Three Sisters Market, a Charlotte Urban Institute-backed food cooperative, receives a $1.5 million boost from Wells Fargo

The Three Sisters Market, an aspirational, community-owned food cooperative targeted for Charlotte’s West Boulevard corridor, long championed by the Charlotte Urban Institute, alongside Johnson C. Smith University and prominent west Charlotte community leaders, is a step closer to breaking ground.

On April 7, Wells Fargo, one of the city’s largest banking institutions, announced a $1.5 million gift to the West Boulevard Neighborhood Coalition, which is spearheading the market’s development. When completed, the market will be the first full-service grocery store in nearly 40 years for the neighborhood, described by residents as a “food desert.”

The Charlotte Urban Institute’s advocacy for Three Sisters Market originated in 2021 when the University convened a 10-month, community-engaged, participatory action research effort that catapulted public-private support for the co-op. Notable support has come from Mecklenburg County, Charlotte City Council, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the office of U.S. Representative Alma Adams.

UNC Charlotte continues to partner with key community groups and civic leaders through the Charlotte Urban Institute as the ambitious food cooperative moves toward completion. Read more about the project’s latest gift.

Photo: Grantees of Wells Fargo’s investment in West Charlotte gather with elected officials, banking representatives and higher education leaders. Photo by Asha Ellison.