Goodr’s new market provides fresh groceries in what was formerly a food desert.Courtesy of Goodr Community Market Jasmine Crowe-Houston’s Goodr began as a sustainable food-waste management company, bridging the gap between surplus food and Atlanta’s most food-insecure communities. Since its fo unding in 2017, Goodr has expanded to 19 states, opened more than 28 free grocery stores, and provided more than $81 million in economic value to the communities it serves. “We’ve opened free grocery stores inside of schools, senior facilities, and recreation centers,” says CEO Crowe-Houston. Last year, however, she recognized the need for true neighborhood grocery stores, one where anyone could shop for affordable groceries. The first Goodr Community Market debuted on Edgewood Avenue in Sweet Auburn at the end of July 2025. The market is an evolution of the ethos of the company, Crowe-Houston says. “We’re still doing the work we’ve always done,” she explains. “But now we approach it as, ‘How do we help more families who don’t live near fresh food, and make it affordable?’” The Goodr Community Market is in a prime position to become an anchor for the historic neighborhood that has traditionally struggled with food access, even with recent commercial and residential growth. Crowe-Houston says the market will be especially impactful for residents of a nearby senior center, home to nearly a thousand older adults who lacked easy access to fresh food. “Before we opened, they had a 34-minute walk to the nearest grocery,” she says. “Now, they can walk over here in a matter of minutes, and they often walk in big groups.” As a small neighborhood grocery, the Goodr Community Market has a handful of options in each category, rather than the seemingly endless aisles found at large retailers such as Publix or Kroger. The goal is to make it easier for families to access fresh items quickly and cheaply. “We don’t have a cereal aisle, but we have 12 different cereal options,” Crowe-Houston says. At the Little Loaf Deli, senior customers can order fresh deli sandwiches for $5 each or choose from an a la carte menu of soups and salads. Kids’ meals are $2.50, a price point that makes feeding an entire family more accessible. The market is partly funded by a food-access capital grant from the City of Atlanta, which Crowe-Houston says helps to keep prices low. “We purchase groceries wholesale, just like any other grocery, but we mark up about 15 percent, versus a traditional grocery, which might be 60 percent,” she says. Discounts and promotions—such as two-for-one products for participants of the federal food program SNAP—make the market even more affordable for struggling families. If affordability is a prime goal for the Goodr Community Market, so is centering the surrounding community. Crowe-Houston says she’s already heard rewarding stories about how it’s changed lives for people in the neighborhood, such as the grandfather who is now able to bring his grandchildren to get daily after-school snacks, or the mother who can treat her daughter to $1 ice cream scoops. “It’s like a community bodega,” she says. This article appears in our December 2025 issue. The post Goodr Community Market is bringing affordable food to Sweet Auburn appeared first on Atlanta Magazine. ...read more read less