Walmart announced it will close its Silver Spring Drive store in Timmerman Plaza earlier this week. The company said the store on Milwaukee's north west side will close by March 10.
The Timmerman Plaza Walmart is where Anglia Riley has been picking up her groceries for the last several years. She said the next closest grocery store is a Pick N Save. The closest Pick N Save to that Walmart is about four miles away.
"It is convenient for a lot of people around here," Riley said about the Walmart location.
Which is why she was disappointed to hear the news that the store is closing.
"I'm a little sad because it's closer. But then again I know a lot of stuff has happened up here, a lot of violence," Riley said.
Walmart said it is closing the location due to multiple factors, including its financial performance.
But, like Riley, it's leaving many families trying to figure out where they'll pick up groceries and other basic needs moving forward.
"It's just been here for so long," Riley said. "It's gonna be missed, but hopefully whoever takes it over maybe it becomes another store."
While Neighbors wait to see if and when another store takes over, the closure could create a food desert for many families.
In a statement the Hunger Task Force said:
”We are disappointed to hear about the closing of the Walmart on the northwest side of town. When a big box retailer leaves a community, it typically causes a loss not only in food but other goods and resources, such as bus lines. Some people would call what’s going on not a food desert but Food Apartheid-the mistreatment of groups of people based on their race and ethnicity. So we all should question why this is going on. Hunger Task Force will continue to serve the community and starting March 6 from 2:00-3:30 p.m., and every first Monday after that, our Mobile Market will be onsite to support the community by putting fresh produce, dairy and meats within reach.”
