A Promise Kept: Black-Owned Grocery Store Coming to West Pullman, Ending a Two-Year Food Desert
By Socialhood News · West Pullman ·
West Pullman is getting its grocery store back — and this time, it will be Black-owned.
In a announcement that rippled across the Far South Side in late June, 21st Ward Alderman Ronnie Mosley confirmed that a new Black-owned grocery store is set to open in the West Pullman neighborhood in 2027, marking one of the most meaningful economic milestones the community has seen in years. The news closes a painful chapter that began in 2024, when Aldi shuttered its West Pullman location, leaving residents of a neighborhood that had long struggled with fresh food access without a full-service grocery store within easy reach.
For Alderman Mosley, the announcement was deeply personal. "I made a promise to the community that when Aldi closed, that wouldn't be the final chapter," he said. That promise took real institutional work to keep. According to reporting from CBS Chicago, Far South Community Development Coalition — the nonprofit anchor of the Far South Side — stepped in to purchase the vacant Aldi site, secured a developer, and obtained city funding to bring the new grocery concept to the neighborhood. The result is a project that checks multiple boxes at once: fresh food access, Black-owned enterprise, and community-controlled economic development on the Far South Side.
Mosley was explicit about the kind of ownership model he wanted to see. "We want to see some Black-owned companies that match our community come here," he said, underscoring a vision that goes beyond simply filling a vacant building. In a neighborhood that is approximately 89% Black, the goal of bringing a grocery store that reflects the community's own identity and ownership aspirations carries weight far beyond the produce aisle.
The grocery store's arrival is especially significant given West Pullman's broader food landscape. When Aldi departed in 2024, residents were left navigating longer distances — often relying on cars or public transit — to reach the nearest full-service store. For households without vehicles, that gap has meant relying on smaller convenience stores or dollar stores for daily staples, a reality that public health advocates have long linked to diet-related health disparities in under-resourced communities. A full-service, community-anchored grocery store at the former 115th and Halsted corridor site would directly address that gap.
The project is also a testament to what community-led development looks like in practice. Rather than waiting for a national chain to discover West Pullman, Far South CDC moved proactively — acquiring the property, lining up the right developer, and leveraging city funding — to ensure the outcome reflected what residents actually asked for. That model of patient, mission-driven institution-building is increasingly recognized by urban development experts as the most durable path to equitable neighborhood investment.
While the store's specific brand, square footage, and exact opening date within 2027 have not yet been publicly confirmed, the project is real, funded, and moving. West Pullman residents who want to track the grocery store's progress — or weigh in on what they'd like to see in the space — can follow Far South CDC at farsouthcdc.org and stay connected to Alderman Mosley's office at ward21chicago.com. The Far South Side has been waiting two years for this chapter. It's finally being written.
Sources:
1. https://whatstheword.tv/2026/06/25/black-owned-grocery-store-set-to-open-in-chicagos-west-pullman-neighborhood-next-year/
2. https://farsouthcdc.org/