Black-Owned Avondale Grocery Closes After 16 Months

A Black-owned business that brought fresh hope and fresh food to the Avondale neighborhood has shut its doors, returning the community to food desert status after a brief reprieve.The Country Meat Co. Marketplace, located at 3539 Reading Road in the Avondale Town Center, opened in late February 2025.

It marked the first full-service grocery store in the neighborhood since an Aldi closed in 2008, ending a 16- to 17-year period without reliable access to fresh produce, meat, and staples for many residents.Owners Chanel and Tennel Bryant, who also operate the Country Meat Co. butchery at Findlay Market, announced the closure in a July 9, 2026, social media post. In it, they cited a combination of challenges that made the business unsustainable:

• Rising operating costs
• Ongoing theft
• Acts of violence in the surrounding area
• Unmet financial commitments

“We believed in this mission enough to keep showing up through these challenges,” the statement read. “This decision was not made lightly. We have fought for this store every single day.” The post did not specify an exact final day of operations.

A Hard-Fought Victory That Proved Short-Lived

The opening of the Marketplace was celebrated as a major community win. After years of advocacy, planning, and investment, including city support, the roughly 6,000-square-foot store offered fresh produce, a full-service meat counter, a coffee bar, grab-and-go meals, and a neighborhood gathering space. Hundreds turned out for its ribbon-cutting, and residents expressed relief at no longer needing to rely on buses, taxis, or distant stores for basic groceries.Avondale, where the poverty rate hovers near 50% and many residents depend on public transit, had long been identified as one of Cincinnati’s food deserts, areas where a significant portion of people live more than a mile from a full-service grocery store.With the closure, the neighborhood is once again limited to convenience stores like Rockdale Mini Mart and Avondale Food Mart.

Looking Ahead

The Bryants have indicated they will continue their broader work in food access, job creation, and community investment through their other ventures.Local leaders and the 

Avondale Community Council have called for collaboration among residents, businesses, officials, and stakeholders to address the systemic issues facing neighborhood businesses and to explore long-term solutions for economic stability and food access in the area.The closure highlights the difficult realities small, independent grocers often face in urban neighborhoods, even with strong community support, including thin margins, safety concerns, and competition from larger chains.For now, 

Avondale residents must once again navigate limited options for fresh, affordable food. Many hope this setback sparks renewed efforts to bring sustainable grocery access back to the neighborhood.