Culture Market: Columbus’ newest black-owned grocery store in 35 years tackles food desert

Denise Cameron
Wed, 13 Jan 2021 00:39:04 +0000
Arts & Life, food & drink, Instagram Page, News, Black-owned, Buckeyes, Columbus, convenience store, culture, Culture Market, financial services, grocery store, market, Nick's Market, Ohio, ohio state, osu, pharmacy, produce, the ohio state university

Culture Market is Columbus’ newest black-owned grocery store in 25 years. Credit: Courtesy of Juana Williams

In an area lacking easily accessible produce and food-choice variety, Culture Market, the newest Black-owned Columbus grocery store in 35 years, is here to bring change to the community.?

What was previously known as Nick’s Market, a convenience store located at 2915 E. Fifth Ave., has been turned into Culture Market, a grocery store containing fresh produce and fruits, Tiffany Harris, the secretary of Culture Market, said.

“When we first walked through, there were no fruits,” Harris said. “There were no vegetables for the people in this community. So we saw this, and we are embarking on a journey together to serve this community.”

Culture Market provides fresh produce, meats, pharmaceuticals and financial services. An aisle dedicated to local vendors is currently in the works, according to its Facebook page. The market is the latest Black-owned grocery store in the city since Singletary’s Plazamart closed just 18 months after its opening in 1985, according to The Columbus Dispatch.?

Michael Young, a pastor at City of Grace Church and head of public relations at Culture Market, said they purchased Nick’s Market knowing they wanted to do something in response to the racial injustices that occurred over the summer.

“It was owned by ethnicities that are not congruent with the dominant culture in those neighborhoods,” Young said. “One of the things that was being asked for the movement was a Black-owned grocery store.”

Young said Melinda Miranda, founder and co-owner of Culture Market, found Nick’s Market online and began to pursue more investors before assuming ownership Aug. 22.

“I’m proud to say that we have 18 investors, and we are 100 percent Black-owned,” Young said.

Young said the goal of the market is to serve as a community resource that delivers high-quality products and services, but also a source of inspiration to show what’s possible when people come together for a common goal.

Gabrielle Whittaker, the treasurer of Culture Market, said the group’s investors bring a lot of different perspectives to the table, and they aim to make the market as community-oriented as possible.?

Although there were other people interested in renting out the market, Whittaker said the Culture Market investors took action in hopes of serving the community and providing a source of inspiration.

“We believe Culture Market is not an ending, it’s really just the beginning. Prayerfully, it will catapult our culture,” Whittaker said.

Juana Williams, chair of the board at Culture Market, said the market has been well-received by the community.

“It’s been encouraging that we have so much support and so many people rooting for us. It’s been encouraging to know that we can come together collectively and continue to grow and create this vision of ours, and this is the beginning for us,” Williams said.

Williams said the store is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., and? Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The store is located at 2915 E. Fifth Ave.?

Correction: A previous version of this story said the Culture Market was the first Black-owned grocery store in Columbus in 25 years. The Culture Market is the first in 35 years. The story has been updated to reflect the change.