Shuttered Parkrose Grocery Outlet owner fund raising for new store in food desert
Mon, July 27, 2026 at 1:21 PM
UpdatedMon, July 27, 2026 at 3:04 PM
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Don McKeever, the store’s former owner, said that as soon as the franchise informed him of the closure, he began working on a way to keep the much-needed resource in the community. He formed a coalition to open the store, which he plans to call Parkrose Grocery. The goal is to hold a grand opening in November. (KATU)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) —The former owner of a now-shuttered Grocery Outlet in the Parkrose neighborhood is raising money to open a new, locally owned community grocery store in the East Portland food desert
The grocery store at 10721 NE Sandy Blvd. closed at the end of June, marking the latest in a string of grocery store closures in East Portland
“We weren’t just a grocery store. We provided a lot of social services. We worked with the high school, with Prescott Elementary School, athletic teams, daycare camps, preschools, food banks. We provided not just fresh and affordable groceries but we did also a lot of social services,” said Don McKeever, the store’s former owner
READ MORE | City Councilors address growing ‘food desert’ in East Portland
McKeever said that as soon as the franchise informed him of the closure, he began working on a way to keep the much-needed rehich he plans to call Parkrose Grocery. The goal is to hold a grand opening in November
“To help secure operating costs before the opening, we are hoping to raise $30,000 by the end of September,” he said, pointing out that, depending on the amount contributed, donors will receive various benefits, such as discounted groceries
McKeever said most of the “hard costs,” such as renovations and equipment, are already covered and that the fundraiser is intended to pay for wages and training
Historic Parkrose is sponsoring the fundraising effort on its website and is also providing an $8,000 no-interest microloan to help with the store’s opening. During a news conference announcing the effort, Portland City Council President Jamie Dunphy said his office will make a donation
“We recognize that the food desert situation in East Portland is absolutely unacceptable, and we have to take a more firm role in this. And having a partner like Don willing to forge out ahead when his former corporate bosses decided that this was no longer a community worth investing in – Don disagreed and is digging in,” Dunphy said. “If I can be in any way helpful in making that a reality, that is an absolute thrill. To that end, in order to try and help Don meet his $30,000 goal, I will be making a contribution from my office budget of $6,000.”
READ MORE | East Portland residents react to yet another grocery store closure in Multnomah Co
Prosper Portland, the city’s economic development agency, has committed to covering the cost of building improvements, which are not part of the fundraiser
“I have the advantage that I ran the grocery outlet for four years, so I know the cost, exactly what it costs to run the store, to maintain the store. I’ve been doing it for four years. I know where I can change and do better. I know the sales, what we’ve had for the last four years. So I don’t have to make up projected sales. I know what I can do to improve those sales,” McKeever said. “I know what the community was missing that will also add to the sales. So I have really good, solid numbers on the table.”
