CLEVELAND — The announced closing of a mainstay grocery option in Cleveland has left citizens and officials concerned with the hole it will leave in the neighborhood.
What You Need To Know
- Diane Hutchins said Dave’s Market at 15900 Lakeshore Boulevard is a store she will never forget
- The owners and operators of Dave’s Markets announced the store would close April 30
- Hutchins used to grocery shop for her grandmother, Addie, who lived across the street before she died
- Michael Polensek, councilman for Ward 8, said there were numerous reasons leading to the decision
- He said the city is trying to establish a transportation service with Dave’s
Grocery shopping is a chore to some people, but not to Diane Hutchins.
“The prices are fair, not necessarily ideal,” she said. “I mean, like Aldi’s. It’s not like an Aldi’s, for sure, but it’s fair, I would say for sure.”
She said Dave’s Market at 15900 Lakeshore Boulevard is a store she will never forget.
“I was, of course, emotional because there are a lot of memories and then from there,” she said. “It went to more concern because what’s going to happen to the elderly community that frequent that store?”
The owners and operators of Dave’s Market announced March 21 the store would close April 30.
Hutchins said hearing the news was heartbreaking. She used to go grocery shopping for her grandmother, Addie, who lived across the street before she died.
“She would be devastated, because how is she going to get groceries? She would be more concerned with putting a worry in us and so it would be concerning to her,” she said.
Michael Polensek, councilman for Ward 8, said there were many reasons leading to the decision.
“They laid out the fact that our customer base is down,” he said. “Their sales are down. Their volume is down, that people’s shopping habits have changed since the pandemic and that they never recover from the pandemic.”
He said the nearest full-service grocery store is another Dave’s location, 10 minutes away.
“The question is, there’s about 1,500 residents, elderly folks who are in disability, family, low-income family buildings,” he said. “They don’t have the accessibility to cars like other people have. So that’s our greatest concern at this point.”
He said he understands how the closure may create a food desert, but wants people to know the city is trying to establish a transportation service with Dave’s.
“We can’t force them to do that,” he said. “But if they want to keep their customer base and they want to keep those folks coming to their stores, then they’re going to have to provide some type of transportation because they have no other way to get the store right now yet.”
While the community continues to say goodbye, Hutchins said she remains positive.
“I’m hoping that someone will come in and open another store there that offers fresh produce and give them, again, the convenience to be able to be independent, remain independent and go grocery shopping on their own,” she said. “So that’s what I’m hopeful.”
