NBC Chicago · December 11, 2019
Opening day, six years later
Neighbors welcome Local Market to the former Dominick’s site.
Watch the opening report (opens a new tab)NNA’s track record
Our impact starts
with our neighbors.
A grocery store residents worked for. Computers in neighbors’ hands. Local knowledge shaping housing conversations. The work begins when people come together around what their community needs.
Grocery access · 2013–2019
Six years of organizing.
A grocery store neighbors wanted.
When Dominick’s closed in December 2013, South Shore residents had a clear priority: a full-service grocery store with fresh food and the quality choices they wanted close to home. The Planning Coalition, an earlier name for NNA, brought neighbors together to make those priorities heard.
Residents and block clubs kept the push alive. On December 11, 2019, Local Market opened in the former Dominick’s space at 71st and Jeffery. Community advocacy was part of a shared effort that also involved store owners and public partners.
Read the organizing story · South Side Weekly (opens a new tab)
The work behind the opening
- Neighbors organize
Before Dominick’s closed, the Planning Coalition convened residents to discuss the future of the site and the grocery options they wanted.
December 2013 meeting coverage · DNAinfo (opens a new tab) - Priorities on the record
A Coalition survey of 371 South Shore residents, conducted in December and January, documented grocery preferences. Those responses gave the campaign a clear record of what neighbors were asking for.
February 2014 survey coverage · DNAinfo (opens a new tab) - Local Market opens
Six years after the closure, neighbors lined up for the new store’s December 11 opening. The full-service market brought fresh produce, local vendors, and a community room to the former Dominick’s site.
Opening coverage · ABC7 Chicago (opens a new tab) - Neighbors show up again
During the June unrest, residents rallied around Local Market, helped clean up, and supported its workers. The relationships behind the campaign continued after the store opened.
The community’s response · South Side Weekly (opens a new tab)
The story on television
See the community’s work.
Original TV reports cover the opening and the neighbors who returned to support their store.
ABC7 Chicago · June 4, 2020
Neighbors protect their store
Val Free and fellow residents describe the community’s response as Local Market reopens.
Watch the community response report (opens a new tab)The grocery campaign is part of the organizing history that connects the Planning Coalition, Southeast Side Block Club Alliance, and NNA today.
Explore our historyBrowse the full media archiveDigital equity · Over multiple years
More than
600 computers distributed.
NNA’s computer distribution work has helped residents address a barrier to getting online. One March 2024 account documents a giveaway of 100 laptops with community partners.
South Shore Connects also produced a digital divide strategic plan focused on broadband access, adoption, and use.
See the digital equity history and sources
Housing · Research and resident participation
Local knowledge,
on the record.
NNA helped lead resident outreach and neighborhood data collection for the August 2022 South Shore Housing Data Project Summary Report, working with community and research partners.
A published neighborhood report
The report documented vacancy, homeownership, and preservation concerns and set out recommendations for resident involvement and housing stability.
Read the August 2022 Summary Report · PDF (opens a new tab)Published August 2022 · NNA contributed resident outreach and neighborhood data collection.
A shared Quality of Life Plan
NNA co-convened South Shore’s 2022 planning process with the South Shore Chamber of Commerce and South Shore Works. The published plan records priorities across eight areas of neighborhood life.
See NNA’s planning role and the full planThe plan records goals and proposed strategies, rather than completion of every proposal.
Community connection · Partner recognition
Neighbors showing up
for one another.
In 2024, Southland RISE included NNA’s Walk, Talk & Roll among the community engagement and violence prevention programs it supported. That partner report documents recognition of NNA’s neighborhood connection work.
Read the 2024 Southland RISE partner report (opens a new tab)Southland RISE partner report · 2024.
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Support the outreach, community education, and resident participation behind this work.