BOSTON — A private school in Boston’s South End is scrapping its plans to take over a local grocery space following growing community backlash.
Foodie’s Urban Market announced that their location at 1421 Washington Street will be closing in June after nearly 30 years in business.
The owner cited “challenging times for independent grocers” and a risky long-term commitment to keep the doors open.
The Croft School initially announced its intention to move into the space as part of its on-going expansion in the neighborhood.
The private school opened its South End campus in 2022 at the site of the former Stella restaurant at 1515 Washington Street.
It opened another location at 1310 Washington Street in 2025.
A statement released by the Croft School late Friday afternoon said it was changing course on the Foodie’s location.
“We heard clearly the concern about access to food in the neighborhood and the importance many neighbors place on preserving this location for grocery or other essential retail use,” it said in part. “We believe it is more important to respond with care to what we have heard and to avoid further contributing to division at a time of real loss for the neighborhood.”
Neighbors have been vocal against the Croft School taking over the space occupied by the longstanding local food market.
“Nobody is out to vilify the Croft School,” said Foodie’s shopper and Blackstone/Franklin Neighborhood Association President Jonathan Alves. “It’s really about the change of use from a retail space to a school that historically has created a dead zone on a once vibrant street in the South End.”
Alves is among more than 1500 people who signed a petition demanding community engagement.
Neighbors are pleading for the Foodie’s location to remain zoned for commercial retail use.
“I had a stroke. I don’t drive. I walk across the street. This is going to really damage us,” said Bradley Ned, who resides at a nearby housing community. “There’s no other food store around but this one.”
A rally is still planned for Saturday morning at 10.
The demonstration aims to bring attention to food accessibility in the area and calls to protect retail spaces.
“It’s really sad. This is a community grocery store,” said Foodie’s shopper Leesandra Merced.
Foodie’s owner Victor Leon addressed the intense community emotion in a Facebook post.
<i>“This was a business decision—it was not a forced closure, and not a decision the Croft School was involved in or influenced,” </i>it stated. <i>“Continuing at this location would require significant financial investment to update the building and its mechanical systems. That level of investment would require a long-term commitment that we determined was too risky given the current economic realities of our industry. Knowing firsthand the challenges facing small grocers we were aware that finding another grocer to take our space would be a challenge, which made this decision especially difficult.”</i>
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The Croft School said it is now actively exploring alternative options for its expansion.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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