A new grocery store and market opened Tuesday in Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood, which has long been classified as a food desert despite being home to health-care institutions such as the Cleveland Clinic.
Fairfax Market, located near the Cleveland Clinic at E. 105th Street and Cedar Avenue, is owned and operated by the national retail chain Meijer. Offerings include national and Meijer brands, local products and a sushi bar and artisan coffee shop from the Saucy Brew Works brand.
Grocery store options have been sparse in Fairfax for years, even as the Cleveland Clinic has continued to expand its physical and jobs footprint in the neighborhood.
"This is in the middle of a food desert. We should never have a food desert in the shadow of the most world-renowned medical institution in the world," said Blaine Griffin, Cleveland City Council president.
Lucretia Bell-McCall, a Glenville resident and fan of the Meijer brand, said it's a relief to have a Meijer store closer to home.
"It's very helpful that I don't have to go to Mentor, Avon or Seven Hills to go to a Meijer's," she said. "Now that I can literally come across [E. 105th Street] and be here, that's very beneficial."
She said the store will be even more useful for the one in four Clevelanders who do not have cars.
"I'm fortunate I drive, but there are so many people that are on the bus," Bell-McCall said.
In June 2020, Cleveland Clinic joined other health systems and organizations to support Cleveland City Council's resolution to address racism as a public health crisis, including addressing food insecurity — defined as a lack of access to fresh and healthy foods.
After conversations with residents, area leaders identified the community's need for a grocery store. Cleveland Clinic and the City of Cleveland worked with Meijer to bring Fairfax Market to the neighborhood and announced plans to invest $6.1 million in a mixed-use affordable apartment complex nearby. The store sits on a Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority bus route and a parking garage was constructed next door.
Alan Jordan, director of the Fairfax Market, said he hopes residents view the store as more than just a grocery spot. He and Griffin both said the market should be viewed as a community hub.
"Food is medicine at the end of the day," Jordan added. "And so by having healthy, fresh food options, it makes a huge impact in people's lives."
Fairfax Market is the fifth neighborhood market concept store for Meijer and the retailer's first outside of Michigan. A news release issued by Meijer emphasized the store's 2,000+ local products, including items from Cleveland Cold Brew Coffee, Akron Honey, Lemon Waves and Chutni Punch.
Meijer also said the store offers a floral and gift shop, a large assortment of local beer and wine, and health and beauty products from local and Black, women-owned businesses. Griffin said he hopes the addition of jobs and opportunities for local businesses is a reflection of the community that neighborhood leaders are trying to build.
"There are several jobs here, over 50 jobs here," Griffin said. "Not only jobs, but also local entrepreneurs. Folks are selling their products here."
Michellene Davis, who worked on similar initiatives to bring healthy food options to neighborhoods for RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey, told Ideastream in 2021 — when Fairfax Market was in early planning stages — that opening new grocery stores in food deserts is an important step toward greater food security.
But Davis cautioned that stores need to stay attuned to the needs of the neighborhood in which they're located, and make sure that residents feel welcomed into the store regardless of their socioeconomic background.
All Meijer's stores accept payments via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the federal nutrition program.
