THEY CLOSED. CLOSED. FRUSTRATION AND EXASPERATION FROM CUSTOMERS AT THE SHOPPERS IN MONDAWMIN. DOCTOR MARVIN CHEATHAM HAS SEEN A LOT OF THESE REACTIONS. HE’S BEEN SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT SINCE FIVE WEDNESDAY MORNING, WATCHING HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOW UP TO THE STORE EXPECTING TO SHOP. ONE PERSON COMING HERE EVERY MINUTE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE THAT THE FOOD MARKET WAS CLOSED FOR A WEEK. THIS IS REALLY MAJOR IN OUR COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW. WE CAN’T GO TO THE STORE. AND BLACK SAYS HE WAS HERE WHEN SHOPPERS CLOSED LAST WEEK AFTER AN INSPECTION BY THE BALTIMORE CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT. THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT CONFIRMS THEY DID A ROUTINE FOOD INSPECTION AND FOUND THE FACILITY COULD NOT MAINTAIN A SUFFICIENT SUPPLY OF HOT WATER. A SPOKESPERSON FROM SHOPPERS SENT 11 NEWS A STATEMENT SAYING IN PART, QUOTE, WE ARE WORKING TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO WE CAN CONTINUE PROVIDING THE SAME HIGH VALUE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE THAT SHOPPERS CUSTOMERS HAVE COME TO KNOW AND EXPECT. NEIGHBORS SAY THE CLOSURE IS A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE IN AN AREA WITH FEW GROCERY OPTIONS. WE HAVE NO OTHER MARKET IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. WE NEED SHOPPERS TO OPEN. I’M JUST INCONVENIENCED A LITTLE BIT. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO WALK, WHO HAVE, WHO CARRY CARTS, OR WHO’S GETTING DROPPED OFF HERE BY. MTA MOBILITY TO SHOP? AND THAT’S WHAT CONCERNS CHEATHAM AND BLACK, MOST PARTICULARLY WITH SENIOR CITIZENS, ALL OF THEM SENIOR CITIZENS HOMES. THEY COME TO SHOPPERS MARKET. TODAY, OLD LADY CAME UP HERE WITH A UBER GOT OUT THE CAR. THE UBER DROVE AWAY. SHE WAS STUCK. SO THEY’RE SITTING OUTSIDE THE STORE WATCHING HOW MANY PEOPLE SHOW UP TO SHOP AND MAKING SURE THEY HAVE A WAY TO GET HOME. NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS UNTIL THEIR MARKET IS RESTORED. I WANT PEOPLE TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT SOMEONE HAS TO NOW HELP THIS SITUATION. AND A FEW NEIGHBORS TELL ME THEY’RE ALSO DISAPPOINTED THAT THEY HAVEN’T SEEN OR HEARD FROM THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS ON THIS ISSUE. WE DID REACH OUT TO COUNCILMAN JAMES TORRANCE, WHO REPRESENTS THE MONDAWMIN AREA. WE ARE STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK. FOR NOW, REPORTING LIVE HERE IN NORTHWEST BALTIMORE. I’
SHOPPERS Mondawmin’s temporary closure frustrates Baltimore residents
Updated: 6:59 PM EDT Aug 20, 2025
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A routine health inspection found the SHOPPERS Mondawmin grocery store couldn’t maintain a sufficient supply of hot water, prompting the store to close for a week.Theron Black, a nearby resident, expressed frustration shared by the community.”We have no other market in this neighborhood. We need Shoppers to open,” Black told 11 News.Black said residents were not informed about the closure, which led to confusion and inconvenience.”Our market is closed. We haven’t really been informed. Everybody is still coming to the market, and now, we have no type of food market at all in our neighborhood,” Black told 11 News.Dr. Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, the president of the Matthew Henson Neighborhood Association, said he has monitored the situation closely. He said the store’s closure particularly impacts a community that has limited grocery options.”I think we have to find a better way of communicating to the neighbors because this is a food desert,” Cheatham told 11 News. “You go three blocks south, you’re in a food desert, so we have a lot of people who don’t have transportation, and that’s what makes it a food desert.”Cheatham spent time in the store’s parking lot since early Wednesday morning to see how many people went to the store expecting to shop, unaware of the closure.”I wrote them down, and when I got to 100, I stopped,” Cheatham told 11 News. “I’m not exaggerating. It’s been basically about a car a minute.”Joyous Jones shared concerns about those who rely on public transportation or who have mobility challenges.”I’m just inconvenienced a little bit. Can you imagine the people that have to walk? Who have to carry carts? Or, who are getting dropped off here by MTA Mobility to shop?” Jones said.Residents said they are disappointed they haven’t seen or heard from their elected officials on this issue. WBAL-TV 11 News reached out to Councilman James Torrence, D-District 7, for comment and awaits a response.United Natural Foods Inc. sent a statement Wednesday to 11 News, saying:”We are temporarily closing our Shoppers Mondawmin store due to a mechanical issue with the store’s hot water system. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible so we can continue providing the same high-value shopping experience that Shoppers customers have come to know and expect.”As soon as we confirm a reopening date, we will update the community. In the meantime, customers are encouraged to shop at nearby Shoppers locations and online for delivery and pickup options: 5600 The Alameda, Baltimore, MD 21239.”
A routine health inspection found the SHOPPERS Mondawmin grocery store couldn’t maintain a sufficient supply of hot water, prompting the store to close for a week.
Theron Black, a nearby resident, expressed frustration shared by the community.
“We have no other market in this neighborhood. We need Shoppers to open,” Black told 11 News.
Black said residents were not informed about the closure, which led to confusion and inconvenience.
“Our market is closed. We haven’t really been informed. Everybody is still coming to the market, and now, we have no type of food market at all in our neighborhood,” Black told 11 News.
Dr. Marvin “Doc” Cheatham, the president of the Matthew Henson Neighborhood Association, said he has monitored the situation closely. He said the store’s closure particularly impacts a community that has limited grocery options.
“I think we have to find a better way of communicating to the neighbors because this is a food desert,” Cheatham told 11 News. “You go three blocks south, you’re in a food desert, so we have a lot of people who don’t have transportation, and that’s what makes it a food desert.”
Cheatham spent time in the store’s parking lot since early Wednesday morning to see how many people went to the store expecting to shop, unaware of the closure.
“I wrote them down, and when I got to 100, I stopped,” Cheatham told 11 News. “I’m not exaggerating. It’s been basically about a car a minute.”
Joyous Jones shared concerns about those who rely on public transportation or who have mobility challenges.
“I’m just inconvenienced a little bit. Can you imagine the people that have to walk? Who have to carry carts? Or, who are getting dropped off here by MTA Mobility to shop?” Jones said.
Residents said they are disappointed they haven’t seen or heard from their elected officials on this issue. WBAL-TV 11 News reached out to Councilman James Torrence, D-District 7, for comment and awaits a response.
United Natural Foods Inc. sent a statement Wednesday to 11 News, saying:
“We are temporarily closing our Shoppers Mondawmin store due to a mechanical issue with the store’s hot water system. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible so we can continue providing the same high-value shopping experience that Shoppers customers have come to know and expect.
“As soon as we confirm a reopening date, we will update the community. In the meantime, customers are encouraged to shop at nearby Shoppers locations and online for delivery and pickup options: 5600 The Alameda, Baltimore, MD 21239.”
