Shuttered Columbus Kroger gets new life at monthly pop-ups as renovations push on

Set back from busy Refugee Road on the city's Southeast Side, a usually quiet, boarded-up building comes to life on the fourth Saturday of each month.

The building, a former Kroger store , is undergoing renovations inside. But outside, there is a monthly pop-up market where local people can get fresh fruit and vegetables by walking or driving up around noon.

Hosted by the Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC) and local community groups, the pop-up market started in April and will continue until the building opens as a social services hub in early 2026, said Brad Draper, the senior vice president of operations at MOFC.

MOFC bought the former grocery store , at 4485 Refugee Road, in early 2023 and announced plans to turn it into a hub to give food, social services and other support to people locally. The Kroger closed in May 2022 after declining store performance.

"It's just to demonstrate to the neighborhood that there are great things happening in this space," Draper said of the pop-up market. "Members of this community came to this location for many years to get their food. We want to start to build goodwill in the neighborhood."

What will be inside the social services hub?

The building is 67,000 square feet and undergoing renovations to become what will likely be known as the Eastland Prosperity Center.

The collective is working with Moody Nolan to design the inside space, Draper said, and it recently hired a construction manager.

Once completed, the space will host a Mid-Ohio Market , where people can shop for free food; a kitchen that will make ready-to-eat meals for customers to take home; a PrimaryOne health center ; a Neighborhood Pride Center; an office of CelebrateOne ; a community room; and a benefits and customer outreach team.

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The area is "a very high need community in Columbus," Draper said, referencing the ZIP code: 43232. The ZIP code often boasts many evictions, high infant mortality and food insecurity.

There are other markets offering emergency food nearby, Draper said, but not at the scale the community needs.

It's largely a new American community and 30% of area households don't have a car, so having services within walking distance is important, he said.

The neighborhood is near the shuttered Eastland Mall and is home to many Liberians and Mauritanians who recently came to the U.S.

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In front of the former Kroger's entrance, MOFC lays out fruits and vegetables, and local residents walk or drive up, filling a box or the trunks of their cars with food.

Bocar Thiaw, 64, stopped by the market on Saturday. The Mauritanian man came to the United States in May and hasn't been able to find work yet. He will soon seek asylum in the country, he said, speaking Fulani through a translator.

He is one of thousands of Mauritanians who have fled their country , as Black Mauritanians are not recognized as citizens and face arrest, torture, enslavement and death at the hands of the government.

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Central Ohio has one of the biggest populations of Mauritanians in the nation, with an estimated 9,000 living here.

"I have a very positive view of this," Thiaw said of the pop-up. "It's helpful to come find community members organizing."

One day, Thiaw hopes to be a volunteer with one of the organizations, welcoming newcomers like he is being welcomed, he said.

"Getting food helps," he said.

After loading a cardboard box with blueberries, carrots, potatoes, sweet corn and more, Thiaw balanced the box on his head using one arm as he crossed Refugee Road to his apartment.

'A sharing spirit'

Many individuals who get food at the pop-up aren't taking it home just for themselves, said Houleye Thiam, president of the Mauritanian Network for Human Rights in The US , which partnered with MOFC and Liberians in Columbus, Inc. to host the market.

Abderrahmane Ba, 34, of the East Side, went at the market on Saturday. He feels like the food drive brings the community together, he said, speaking Fulani through a translator.

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"When anyone else comes to visit, they can get the food, too," he said, referencing visitors coming to his home.

Many pop-up customers share the food once they get it, Thiam said, and they enjoy coming to the market and meeting people from the community who speak their language.

"I like the set up," said Mamadou Ba, 39, on Saturday. "It's a sharing spirit."

Each market serves about 120 families, Thiam said. And all customers have to do is present their ID and an address, making the pop-up accessible, she said.

Volunteers from Liberians in Columbus and the Mauritanian Network run the pop-up market and Thiam is thankful for the MOFC providing food and space.

"The immigrant community never really felt (MOFC)'s presence," she said. Now, it does.

How to find food in Columbus, central Ohio

The pop-up market is hosted every fourth Saturday at 12 p.m. at the old Kroger site, at 4485 Refugee Road.

There is also one on the second Saturday of each month at Liberians in Columbus' office at 4300 Kimberly Parkway.

To search for other food pantry and market locations, visit www.freshtrak.com .

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Shuttered Columbus Kroger gets new life at monthly pop-ups as renovations push on