Over the last several decades, Alpena has lost nearly all of our locally-owned grocery stores. In the city limits, there is only one grocery store.
It’s time we change that.
Imagine a vibrant, community-owned grocery store in Downtown Alpena—a place that provides daily access to nutritious, high-quality food year-round, where you can also buy your standard grocery, pantry, and bulk food staples. By prioritizing locally grown and produced foods whenever possible, a food co-op can strengthen connections between local growers, producers, and eaters, while creating a welcoming destination that Northeast Michigan is proud of.
We will redefine what is possible in [Alpena/ Northeast Michigan] by creating a quality grocery store in Downtown Alpena that is owned by and operated for the community.
What do we envision?
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Natural and organic foods
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Fresh produce- fruits, veggies, and space for Michigan growers and producers
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Bulk food department
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Dry goods- canned goods, rice, pasta, staples like flour, sugar and spices
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Fresh and frozen meat and seafood
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Dairy products- milk and really good cheese
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Fresh baked goods
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Small cafe with freshly prepared hot and cold foods for grab-and-go or to eat on-site
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Small sitting area for meals, community events, and gathering
Alpena is a food desert
The greater Alpena area is considered a food desert according to the United States Department of Agriculture, meaning our residents don’t have daily access to fresh, nutritious foods. Similarly, there is no daily venue for local growers and producers to sell their products. Most big-box retailers only carry products from big distributors and food grown thousands of miles away.
Your grocer = your business
Grocery stores are one of the most-visited places in our daily and weekly routines- what if they were sites of community investment and connection? Right now, decisions about what products are carried are out of the hands of our community, instead left to grocery store chains hundreds (or thousands) miles away.
Grocery stores are in the public interest and can be public institutions, controlled by the community itself that it exists to serve.
Your neighborhood grocery store
For these reasons (and more!) A group of local, passionate people and partners have been leading the efforts to create a grocery store that Alpena (and the greater Northeast Michigan area) is proud of that will enhance daily access to fresh, nutritious, natural, and organic food.