LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB) -- It has been three months since a local grocery store opened its doors in what's considered a "food desert" in west Louisville. The store has plenty of food and fresh produce but is missing something else crucial to its success.
The store is First Choice Market in Park DuValle, and it hit the ground running with a big grand opening and lots of fanfare in June. But recently, the one thing that has been missing -- is customers.
Lamont Griffin is the store's manager and say, "We had people coming from all ends of town."
Griffin says the store opened with a bang in June. "I saw people that I grew up with that live out in the fern creek area and the Newburg area and we had people all around the parkway."
Hundreds of people...including local politicians...attended the grand opening. And it was a big deal because the area had been designated a "food desert" which means there's little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet.
Griffin says, "We are thinking that people are creatures of habit and shopping where they've been shopping and they kind of forget about us."
And despite providing a clean store and healthy option, business has declined since June.
"I grew up in this area here and now to have something so nice in this area...it really frustrates me see this going to waste as it is," says Griffin.
Ben Richmond with the Louisville Urban Leagues sees it differently. He says, "That's not a negative indicator for me."
Richmond says the decline in business doesn't mean the store is failing...just means they need to move on to plan B.
"And I'm sure they are marketing themselves and they've got a good communications plan, they might have to tweak it," says Richmond.
And Richmond says the next rush could be just around the corner. He says, "When Thanksgiving rolls around, when people start preparing their Thanksgiving meal and then Christmas is going to kick in so we're probably going to see a spike in business."
Meanwhile, Griffin says they've heard plenty of positive feedback from customers.
Griffin explains, "They love the freshness, they love the special cuts."
Now they just have to remind those customers that First choice is here.
"We're going to have special events, you know, we're going to reach out to the churches," says Griffin.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
