New Sentry Foods grocery store opens on Silver Spring Drive

For over 15 years, residents of the Westlawn Gardens, Silver Spring, Havenwoods and surrounding neighborhoods on Milwaukee’s northwest side have been calling for a quality full-service grocery store with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and a wide array of grocery staples. Today, their wish came true with the opening of a new Sentry Foods store at 6350 W. Silver Spring Drive.

“Everyone should have access to fresh and healthy food within their neighborhood. The addition of Sentry Foods to the northwest side is a major development for the residents of the area, and it will help continue the transformation that is happening with new housing, businesses, and neighborhood improvements,” said Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

The Sentry Foods store fills a former Kohl’s Food Store site that was most recently an independent grocery store that closed in late 2019 with complaints about food quality. The site is centrally located amidst long-established neighborhoods, including Westlawn Gardens, which is directly to the south and includes hundreds of new housing units.

“We want to bring the high-quality Sentry grocery experience to the residents of this community. We are excited to be joining the neighborhood transformation at this pivotal time,” said Bharat Bansal, owner of the Milwaukee-area Sentry Foods.

“I’m pleased to welcome Sentry Foods to the 9^th District,” Alderwoman Larresa Taylor said. “Fresh, nutritious foods are not always easy to come by in certain areas, and I am very pleased to add Sentry and its bountiful offerings to the district. I’m sure residents will take advantage of its large inventory and shop there often.”

Sentry Foods will be a major addition to the W. Silver Spring Drive commercial corridor. It joins other businesses and services that have opened or are in development, including a pharmacy, deli, and taproom/beer garden.

“Sentry Foods is an exciting new retail anchor for a major Milwaukee commercial corridor that serves not only local residents, but thousands of commuters traveling in and out of the city every day,” said Stephanie Harling, Executive Director of Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership and Business Improvement District #31. “Sentry provides incredible momentum for the continued revitalization of W. Silver Spring Drive.”

The commercial corridor is at the heart of the Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI), a multi-year, multi-pronged neighborhood transformation strategy to revitalize the former Westlawn public housing development and surrounding neighborhoods into an inclusive, sustainable community of opportunity with quality housing, schools, businesses, services, and amenities. CNI has been supported by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Choice Neighborhoods grant to the City of Milwaukee and the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), as well as collaborative investments by many local and national partners.

CNI strategies include the construction of over 700 new mixed-income homes and apartments in Westlawn Gardens, new retail spaces, parks, playgrounds, a small business revolving loan fund, grants for exterior improvements to commercial buildings, and several initiatives to improve quality of life.

“It’s important for all residents of the area to have access to the services they need to live happy, healthy lives,” said HACM Secretary-Executive Director Willie L. Hines, Jr. “The community has consistently ranked a full-service quality grocery store as the top desire. We are extremely thankful to Sentry Foods for making the commitment to this area.”

“Access to fresh, healthy food is key to a community’s health, and this community has been working collaboratively for over 15 years to improve access for its residents,” said Paul Williams, Choice Neighborhood Initiative Coordinator.” “Today, that goal has been realized with this investment by Sentry Foods.”

Anticipation for the new store has been high throughout the neighborhood.

“Residents are thrilled that Sentry is now open to provide fresh produce and other grocery services just steps from their homes,” said Jackie Burrell, Westlawn Resident Council President. “We are very thankful to Sentry for coming into our community and providing this convenience, particularly for the residents who are not able to travel further distances to get their groceries.”