Oasis Coming to KY Food Desert

A 20-year vision has come closer to realization in Louisville, Ky.’s Park DuValle neighborhood after developers, business and community leaders, and project coordinators broke ground on what will become a 20,000-square-foot, full-service grocery store.

First Choice Market, which will be operated by local independent grocer ValuMarket, will provide healthy options to residents of an area otherwise depleted with nutritional opportunities. Expected to open next summer, it will feature fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and poultry, plus a full-service deli counter and bakery.

“Every child needs a place where their mother can go and get fruits and vegetables,” said Ed Jennings Jr., southeast regional administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Jennings said the project would not have been possible without the vision of Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and local officials and community leaders working with folks in Washington, D.C.

The market is the first phase of a project that includes retail stores in the area, and it is expected to provide about 200 construction jobs and at least 30 positions within the store itself.

ValuMarket currently operates five other stores in the Louisville area, a market it has served since 1978.