Black Entrepreneurs Create Mobile Grocery Stores to Help Disadvantaged Communities

When low-income families can not get access to fresh produce, why not take the produce to them? Entrepreneur Jay Holmes, one of the founders of Market Boxx Community Stores, thought this would be a great idea. So, he started building his first grocery store on wheels in Milwaukee, WI and hopes the idea will catch on in other cities.
Bringing food and jobs to urban communities

The unique mobile grocery store idea brings, not only food, but also jobs to urban communities. Each store is built by an entrepreneur and resembles a small shed on wheels with windows and vinyl siding. But inside it contains a whole lot of fresh fruit and vegetables and deli items.

The company works with community organizations and entrepreneurs to build the carts, which have different designs and blueprints for carts in different businesses.

Creating new entrepreneurs

Holmes' plan is to teach entrepreneurs the skills they need to build their own cart. They are connected with supplies and eventually own their own carts.

One new entrepreneur, Naurice Fitzgerald, never pictured himself as a builder, but he is happy to be on the team. “I want to be able to say I helped build this and I had a part in this because it’s going to go somewhere,” he stated.

He hopes to own his own cart in a couple months. Already, other people in the Milwaukee area have expressed an interest in bringing Market Boxx to their neighborhoods.