SIOUX FALLS, S. D. (KELO) – Some residents of Sioux Falls are concerned about where they will get groceries after an affordable grocery store closed in northwestern Sioux Falls. However, a mobile food market is hoping to fill the gap.
Fair Market, an affordable grocery store that sells discounted inventory, closed their Kiwanis location on Monday and moved to central Sioux Falls on the corner of Minnesota and 33rd.
The closure has left some, including Larrene Unzelman Kaderabek, worried about getting groceries in the neighborhood.
“Yes, there’s a Lewis Drug that carries food, but it’s a lot higher price and us people that live in that area don’t make a lot,” Unzelman Kaderabek said. “That’s why I was really concerned that (Fair Market is) going out of the area because they’re going just a couple of blocks from a Hy-Vee.”
KELOLAND News reached out to Fair Market for comments, but have not heard back from them. In their moving announcement on social media, Fair Market said their customers are coming from all over the city and not any specific area is served.
“Moving to one location that is larger allows us to better serve the community by strengthening our product offerings and have consistent product available,” the store posted on Facebook.
The Eat Well Mobile Market was created last October to combat food deserts with their mobile food truck. With seven locations across the city, Eat Well sells dairy, produce, bread and other non-perishable items. They’re open one day a week at each location Monday-Friday.
“We have people that are donating their excess produce at no cost to us and we turn around and sell it for like $1 or a quarter, we keep the prices low,” said Eat Well’s manager Amber Jones-Esquibel.
The mobile market has two locations near the old Kiwanis Fair Market location. Garfield Elementary School is 1.2 miles away to the south and Dow Rummel Village is 1.4 miles to the northeast. Eat Well is at both locations on Thursdays; Dow Rummel from 10 a.m. to noon and Garfield from 1 to 6 p.m.
“Because we are a nonprofit, our main goal is not to come into these communities and make money. Our main goal is to serve the purpose of providing healthy choices to our neighborhoods,” Jones-Esquibel said.
The mobile market isn’t able to fully solve food deserts in Sioux Falls, however. Unzelman Kaderabek said the biggest issue with the mobile market is the limited hours.
“It’s not like you could say, ‘Oh my gosh someone is coming over for supper I need to make supper.’ You can’t just go to the mobile because it’s not gonna be there when you need it,” Unzelman Kaderabek said.
Jones-Esquibel said they hope to increase hours, add locations and expand across the state in the future.
The Eat Well Mobile Market also partners with Fair Market to help serve food insecurity and scarcity in Sioux Falls.
“They do great things in our community, and I’m so happy that they have a centralized location. I look forward to shopping there as well,” Jones-Esquibel added.
Located next to the old Fair Market location on Kiwanis is The Fruit Truck Market that sells local produce. They confirmed on their social media that they will be staying at their location and will be increasing their inventory to help fill the gap.
