The Birmingham Times
Carver Jones Market in Fairfield, Alabama, the city’s only grocery store and the first one to open in nearly 10 years, is closing.
In a statement to WBRC News, James Harris, owner, wrote in part: “I appreciate the people of Fairfield for giving us a chance and sorry things didn’t work out. Love the people and grateful for the opportunity.”
The minority-owned grocery store opened July 31, 2024 to provide the Fairfield community and surrounding areas with access to affordable, fresh foods and other key resources.
Senior Pastor Alton Hardy of Urban Hope Community Church, which owns the building the store occupies, said the community originally helped raise around $3.5 million to renovate it into a grocery store and help eliminate the food desert.
However, Hardy shared the store has been losing money. “We missed a lot of important benchmarks,” Hardy said. “That didn’t give it a good chance of doing what it was supposed to do.”
Part of the church’s Manifold Vision ministry is to generate commerce in the area and the church is stepping up to fill the void, said Hardy, who added that the grocery store will remain but under new leadership. They plan to announce a new name soon.
“I have 100 percent confidence by my Lord that the grocery stores not only going to remain open, but it will thrive,” said the pastor.
