‘Deepening the Crisis’: Pick ‘n Save’s Closing Creates Community Uproar

By PrincessSafiya Byers

This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.

Melody McCurtis, deputy director and lead organizer of Metcalfe Parks Community Bridges, a resident-led organization, said there’s more than a food desert in the city: There’s food apartheid.

Now that the Pick ‘n Save located at 2535 N. 35th St., is slated to close, she says healthy and affordable food will be even harder to find.

“This is deepening the crisis,” McCurtis said.

Food deserts are classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as low-income areas with significant populations of residents with low access to healthy and affordable food.

Food apartheid is a term used by activists that looks at historical issues such as racism, segregation and other historical issues in addition to the food system.

McCurtis and dozens of concerned residents packed into Metcalfe Park Community Bridges on Tuesday, July 8 for an emergency town hall to discuss the plan to close Pick ‘n Save.

In June, Kroger, which operates Pick ‘n Save stores in Wisconsin, announced that it would be closing 60 stores nationally, five of which are located in Milwaukee.

While stores are intended to close over the next 18 months, some, like the one at 2355 N. 35th St. in Metcalfe Park, are planned to close as early as July.18.

An April 2025 report by Data You Can Use says Metcalfe Park has more than 9,300 residents, with 81% identifying as African American. Nearly 43% lived in poverty.

More than a grocery store

Residents at the meeting weren’t just worried about where they’ll buy food, they also pick up prescriptions and other medicines at the store along with other necessities.

“We don’t just get our groceries from the grocery store, we get period products, cleaning supplies, tissues and diapers from the grocery store,” said one resident during the meeting.

Obtaining those and other items will be much more difficult now, said Christie Melby-Gibbons, the executive director of Tricklebee Cafe, a pay-what-you-can cafe on Milwaukee’s North Side.

“The next grocery store isn’t for about three miles in any direction,” she said.

Will a new store fill the void?

The closing has raised concern from residents, community leaders and local elected officials, including Ald. Russell Stamper, who represents the area where the store is located.

He issued a statement on June 25 voicing his disappointment at the plans to close the store and announced his intention to work with the Department of City Development and others to bring a new grocer to the Pick ‘n Save site.

“I am also asking Pick ‘n Save to remain open as long as possible to serve as a transitional period for residents,” stated Stamper. “My top priority is ensuring that a quality grocery provider steps in as quickly as possible to serve the people who call this community home.”

Attempts to speak to representatives of Kroger regarding Pick ‘n Save were not successful.

Some residents with a long history in the neighborhood aren’t so sure that will happen. One resident at the town hall mentioned the closing of Kohl’s Food Stores in the early 2000s and said that many of the locations were never occupied by another grocer.

In addition to the store on North 35th Street, Kroger also plans to close Pick ‘n Save stores at 1735 W. Silver Spring Drive Drive., 3701 S. 27th St., 2931 S. Chicago Ave., and 2320 W. Ryan Road.

The wave of closings come just months after Walgreens, which also sells food and other items and provides prescription medicine services, closed several stores in Milwaukee, including two on the North Side.

What’s next

At the meeting, state Rep. Margaret Arney (D-Wauwatosa), shared information from Pick ‘n Save about resources the store is making available to affected customers.

She said a Pick ‘n Save spokesperson informed her that people who obtain medications at the store closing can look into delivery, although controlled substances or refrigerated products are not eligible for delivery.

Residents and others maintain hope that officials will change their mind about plans to close the store or at least keep it open longer. Residents are planning to march and rally outside the store on July 18.

“This is not just a store closing, this is our livelihood on the line,” said McCurtis.

For more information

To get involved you can follow Metcalf Park Community Bridges or reach out at mmccurtis@metcalfepark.org.