A neighborhood mini-mart at the corner of 95th Street and Anzac Avenue is back open for business, providing fresh fruits and vegetables within walking distance for the community.
Owner Keisha Daniels said she reopened the store with a mission to create a reliable, healthy food option for local families.
“We wanted to provide a place where families can come, get healthy food, to get the things that they need like a one-stop shop,” Daniels said.
Daniels said financial challenges forced her to close the store several times in 2024 and 2025. A broken cooler was one of the biggest setbacks.
“We had a cooler that broke down and it cost almost $3,000 to get fixed. I didn’t have that money,” she said.
The turning point came when Daniels secured a $50,000 microloan from Macedonia Community Development Corporation, which provides technical assistance and promotes job creation in low-income communities.
“I feel so famous right now!” Daniels said during a celebration marking the store’s reopening.
Marie O’Kelly Green, chair of the board of directors for Macedonia Community Development Corporation, praised the impact of the business.
“You may see new faces that wanna sing that old Janet Jackson song ‘What have they done for you lately.’ What have they done for you lately — Watts Up Mini Mart is what they have done for you lately,” Green said.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, attended the celebration and said she is focused on making affordable housing and small-business success possible for all.
“We are gonna make sure that any money that we invest or any money that we support in investing in this community, that you’re not going to fail,” Waters said.
Waters also praised Daniels’ determination.
“I’m so proud of her. Just to think about this young woman who decided that she could own a store. She could be the owner. She could get it started and help make sure there’s fresh food for the community. That’s very important. She’s done that in Watts,” she said.