A publicly funded grocery store in Missouri abruptly closed Tuesday morning — leaving a note on the entrance stating it can no longer serve residents due to circumstances “beyond our control.”
Sun Fresh Market in Kansas City — which opened in 2018 as part of a multi-million-dollar revitalization plan — mysteriously shuttered just weeks after viral footage exposed the struggling store’s bare shelves, foul odor and frustrated clientele.
The alarming footage, taken by local outlet KSHB 41, sparked renewed skepticism of Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s signature proposal to bring city-owned markets to the Big Apple if he’s elected mayor.
“Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer, at this time, able to serve the residents of this community,” a sign posted outside the store read, KSHB reported.
“It has always been our dream and passion to provide quality products and services in a safe, family environment. At this time, unfortunately, we are unable to do that.”
The store — located in a city-owned building — was opened as part of a $15 million revitalization project aimed at rejuvenating the community.
However, the area quickly became plagued by crime and safety issues, according to the report.
Despite receiving millions in taxpayer funding since opening and thousands more for security upgrades, the store still struggled to stock the shelves with produce and other essential goods.
The store’s nonprofit owner told the outlet in a statement that its Midtown location can longer serve residents as of Tuesday, without providing an explanation.
The sudden shutdown comes a few months after Mamdani secured the New York City Democratic mayoral nomination with a campaign centered on affordability, including a plan to establish a $65 million network of government-owned grocery stores, with one located in each of the five boroughs.
The Queens assemblyman has repeatedly claimed that city funds would be redirected from corporate supermarkets to city-owned groceries that would lower prices.
However, Mamdani’s plan remains vague on key details, including whether the city itself will operate the stores or delegate management to private or nonprofit partners, as he uses the term “city-owned” and “city-run” interchangeably to describe his ambitious campaign proposal.
Experts and critics predict Mamdani’s far-fetched plan will ultimately fail over supply chain issues, but he has continued to pursue it as a potential practical experiment.
“No matter how you think about the idea, I do think there should be room for reasonable policy experimentation in our cities and in our country, where we actually test out our idea,” he said on “The Bulwark” podcast last month.
“And if they work, they work. And if they don’t, c’est la vie, then the idea was wrong.”
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