Homes and apartments dot Statesville Avenue, but there’s no grocery stores.
Convenience and dollar stores help fill the void, but usually lack fresh affordable options to meet dietary needs. D’Shaun Thompson and many of the residents just north of Uptown Charlotte live in a food desert — an area with little access to low-cost, fresh, healthy food.
“There’s nothing but junk food and processed stuff at the corner stores,” Thompson said. “The only food close to us is at these stores and for a lot of people it’s hard to eat healthy when nothing is easy to get.”
But change may be coming. In May, Mecklenburg County commissioners approved a restricted $1.5 million from the rainy day fund to help Spangler’s, a small California-based grocer, build an 8,000 square-foot market at the corner Kohler and Statesville Avenues — just north of the Camp North End development.
The influx of cash from the county will be released once commissioners get more details on the project. Mark Jerrell, county commissioners vice chair, said the market will open its doors in the next year, and will accept food stamps.
That’s welcome news for Thompson who has lived on Statesville Avenue for almost five years now. It’s about a 25 minute drive to his nearest grocery store currently.
“Nothing seems to have changed in the time I’ve been here,” Thompson said. “I have to go so far to get anything that’s not junk food. It sucks right now, but having this grocery store come is going to be great.”
The influx of cash makes good on a promise the commissioners made four years ago when they called food deserts unacceptable and vowed to collaborate with supermarkets to open in low-income neighborhoods, according to Jerrell.
What is a food desert in Charlotte?
The U.S. The Department of Agriculture defines urban food deserts as low-income neighborhoods where at least 500 people, or 33% of the population, live more than a mile from a grocery store or other sources of fresh, healthful food. A Charlotte Observer analysis from 2023 found that grocery store disparities disproportionately impact people of color.
Since commissioners’ promise, food insecurity in Charlotte climbed to record highs, according to Tina Postel, the CEO of Nourish Up, a nonprofit that gives groceries and meals to people across Mecklenburg County.
In the first 5 months this year, Nourish Up provided groceries to 69,219 individuals, up 38% year to date. Still, Mecklenburg has struggled to attract grocers to areas like Statesville Avenue.
“Statesville Avenue is one of the highest need areas with only gas stations and convenience stores,” Postel said. There aren’t places where it’s cheap or easy to find fresh foods and healthy options.”
Supermarket chains aren’t in the business of philanthropy, Jerrell said. So where the cost-benefit analysis doesn’t add up, grocery stores often don’t open.
Will grocery store improve health?
While commissioners were quick to praise the planned grocery store, it’s unclear if it will drastically improve the health of residents. There’s growing evidence that, even with a grocery store, there are no notable changes in obesity rates or the consumption of fruits, vegetables or whole grains, according to the Colleen Hammelman, a professor at UNC Charlotte who’s studied food insecurity in the area.
Affordability is often a hindrance to purchasing better food. Hammelman said, despite the limited impact, “that doesn’t mean that a grocery is not important to those residents. But instead it demonstrates the complexity of food insecurity.”
City leaders remain optimistic that the grocery store will be successful.
“Any solution, be that a grocery store, a market, a co-op or food from local partners is going to go a long way in fixing persistent problems and inequalities when it comes to food,” said Malcolm Graham, who represents part of Statesville Avenue on the Charlotte City Council.
Thompson, too, remains excited for the opening of Spangler’s.
“A new grocery store is going to be a game-changer,” he said. “It’s awesome to walk or drive just down the street and grab something that’s real food.”
Luke Fountain is a metro and business intern with The Charlotte Observer for summer 2024. He is a rising senior at Washington and Lee University.
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