney said other stores don’t offer the same discounts she relied on at the 35th Street Pick ‘n Save. Now, she faces a choice: pass those added costs on to customers or absorb the hit herself.
“Being able to purchase things at a discounted price allowed me to be able to keep my prices low for my customers,” she said. Hypothetically, a meal that sells for $20 may soon rise to $22, she said. Though she hasn’t raised prices yet, Courtney said she expects she’ll have to decide by fall.
Food businesses aren’t the only ones affected. Day care providers across Metcalfe Park said they are struggling to efficiently source basic supplies.
Chanel Brown, who works at Catherine Early Childhood Development Center, said even simple “emergency runs” for milk, produce or other supplies have become harder.
The center cares for 42 children. When essentials run out or are needed, Brown travels to Walmart in Silver City on the city’s south side. Some parents, she said, lack transportation, so the center has stepped up to provide formula or other necessities, sometimes after hours or on weekends.
Planning for healthy snacks has also become more complicated.
“We try not to buy fresh fruit in bulk. We usually try to take it day-by-day so that it’s not rotting in the refrigerator, so that’s another trip (we have to make),” said Brown.
Nearby convenience stores typically don’t stock fresh produce, offering only canned options, said Brown.
Raquel Ivory, who runs Grandma Ethel’s Childcare Learning Center, said her staff cares for as many as 16 children each day. Before the store’s closure, Ivory occasionally walked with some of the children to Pick ‘n Save.
“(There were) teachable moments at the grocery store. Especially for my community that I work in, where there are a lot of processed foods. So, I tried to teach my kids about the perimeter – you know, fresh fruits and vegetables,” she said.
Now, Ivory said, the children won’t get to take those midday trips. The grocery store she shops at now is only five miles away, but Ivory is hesitant to bring the kids along for the 15-minute drive, citing concerns about the city’s struggle with reckless driving.
For now, business owners and childcare providers say they’re doing their best to adapt, but without a nearby grocery store, many worry Metcalfe Park will remain at a disadvantage.
Residents and local leaders have urged city officials to find a replacement grocer, but no plans have been announced.
April Quevedo covers Metcalfe Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Reach her at aquevedo@gannett.com. As part of the newsroom, all April’s work and coverage decisions are overseen solely by Journal Sentinel editors.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Local businesses feel effect of Metcalfe Park Pick ‘n Save closure
Reporting by April Quevedo, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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