As the owner of a full-service supermarket in New Orleans, Dwayne Boudreaux “is a rare success in black and brown communities nationwide, but not for lack of effort,” says Civil Eats. “In fact, Boudreaux is one of the nation’s few remaining black people operating full-service supermarkets.”
There may be fewer than 10 black-owned supermarkets in the United States, although no organization tracks the sector. “This is problematic because strong anchor businesses like grocery stores can serve as the center of neighborhood economies, recirculating local revenues through wages and nearby businesses. They can also be neighborhood hubs, where people go to buy good food as well as employment centers and sources of community pride.”
Food activists say minority group members rarely gain management experience in supermarkets which operate on thin margins, and face an uphill struggle to gain financing for stores in neighborhoods that were victims of redlining in the past. “Despite the obstacles and competition they face, there are examples of locally owned grocery stores thriving in Detroit and elsewhere,” says Civil Eats. “But perhaps the best solutions exist outside the traditional grocery store model. Bodegas and smaller stores, which increasingly provide more produce and meats, require far less capital to start than traditional supermarkets.” Food hubs and cooperatives also are possibilities, it said.