E. Palmer Supermarket

 In the heart of Norfolk, Virginia lies a jewel of the black community, E. Palmer Supermarket. The establishment prides itself on the success of its 3 year journey as the state's first and only black- owned supermarket. The owner, Mike Palmer, describes the flow of running a grocery store the size of a Farm Fresh alongside his son Esron, the general manager, whom the store is named after.

   Born in Jamaica, Mike immigrated to the United States as a teenager, graduating from a High School in New York City. He never left his Jamaican roots behind and instead connected with individuals in the community who were eager to enjoy the cultural connection. That’s when Mike saw a need for a more diverse selection of cultural foods in the community. He also noticed many areas in black communities were food deserts, having no grocery stores with fresh produce for miles in any direction. Mike says he and his wife used their credit cards to fund the supermarket. After months of adjusting their connections to get suppliers that could provide them with profitable products from toothpaste to fresh produce,  they finally found one that worked with their community needs.

   Since opening the store, they have obtained 3 restaurants including Mp Island cafe, serving Jamaican cuisine, a soul food restaurant called Thee Soul Food Kitchen and a soul food sub restaurant called Staxx Subs. The latter of the two are located inside the supermarket with a seating area for dining in.

E.Palmer supermarket has competitive prices, making it a reasonable competitor to big name grocery stores in the area. They have also partnered with the EBT program to give EBT users 50% off on their fresh produce purchases.

The businessman says he intends to open new locations when he’s ready, stating that certain systems need to be put in place before he can think about expansion. 

   Mike says some of his biggest challenges outside of finding suitable suppliers was getting people to stop by and purchase. He focuses heavily on building community trust and providing a warm, welcoming environment in the supermarket. Needless to say he has been successful.

He hopes to combat the food desert issue that is plaguing many different cities in the black community

Needless to say, he is several steps in the right direction.