KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A food desert no more.
United Market opened May 20 at 31st Street and Prospect Avenue, drawing long lines and restoring grocery access to the Linwood Shopping Center neighborhood after months without a store.
Shoppers lined up hours before the ribbon-cutting grand opening.
Anthony Estrada, who started his grocery career pushing carts at age 16, has high hopes and many plans as a first-time operator after decades in the industry.
“I’ve been in the business for 35 years. This is the first store I’ve had the opportunity to operate myself,” Estrada said. “Everything that’s been in my mind and I’ve wanted to see kind of put into motion, I’ve been able to put into motion in this store.”
Estrada’s intentionality starts before you even step inside. The store’s logo shows two faces, the sun and moon united in a single image, representing its new name and mission, United Market Kansas City.
What most people don’t know about Estrada: he’s also a part-time police officer for the City of Roeland Park – knowledge and know-how he thinks will help combat some of the security challenges that plagued the previous operator.
Estrada isn’t stopping with the store on Prospect. He also secured an agreement with Kansas City, Kansas, to reopen the former Merc Co+op at 501 Minnesota Avenue.
Estrada held open interviews and hired 50 workers in just four hours – people who live nearby are now serving neighbors at 3110 Prospect Ave., from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
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