StarkFresh opens new Alliance grocery location, aiming to serve an impoverished area

ALLIANCE ‒ Blessed.

That's how customers said they felt buying food Monday for the first time at the new StarkFresh grocery store.

"I'm so glad they brought something here for us," said Christine Holly, 69, of Lexington Township. "There was no grocery store close by, and I'm a senior. This is four to five minutes from my house."

The Canton based-nonprofit held a grand opening event Monday with employees, community leaders and residents. The full-service store is inside The Alliance Commons at 405 S. Linden Ave., the former Alliance Neighborhood Center. It neighbors the YWCA Career & Fashion Boutique.

Serving an impoverished area: StarkFresh's Alliance store to offer an oasis in a food desert

The store serves one of the city's most impoverished areas − though anyone can shop there − where about 73% of those who live around the center are in poverty. The north section of the city, where the StarkFresh store resides, has not had a full-service grocery store in almost four years.

The nonprofit has said there will be special incentives for those "who need it most," including 50% discounts for those with SNAP cards. The store also has fresh fruit and vegetables, free bread and shoppers can make suggestions on future products to stock.

"This is a blessing," Holly said.

The store's hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Renzetta Barnes, 63, and her husband Frank, 66, were the first customers. They bought milk, lemons and bread.

"I think it's going to be a great asset to the area," Renzetta Barnes said, "because they don't have to worry about getting groceries way out on State Street. Some people don't have transportation. My daughter lives right down the street is one of them. She can walk here."

Frank Barnes added: "Long overdue."

For Giavonni Shriver, 24, the store offered him a fresh start on life, a chance to earn a paycheck as one of its employees. Shriver spent time in prison. He got out and couldn't find a place that would hire him, Shriver said.

StarkFresh, he said, was "the first place to give me an opportunity."

It took a lot of hustle to get the store ready

Tom Phillips, executive director of StarkFresh, caught his breath after cutting the ribbon to open the store.

Leading up to the opening, Phillips and the Alliance store employees were hustling to get the store ready for shoppers. The last couple days had become stressful after a transformer blew and temporarily cut electricity, followed by internet issues.

Minutes before the doors opened, employees were still putting labels on shelves to mark the products. Still the brightly-lit store was ready to serve its customers after the ribbon was cut by Phillips.

"That's the grocery business," Phillips said afterward.

Rick Baxter, president of Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce, started the outdoor ceremony. He said the Greater Alliance Foundation and the Greater Alliance Development Foundation have provided funds for the Alliance Commons project.

"(StarkFresh is) going to meet a need for this community that was long overdue," Baxter said. "Working with Tom and his crew has just been an excellent way of getting business done."

The Commons seeks to transform lives

StarkFresh is the latest agency to open services inside the Alliance Commons. The other tenants are Alliance YWCA, Men's Challenge, Sports Outreach and the University of Mount Union. Those four have been in the facility for some time.

"The YWCA has been here for just over a year, and all of our other partners have been expanding." said Abby Schroeder, director of the Regula Center for Public Service and Civic Engagement, who helped secure funds for The Commons. "To have fresh groceries in this neighborhood is incredible."

In there, YWCA sells women's and men's clothes and other items are sold for $2 or less.

With StarkFresh, "You're going to be able to grocery shop and meet your personal needs with clothes, and have it be one-stop in this neighborhood is going to be transforming because there's nothing like this we've seen anywhere else," said Stacie Bacorn, executive director of the Alliance YWCA.

Weeks before the opening, Councilwoman Cindy King, whose ward includes the area around The Commons, called StarkFresh's arrival "a big deal" for residents. Now that it's opened, King was all smiles Monday.

"I got a little emotional," she said, "because it's something that I had a hand in that came to life. Now it's onto the next project."

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: StarkFresh opens full-service grocery store in Alliance