Minding The Store
Braid Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley put an innovative spin on a food pantry.
At The Store, 98% percent of shoppers leave with fresh fruits and vegetables. Given that too many folks consume an abysmal amount of produce, that’s success in and of itself. But improved nutrition is just one goal of The Store, the innovative spin on a food pantry founded by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. The main goal of the nonprofit is to provide a dignified shopping experience for folks struggling with food insecurity.
The Store looks and functions like a traditional supermarket. Sort of. For one thing, shoppers check in upon arrival, then can let their kids play at the mini-grocery store play station. Meanwhile, volunteers, attendants and baggers on duty are likely to greet shoppers by name and even wander into conversation about the best way to sear a chicken breast. Because, more so than most traditional markets, The Store is a community.
The biggest difference between a store and The Store? In the words of Brittany Brown, director of mission advancement, “Friend, it’s free.” When shoppers check in, they take a printed list of foods available, along with a handheld clicker to keep track of how many items they select. A single shopper can take 30 items per visit, while a family shopper can take 50 items for a household of five. All free. Those item counts don’t include hygiene and pet products, and shoppers can take all the fresh produce they want, a provision that leads almost every visitor to leave with fresh fruits and vegetables. And when they check out, they get a receipt tallying the value of their items. Just like in a store.
“It’s shopping minus the money,” Brown says, explaining that the process is designed to replicate traditional commerce and all the dignity that comes with making selections based on preference, rather than accepting a pre-packed box.
The Store’s first location debuted in 2020, on 12th Avenue South on Belmont University campus. The second and larger location launched this January on the campus of TriStar Centennial Medical Center. Each store can serve approximately 2,000 shoppers a year, a capacity that translates to reaching 10,000 food-insecure people between the two stores. (They currently have waitlists of more than 3,000 households.)
The Store works with Gordon Food Services, Kroger, Publix, Second Harvest, Fresh Point, Hatch for Hunger, Nashville Community Resource Center, HDI and Nashville Diaper Connection, among other distributors, to put approximately $2 million worth of food and staples on a Store’s shelves each year. In February, The Turnip Truck grocery announced a partnership that allows shoppers to round up their bill to help stock shelves at The Store. Volunteers staff 268 shifts per week, populating the floor with the baggers, shelf-stackers and checkers associated with a traditional market. Mars Petcare donates pet food, and Jennifer Garner’s Once Upon a Farm contributes fruit and vegetable snacks. Browsing aisles with familiar Barilla and De Cecco pasta brands, Silk oat milk, frozen meats and fresh herbs. Brown says, “We get the best for our shoppers. We take pride in that.”
Shoppers come to The Store via agencies such as YWCA, Safe Haven Family Shelter, Red Cross, Metro Office of Family Safety, Nashville Cares, Project Return, Pass the Beauty, Fifty Forward, and I Am Next support for kids aging out of foster care, to name a few partner organizations. Eligible shoppers have income of 200 percent or below of the poverty level, roughly under $32,000 for an individual.
An eligible client can shop every other week for 18 months. But groceries aren’t all The Store offers. In an effort to address underlying causes of food insecurity, the nonprofit partners with agencies—including Brad’s alma mater Belmont University—that provide resources such as counseling, education, financial planning and nutritional cooking classes. At one end of the store, a free clothing closet is coming together, with brand-new clothing.
“It’s next-level-special the way we feed people. It lifts people up,” Brown says. “They come to us with this need for food, but they find all these amazing things: a place of belonging, a reminder that they matter, a sense of community.”
To volunteer or to sponsor a family’s groceries monthly, visit TheStore.org and click “Get Involved.”
For information, call 615-460-8331
Locations:
2009 12th Avenue South
2303 Patterson Street