A Houston nightclub, District 1960, has hosted some of the most famous entertainers, including Megan Thee Stallion and Moneybagg Yo.
However, when the pandemic struck, it was forced to shut down.
In November, the owner, Robert Thomas, turned the location into District Market Green Grocer. They no longer have musical guests, but they offer frozen foods, fruits, vegetables, and a juice bar.
The store is one of Houstons first Black-owned supermarkets.
“Right now, everything in here comes from a Black vendor,” Thomas stated.
He uses 40 Black vendors to sell meats, produce, and spices. One vendor, Emory Davis, is helped because his small business can’t handle the massive volume of larger grocery stores.
Another vendor, Robb and Jessica Tannan use Thomas’s store to sell soap for their laundry business after supplies around the world decreased due to COVID-19.
Thomas never thought that his club would turn out like this.
“No, no way. You could never have told me I would have become a grocer…,” Thomas stated.
Thomas now wants to take his business idea even further, opening his stores across the nation.
Good