grocery stores

Rural communities have been turning to nonprofits and other strategies to keep grocery stores open. But one of those new stores is closing in Kansas, which shows how challenging it can be to provide food in small towns.

The Sun Fresh Market at Linwood Shopping Center closed in August due to increasing issues with crime and a lack of customers. The lawsuit alleges Kansas City undermined and neglected the store, which caused it to close.

Trump promised to "make America affordable again," but food prices are still rising. Although Kansas City and St. Louis residents enjoy a lower cost of living than many Americans, that's of little comfort when household staples remain unaffordable for many.

Kansas City has been in the national news a lot lately, including one surprising place: stories about the New York City mayoral election. Many national news outlets, most of them conservative-leaning, have zeroed in on candidate Zohran Mamdani’s proposals for free bus fare and government-run grocery stores, and they’re using Kansas City as a negative example of both.

For some grocery stores in the urban core, up to 60% of their business comes from shoppers using federal food benefits. A SNAP shutdown just before Thanksgiving and Christmas could be particularly bad for businesses.

Kansas City ended free bus fares and saw a grocery store shutter. Both issues showed up in the New York City mayoral race, where conservative outlets used the city's policies to attack leading candidate Zohran Mamdani.

More than 100 rural grocery stores in Kansas closed their doors from 2008 to 2018. But an initiative that invests in rural communities is keeping small groceries afloat.

Grocery stores accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in 12 states will soon have to accommodate new exclusions to the program. Industry advocates say the changes will be expensive, especially for smaller retailers.

The Sun Fresh at 31st and Prospect closed this month, after years of safety concerns and millions of dollars in investment from Kansas City. The CEO of the nonprofit that operated the grocery says that security measures became costly — and still not enough to keep customers coming.

For years, the Sun Fresh Market at the Linwood Shopping Center provided fresh produce and grocery products to a historically underserved part of Kansas City. Its closure follows months of calls for the city to take action against crime in the area and keep the store afloat.

The Sun Fresh at 31st Street and Prospect Avenue is one of the only grocery stores for miles, and has been struggling to fill shelves recently despite 10 years of taxpayer money to renovate it and keep it in business.

Researchers and grocery stores say the Republican-backed law, which will reduce federal food benefits, only makes it harder for markets to survive because the profit margins are already so low.