All she wanted was a green bell pepper.
After scanning the mostly empty and rotted fruits and vegetables that remained in the produce aisle at the only grocery story left in the Richton Park community south of Chicago, Carolyn Henderson realized that she would have to drive 12 minutes for this one item.
Richton Park’s Super Save has been open since 2007 and is closing next month. The 30 percent off everything signs cover the windows, indicating the store’s pending departure.
“People assume that these stores don’t want to come to black neighborhoods, but really it’s with the leadership or lack thereof,” Henderson said, blaming elected officials. “Don’t vote in thieves.”
Ouida Neal, economic development coordinator of Richton Park, a community of 13,000 near I-57, said the problem is that people are not shopping in their own town.
“As long as we will drive to where they are, they will not bring them here,” Neal said.
Richton Park has a median household income of $57,776. Its main street is Sauk Trail, with old houses, a gas station, brown brick one-story municipal buildings surrounded by tall trees and neatly trimmed lawns. To an outsider, it looks run-down. Where Sauk Trail and Cicero intersect, with a railroad as the dividing line, the neighboring town of Matteson offers a stark contrast. Matteson has a median household income $63,821. Though it has more retail, it also lacks a large supermarket. After Dominick’s closed, Aldi was the only store left outside of smaller convenience stores.
Sharon Price, a customer who usually shops at Super Save in Richton Park, for bananas said it’s going to be bad when Super Save closes.
“People are going to have to go to Frankfort,” she said. Frankfort is about eight miles away and can take 15 to 20 minutes by car, depending on traffic.
Matteson and Richton Park are in Cook County. Frankfort is in Will County. Neal said differences in taxes might be the reason the communities in Cook have a harder time attracting investors. She said many businesses need an infusion of capital to compete. But owners haven’t put money into their structures. Cook County’s sales tax rate is 8.5 percent. Will County’s is 7 percent.
“When the taxes go up, the stores close,” said Jamal Elayn, Super Save Store Manager for six years.
After it is refurbished, the store is set to open under new management within the next month, though residents are not banking on that.
A Walmart being built on Sauk Trail and I-57,will open in 2016 and feature a grocery store inside, Neal said.