North Minneapolis grocery store set to temporarily close, change to new format
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One of few full-service grocery stores in north Minneapolis is temporarily closing this winter, citing financial challenges. It’s slated to reopen later next year with a new format.
North Market will close in its current form on Feb. 1, according to an announcement from its nonprofit owner, Pillsbury United Communities. Leaders at the nonprofit said the store is seeing rising costs and fluctuations in philanthropic support, forcing the closure and layoff of staff.
“The grocery industry operates on extremely thin margins,” Pillsbury United Communities interim president Anthony Washington said in a news release. “Without the scale and purchasing leverage of large chains, North Market was unable to operate as a self-sustaining enterprise.”
The store in the Camden neighborhood opened in 2017, with a goal of increasing food access for residents. North Minneapolis has limited grocery options; the next nearest store to North Market, Colonial Market, is about two miles away. That makes access hard for residents who walk or bus.
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“We recognize that this will produce a gap in fresh food availability; however, staying open would continue to strain the store financially making it harder to fix what isn’t working,” the nonprofit said in a statement online. “Pausing now gives us the space to plan carefully, work with community and partners, and build a model that can last.”
The nonprofit plans to reopen the store later in 2026 as a “community food hub,” with a more sustainable financial model. They’re calling it North Market 2.0.
Pillsbury United Communities said it doesn’t know what that will look like yet. In its announcement, the nonprofit said the new store will “incubate and accelerate BIPOC-owned food businesses” and “improve access to healthy, affordable food,” among other goals.
“The goal is to move from a standalone grocery store to a shared food hub with multiple partners — connecting food access with workforce development, youth jobs, health initiatives, and more,” the organization said.
The partners for North Market 2.0 include several other local organizations and entrepreneurs, including Youthprise and Second Harvest Heartland, and local business owners Wendy Puckett and Houston White.
Leaders said there will be chances for public input at community conversations in February.
