Welcome, neighbor.
Our Community Grocery Store is Newark’s first community-owned grocery store, right here in the South Ward. We opened our doors in October 2024, started and owned by Clinton Hill Community Action, with a simple belief: every family in our neighborhood deserves nutritious, culturally relevant food, sold with dignity and without stigma.
The idea grew out of the food co-op tradition, but the way we run is rooted in mutual aid. We purchase our goods and sell them back to the community as close to what we paid as possible, with little to no markup. This isn’t about profit. It’s about access. And each week, we give food away to the neighbors who contribute to keeping this movement alive.
We’re not a chain. We’re not a pantry. We’re a store that belongs to the community it serves, from the produce grown locally and sourced by our partners at Urban Agriculture Co-Op to personal care products made by local Newark businesses. Stop by our smoothie bar while you’re here.
A model for the whole city
What started on Hawthorne Avenue is becoming a blueprint for Newark. Our community grocery model helped lay the foundation for a citywide effort to open a community grocery store in every ward, and Clinton Hill Community Action is proud to be at the forefront, helping lead that work alongside partners across the city and with the support of the Mayor’s office. Clinton Hill Community Action is proving that neighborhoods don’t have to wait for a big-box chain to solve food access. We can build it ourselves.
Come see us
Whether you’re shopping, grabbing a smoothie, becoming a member, or just stopping in to see what we’re about, YOU belong here.
393 Hawthorne Avenue, Newark, NJ Mon-Fri: 8AM-7PM · Sat: 10AM-5PM
Our Community Grocery Store is owned and operated by Clinton Hill Community Action, a resident-led, community-driven nonprofit strengthening food, housing, arts, and advocacy across Clinton Hill and Newark’s South Ward.
