UG negotiating with new grocer as Merc Co+op nears closing

The only major grocery store in downtown Kansas City, Kansas will close its doors in less than two weeks. The announcement of The Merc Co+op, a community-owned grocery store, closing came as quite a hit for leaders trying to fill a food desert. The parking lot at 501 Minnesota Avenue was already a bit of a ghost town on Wednesday. Mostly empty shelves and freezers inside likely play a part. Dedric Moore was there in 2020 when they cut the ribbon on Downtown KCK’s Merc Co+op. “It was a big step for the community that we were going to have a grocery store down here in this area that had been a food desert for ages,” he said. Merc Co+op announced in July that it was closing the KCK location at the end of the year and concentrating on operations in Lawrence.
Read more: FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV