After years of planning, Harvest Market will receive $1.7 million from a state grant to open in Peoria’s South Side to finally make Pastor Chuck Brown's dream of bringing fresh food to the neighborhood a reality.
Brown originally planned to open the store in February 2022 but ran into several roadblocks along the way. The main one was raising the necessary funds.
But he said he was determined to open the store.
“Usually in communities that are in economic disadvantage, it's really hard to get developers and big business to consider these areas,” he said. “And so if small businesses don't rise up, these areas will be without the essential services.”
Peoria’s South Side has been a food desert since 2018, when Kroger closed its store in the Madison Park Shopping Center. The building Harvest resides in was previously an Aldi and a Save-A-Lot store.
The store will now be called CJ Harvest, because a Harvest Market already exists in Champaign. CJ represents Brown and his wife Julia.
Brown said they have a strategy in place to keep the store open.
“We don't want them to come here just because we're in the neighborhood,” he said. “We want to give them several reasons. If you go to Chick-fil-A and you love the quality of their service, you can expect that. Here at harvest, our hours will be convenient. We will open on time, we will open late. Our hours will be good for the community, but we want to bend over backwards and make sure our customers get quality, put customer service, and they'll want to come here.”
Brown said they anticipate hiring at least 30 to 40 employees. He said they hope most will be residents of the South Side.
Governor JB Pritzker visited the store Thursday afternoon to announce the four recipients of the New Stores in Food Deserts Program, including Harvest. He said the program is the beginning of a plan to combat food deserts in the state.
“Over 3 million Illinoisans are currently living in a food desert,” he said. “That means that far too many families have difficulty putting food on the table simply because they live a far distance from a grocery store. And whether you live in a small town or you live in a dense urban neighborhood, everyone needs local access to quality, healthy food options.”
Grocery stores in Chicago, Rockford and Carlinville also received grants under the program, totaling $6.9 million. Pritzker also announced $1 million in grants for seven grocery stores to complete equipment upgrades.
“Local grocery stores like the one that we're standing in are the backbone of communities across the state of Illinois,” he said. “They keep people healthy and fed. They help our economy grow and they help our communities thrive.”
Democratic state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth said she remembers when she was a kid and would buy candy from the now closed Kroger.
“A place to go and buy candy was an actual grocery store where people worked every day, and they got to know not just the adults, but the kids in the neighborhood, and they would ask about you,” she said. “That's called community. And we lost a little bit of that.”
Peoria Mayor Rita Ali said opening this store is about more than just business, but also health and community.
“This will not only be a place where people will have options for their groceries, but it will provide job opportunities and a place where neighbors can meet and visit in the aisles,” she said.
Brown said the store will open in 3 to 6 months. His original plan was to open in phases, but with the funding from the state the food court and store will open at the same time.
