Bids out for Griffin Heights Neighborhood grocery store

Cynthia Moore remembers a time, not that long ago, when she and her neighbors in Griffin Heights could get food essentials and be back home in a matter of minutes.

The 63-year-old knows the neighborhood better than most, having lived there her whole life. The neighborhood, located in the 32304 zip code and deemed the poorest zip code in Florida, has changed a lot over the years since she was a girl. For many, the changes haven't been for the better due to an increase in crime and drug activity.

A welcome change may be coming: a new grocery store on 1309 Alabama St., one that will be a few feet from Moore's front door and a one-stop location for her neighbors; senior citizens with mobility challenges and residents, with no car, depend on public transportation or ride share apps to reach the nearest grocery store at least five miles away.

"By them opening up this store that we need so desperately," Moore said, "It's a lot of people, even the elderly people, who I believe they'll even just walk to the store, because it'll be a little exercise for them. It's going to be a grand (celebration) when they open up this door, because this store is going to help a lot of people."

More on Griffin Heights neighborhood

Griffin Heights has been designated a food desert following the 2018 closing of Winn-Dixie on Tharpe Street.

It's northwest of downtown Tallahassee and north of the West Tennessee Street fringes of Florida State University, with Frenchtown as its closest neighbor to its west.

According to the Griffin Heights Neighborhood First Plan, a 50 page, city-led document outlining the history, needs and goals, the neighborhood has for the past four to five decades "expanded from the core streets of Abraham and Birmingham and a few connecting streets. It now encompasses multiple new streets and dwellings, including the Griffin College Heights subdivision."

The historic neighborhood was previously home to grocery stores like the Hayward's and Davis' on Birmingham Street and Bennett's store on Alabama Street where the new store is going. They're all gone, leaving behind only memories for residents who still remember.

"Aside from these stores, Griffin Heights relied heavily on the shopping centers, restaurants, and health services in nearby communities. Frenchtown served as a commercial center for Griffin Heights residents with businessessuch as Ashmore’s Drug Store, the Snack Bar teen center, barbershops, service stations, clothing stores, dry cleaners, a movie theater and other businesses located along corridors of Brevard Street in Springfield andOld Bainbridge Road ... Due to its proximity to the neighborhood, children and families frequently walked toJitney Jungle on Tharpe Street, a chain grocery store."

—Griffin Heights Neighborhood First Plan

The neighborhood has seen modest growth. Griffin Heights' population was recorded at 5,478 residents in 2018 and has grown more than 13% since 2000.

What's next for the new grocery store

Residents long bemoaned not having a closer option for fresh foods, including meat, fruits and vegetables.

In 2021, city commissioners approved the Griffin Heights Neighborhood First Plan as part of its Neighborhood Public Safety Initiative and a new grocery was deemed a high priority. A year later, city and county commissioners on the Intergovernmental Agency Board that overseas Blueprint sales-tax funds approved the purchase of the former Alabama Street grocery store location.

The quarter lot was purchased for $170,000 through the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality, which later transferred ownership to the city of Tallahassee. In July 2023, the second of two community engagement meetings, the city hosted an information session that gave residents a glimpse of possible uses.

At the time, some residents voiced deep concerns about how the proposed plan missed the mark when ideas for grab-and-go meals were presented. Some felt that approach felt forced and out of character for what the primarily Black neighborhood wanted, as previously reported.

Bringing a grocery store to Griffin Heights is a two-fold process: Construct the building and then find a vendor.

"The first part is building the building," said John Baker, policy and program development administrator for the city of Tallahassee. "So that's the physical part, where we have the "Invitation to bid" to secure a contractor to build the store. The second part would be putting out an (Request For Proposals) to recruit a vendor to operate the store on behalf of the community in the neighborhood.

They are looking for healthy food store," Baker said, regarding feedback from residents. "They're not looking for a place that will sell tobacco, alcohol and so on. They're looking for a place that will be a mixture of fresh fruit and vegetables, other grocery items."

Baker couldn't give a specific timeline on when construction may begin, adding the Invitation to Bid is out now. His department will make recommendation to the City Commission at a later date. If all goes well, construction may begin in the fall.

This is not the first time the city of Tallahassee has made efforts to bring fresh food options to impoverished areas. In South City, Baker said the city worked with the Greater Bond Neighborhood to bring a farmer's market that's been in operation for about four years.

"When we did the Griffin Heights Neighborhood First planning process, getting a grocery store back into that community was like their number one issue," said Baker, referencing the residents. "Way back in the 50s and 60s, the (Alabama Street site) was the Bennett store. Most recently, the building that we demolished was named the All In One Supermarket."

Demolition took place about four months ago, Moore said. She made sure to get pictures of the moment for prosperity and a hope toward the future.

For her, and many residents, the store can't come fast enough: "It's going be almost like a parade, because when they start, it's going to traffic riding by," Moore said, with glee.

Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Bids out for Griffin Heights Neighborhood grocery store