OWINGS MILLS, Md. — A grocery store in Owings Mills moved out almost four years ago, and the Randallstown NAACP is now trying to find a replacement.
Giant supermarket closed in the New Town Village shopping center in 2019, along with the Giant at nearby St. Thomas shopping center. The supermarket company closed both when it opened an upgraded Giant at the new Mill Station (former Owings Mills Mall site).
Randallstown NAACP has pulled together community, business and government leaders to meet at the New Town shopping center at 2 p.m. May 15.
Ryan Coleman, president of the Randallstown NAACP, says the closures are part of a larger problem of supermarkets closing in northwest Baltimore County.
"The New Town community is very important. It's an upper-middle-class African-American community in Baltimore County, and it was really one that, when I actually worked for [U.S. Congressman] Dutch Ruppersberger, that we put a lot of time and energy on to be one of the growth areas for Baltimore County... We've heard some different comments about loitering and different things at the shopping center, so what we decided to do is actually to go down and tour it, see for ourselves, see what are some of the strengths, what are some of the weaknesses, and come up with some solutions to not only bringing in a grocery store to New Town but to also make sure the residents are getting a good experience there."
"Giant Food has actually moved out of Baltimore County in a lot of different locations, and so we're really concerned about the consolidation of grocery stores in Baltimore County and the effect it's having on food deserts and the African-American community," he said.
He noted that Giant closed in Randallstown, Milford Mill, and the two Owings Mills sites (New Town and St. Thomas). It's a problem for the many people who don't drive.
"That's very concerning, because it really has opened up food deserts," he said. Coleman said his group has talked to two supermarkets who have shown some interest, and are working on the companies' concerns.
He pointed out that the New Town development was envisioned as a "village" where residents could walk to the store and didn't have to go to Liberty or Reisterstown roads. Giant has been in New Town since the shopping center opened in 1996. It's been a focal point for the community since the large New Town development was built out in the 1990s.
The Randallstown NAACP recently helped bring Grocery Outlet Bargain Market to Liberty Road in Milford Mill.
