CLEVELAND — A brand-new grocery store has opened in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood. It's a concept that store director Alan Jordan says has been in the works since 2018.
"The need for a grocery store was identified for the Fairfax community," Jordan said. "The city council president and Cleveland Clinic partnered with Meijer, we had just opened their Bridge Street market in Grand Rapids, and the Fairfax Market was born," explained Jordan.
The Fairfax market location is Meijer's first small-format neighborhood market outside of Michigan. However, it isn’t your average grocery store. The 40,000-square-foot structure is a resource for the neighborhood.
"The Fairfax market allows us to be a neighborhood hub and truly reflective of the wants and needs of the community," Jordan explained. "The other thing we’re able to offer is a lot of opportunities for people to do things more than just shop."
The market offers a variety of classes in addition to its 54-seat café and floral and gift shop. Located in the Cleveland Innovation District, the Fairfax Market is hyper-focused on local products and small businesses.
"You can walk up and down every single aisle and find a local item," said Jordan. "We are fortunate to have well over 150 local vendors across the entire store with well over 2,000 local items."
Jordan was hands-on in making sure their products represent the community they serve.
"It’s an incredibly important responsibility for us to help support local businesses," he said. "We've been fortunate that we’re been able to give small businesses the opportunity to get into retail for the first time."
Karen Ross, who started her business Cleveland Cold Brew Coffee back in 2017, is an entrepreneur taking advantage of the new opportunity.
"It’s a dream come true, this is my goal starting from the very beginning," she told 3News.
Her customers now have easy access to the products they love, which is a game changer for Ross.
"It gives them a convenience factor that they can actually come in here and get it and not have to wait for me to appear at a farmers market, or a festival or event," she explained.
Despite confidence in the plan, his team and the work they've put in, Jordan says following the store's opening, they welcome and encourage community feedback.
"We have truly, anything and everything you could want for and if we don’t have it, you can let us know and we can go out and find it," said Jordan.
The market is also an important step in addressing food accessibility in the neighborhood. Years ago, when Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Tom Mihaljevic and Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin took a walk through the neighborhood, they heard residents name access to food as the biggest need in their neighborhood.
Mihaljevic says the neighborhood hasn't had a grocery store in decades.
"There are very many urban food deserts, where residents of large parts of cities do not have access to fresh and healthy food," he noted. "Fairfax used to be one of those areas – not any longer."
Griffin and Fairfax resident Carol Benson told us that before this new store, residents would have to travel further downtown, towards University Heights, or to the Buckeye-Shaker neighborhood to do their grocery shopping, trips that can be challenging without a car.
"This was done to help serve the legacy residents, but also to anticipate the tremendous amount of growth and the vibrant neighborhood that we're building in the Fairfax community," Griffin said.
Griffin says the market has already created more than 50 jobs.
"Many years ago, there were thriving businesses along here, and entertainment and all of that," Denise VanLeer, executive director of the Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation, added. "It's, you know, just been vacant for many years. And so this store is just the beginning of many things that we have planned."
Carol and her husband, Phillip, said the store will also serve as a community hub and a place to continue building and strengthening relationships.
"It gives them hope to have something that you can see, that you feel the development of the city affecting them, personally, not in another neighborhood," Phillip said.
"I like that, not in another neighborhood," Carol echoed. "This is our neighborhood, and it's the pride - it makes you feel good to tell others we have a market, a farmer's market in our neighborhood."
The Meijer Fairfax Market is located at 2190 E. 105th Street. It will be open seven days a week, from 6 a.m.-10 p.m.