Community leaders and residents gathered Friday afternoon at the corner of Lowry and North Penn Avenues to celebrate the grand opening of Colonial Market, a new full-scale grocery store that aims to transform access to fresh food in North Minneapolis.

The store opens in an area long considered a food desert, where thousands of residents have struggled with limited access to affordable groceries since the closure of Aldi in 2023. Colonial Market aims to fill that gap.

"You got 50,000 residents on the North side, and when a market closes it becomes even more of a food desert," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw and other local leaders joined in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the occasion.

 "We know for generations that there have been food deserts in the North, this helps to provide the kind of oasis the community needs," said Mayor Frey.

Colonial Market is a welcome addition for North Minneapolis resident Nicole Harris and her two daughters.

 "It's been difficult to travel outside the neighborhood so it's cool to have something in the neighborhood now," said Harris.

Store owner Daniel Hernandez, said that the market was years in the making and driven by a vision of community self-determination. 

"It means everything to me to be able to open a space that serves the community that I now call home," said Hernandez. "We're not just bringing opportunity to this community, we're also bringing hope."

The new market will feature a restaurant, a full-service meat deli and a variety of culturally relevant products. Colonial Market is also bringing fresh fruits and vegetables back to the area.

Colonial Market will operate seven days a week and has already created 20 local jobs at the market.

A festival is planned for June 28th at Colonial Market, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• North Minneapolis