36-year old Kia Patterson is the owner of the first ever Black-owned
grocery story in Compton, California.
She is an independent owner of a
Grocery Outlet franchise, and the whole city is celebrating her success.
But she didn’t do it just for the money; she says wants to provide
fresh and better food choices at affordable prices for people who live
in predominately Black and low income neighborhoods.
How she got into the business
Kia had already worked for another grocery chain for 17 years when
she was recruited by Grocery Outlet to help them with their goal of
expanding their chain by adding 100 stores in Southern California.
When the opportunity was presented to her, she started the training
process, gathered her investments, and set up a business plan. The next
thing she knew, she was the owner of her own grocery store.
Not just any kind of food
Kia’s goal is to bring more organic food options to people at more
affordable prices. This was important to her because she has seen
first-hand the health issues that plague African Americans, and how
difficult it is for people who live in low income communities to get
access to fresh produce at prices they can afford to pay.
She told the Los Angeles Sentinel, “The prices of our
organic groceries are much cheaper than most grocery stores. The major
American brands are also 40 to 60 percent cheaper. You can come here and
get quality food for great prices.”
Giving back
Kia strongly believes in supporting her community. She gives back
through the Magic Johnson Foundation by helping with fundraisers for
different schools in the Compton area, and she has also partnered with
El Camino Compton Center by helping them launch a low-cost food pantry
for college students.
She comments, “I’m definitely involved in the community. That’s
important to me because I lived in Lynwood, right next to Compton, so I
grew up spending a lot of time in Compton.”
Kia’s Grocery Outlet store is located at 2175 W Rosecrans Avenue, Compton, CA 90222 and is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
For more details, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/comptongroceryoutlet/
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