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Grocery store closures spark city action plan
Milwaukee's options for fresh food are shrinking as grocery stores close. City leaders are now pushing for change, and say they basically have a plan.
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee's options for fresh food are shrinking as grocery stores close. City leaders are now pushing for change, and say they basically have a plan.
Grocery stores closing
What we know:
A Sentry Foods store at 64th and Silver Spring is now closed. In January, the ALDI near Sherman and Custer was boarded up. And in 2025, the Pick 'n Save near 35th and North also shut down.
In January, the owner of Sherman Park Grocery Store worried he was going to be next.
What they're saying:
"We’re saying to folks and our community, ‘People and purchases will keep our doors open,'" said Maurice Wince, Sherman Park Grocery Store owner.
Maurice Wince, Sherman Park Grocery Store owner
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Wince blamed problems like theft, rising food costs, the government shutdown's impact on FoodShare Wisconsin, and damage from the August flood. On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the store is still open, but not without worry.
"Our journey since last month has been amazing with folks helping us share our situation," Wince said. "We’ve had some folks step up, like our customer base has increased, but we haven’t turned the corner as of yet."
What's being done?
What's next:
Now, some members of Milwaukee's Common Council are proposing a new ordinance. It would call on the Department of City Development to work with the health department and other agencies. They would have to create a plan for recruiting and keeping grocery stores and pharmacies.
State Rep. Russell Goodwin, a Democrat who represents parts of northwest Milwaukee, tells FOX6 News he is worried the problem is spreading.
"The problem is going to take both leadership and community engagement.it’s not something the government can fix alone. It’s not something that nonprofits can fix alone. It’s something we have to work on fixing together," Goodwin said.
State Rep. Russell Goodwin (D-Milwaukee)
Goodwin said crime is a problem in recruiting new businesses.
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"It’s going to take addressing the issues we have in the city, as far as the crime issues, we do have to address them," Goodwin said. "But then, it’s a catch 22, because crime goes up when there’s no food or resources. And we have to create that balance and get it to tilt backward. We are able to get people jobs and get people to invest back in our community."
Goodwin would like to see the old Northridge Mall site to be anchored with a store like Woodman's, then housing, a food truck park, and other developments.
2023 report
By the numbers:
A 2023 report from the City of Milwaukee found that 79% of the city lived within one mile of a grocery store. But about 122,000 lived farther than a mile.
The Source: Information in this post was produced by FOX6 News.