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DfcukinLite t1_j9vzue2 wrote

First of all. Corner store and bodega are interchangeable. You didn’t actually read any of the articles. Because bodega is the Spanish word for corner store. And yes the three previous links are indeed about Baltimore. Here they are again. No shit prices are higher at small businesses.

“The irony is that corner stores have made a come-back in many come-back neighborhoods. Bakeries, coffee shops, even occasional butcher shops have sprung up in the revitalizing communities of Remington, Hampden and Washington Village. In Pigtown's "main street" on Washington Boulevard Ms Pugh herself ran a consignment store while she was State Senator, celebrating the renaissance of retail there. Of course, most of those corner stores in the disenfranchised neighborhoods in Harlem Park, Sandtown, Park Heights and Rosemont are a far cry from their reincarnated brethren on revitalized "main streets". But are they any less useful? In neighborhoods where more than 30% of buildings are vacant sagging hulls and where up to 75% of households have no access to cars those stores are one of the few places that provide a sign of life. For example, all of the feature ATMs, and a way to get cash in communities that to this day are "redlined" by banks. Shuttering the ones that are not so well run or cause frequent disturbances would certainly not mean that another, better one would magically appear. It would most likely mean that even fewer services are available and another building would stand vacant.”

“The organization of Korean store owners (KARGO) started a scholarship program 23 years ago. with annual grants going to students in neighborhoods where member stores are located. Mayor Rawlings Blake together with Johns Hopkins had begun an initiative of enticing corner stores to sell fresh foods and reduce the problem of food deserts (Baltimarket) although from several defunct weblinks it isn't clear if the program still continues. Zoning and the liquor board have addressed the problem of too many liquor stores.” Source:https://communityarchitectdaily.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-corner-store-blight-or-savior-of.html?m=1

“Lee’s Mini Market serves a community that is 97% Black and where half of families live below the poverty level, where there are few shopping options and limited access to healthy food. As in most corner stores, the shelves at the market are stocked primarily with non-perishables: chips, canned soup, plastic-wrapped desserts and soda. It also has a limited selection of healthier offerings, such as rice and dried beans, lettuce, frozen vegetables, bananas, potatoes and onions.”

Source:https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/local-news/lees-mini-market-west-baltimore-WYBL6RZYM5GY5LSQFG2VH5R6IE/

“ABSTRACT As part of a 2009 revision to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, the Department of Agriculture required WIC-authorized stores to stock additional varieties of healthy food. The long-term effects of this policy on access to healthy food are unknown. Using surveys conducted in 118 Baltimore City, Maryland, food stores in 2006 and 2012, we examined associations of the change in healthy food availability with store type, neighborhood demographics, and the 2009 WIC policy change. Overall, healthy food availability improved significantly between 2006 and 2012, with the greatest increases in corner stores and in census tracts with more than 60 percent black residents. On an 11-point scale measuring availability of fruit (3 points), vegetables (4 points), bread (2 points), and milk (2 points), the WIC policy change was associated with a 0.72-point increase in WIC-relevant healthy food availability, while joining WIC was associated with a 0.99-point increase. Stores that carry a limited variety of food items may be more receptive to stocking healthier food than previously thought, particularly within neighborhoods with a majority of black residents. Policies targeting healthy food availability have the potential to increase availability and decrease health disparity.” Source: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0632

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