Dec. 29, 2022

Fair Market has brought its reduced-price grocery model to the west side.

The new neighborhood satellite location is at 523 N. Kiwanis Ave. and serves an area that lost a Hy-Vee grocery store at the beginning of the year.

Kristin Johnson opened the original Fair Market in early 2021 after seeing similar models in other communities. It took off so fast she had to relocate and expand multiple times. The east-side storefront is at 4510 E. 10th St. and has been drawing customers from across town.

“We’ve had a lot of customers come from there, and they’ve talked about the hurdles they’d had post-Hy-Vee, so there are a lot of access issues in that part of town,” Johnson said in announcing the new west-side store.

“I’m excited for the neighborhood. Sioux Falls can only win from this.”

Empower Sioux Falls purchased Fair Market in July and is using the name for its new grocery initiative to address food access in underserved area.

The model for the west-side store is slightly different from Fair Market’s original store, which buys salvage grocery items and sells them at a deep discount.

The satellite location will carry about 60 staple items: hamburger, milk, rice, beans, tortillas and eggs, for instance, along with some salvage items.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The store does not accept cash or EBT benefits at this point.

The hope is to expand the concept with multiple satellite locations. Empower has said it’s looking for a spot near Laura B. Anderson Elementary near North Cliff Avenue.