LA Grocery, a one-of-a-kind specialty grocer in the heart of Larimer featuring handpicked, West Indian-inspired goods, has been working to improve its space, operations, and customer experience for several years. Now, their biggest endeavor yet — an expansion into an adjacent lot that will allow for a full prepared foods section and more space for goods — is set to be completed by this summer.
LA Grocery has been a community staple for over 30 years, and many community partners have worked alongside owner James (Dred) Duke to take a phased approach to fundraising and renovations. This includes organizations such the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), The Larimer Consensus Group (LCG), and Neighborhood Allies — all of whom have contributed time, funding, or other capacity to help LA Grocery reach its full potential as a thriving neighborhood business.
About 5 years ago, Neighborhood Allies staff, including Matt Madia and Shad Henderson, attended a neighborhood tour through Larimer with community leaders and political representatives to discuss potential community development projects. Since then, Neighborhood Allies staff have advocated for LA Grocery on all fronts, hoping to ensure its success amidst turmoil faced by small businesses everywhere, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on.
Our partnership with LA Grocery grew exponentially in 2022 when Neighborhood Allies Director of Community Investments Demi Kolke worked alongside the LCG to apply for and secure an $82,500 Neighborhood Initiative Fund (NIF) grant and an additional $12,000 façade grant from the URA. In 2023, the first active phase of renovations began. Improvements to the space included: a new façade, new customer-friendly shelving, new countertops and checkout counter, and new organization of the store. We worked with Dred, LCG, and a general contractor to manage the completion of the project.
These upgrades gave LA Grocery a needed refresh and helped to create an elevated customer experience. Yet, Dred and his wife, who cooks and sells authentic West Indian food to order every summer in the lot next to their store, had even bigger dreams about an expansion where they could share prepared food with the community year-round.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, Neighborhood Allies continued to partner with LA Grocery to raise funding for a second phase of construction. Demi researched and applied to several grants on behalf of LA Grocery and was able to secure $450,000 in funding in the form of a $250,000 state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Grant and $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding through the URA. Full funding for the project could not have been achieved without ongoing support from URA leadership and elected officials such as State Senator Lindsey Williams.
With these funds, dreams of an expansion were about to become a reality. After putting the project out to bid, Concrete Rose Construction, owned by our trusted partner Tina Daniels (who we’re currently working with on an affordable housing project in Homewood), was hired as the general contractor to complete the build out. Although Concrete Rose Construction typically specializes in public, affordable housing projects, Tina believed in the project so much, and also wanted to contribute to a fellow community-driven small businesses through her work.
We have also been working closely with La’Taj Tinker, who has served as the architect on this project. La’Taj is also a trusted partner of Neighborhood Allies who has previously worked on several projects with our Real Estate Services team and our Social Impact Design team.
The project broke ground in November of 2024 and has faced its fair share of obstacles — from foundation issues to delays due to freezing temperatures. However, things are now moving along swiftly. In fact, the framing is complete, and the team is preparing to install the roof, doors, and windows in the coming weeks before moving on to the interior. The project is expected to be complete by early summer!
Throughout this project, Demi has served in a project manager role, embodying many of our core values of collaboration, flexibility, and compassion along the way! From start to finish, Demi has worn many hats. Some of what she’s worked on in order to bring this project to life includes: sourcing and writing grant applications; tracking and ensuring compliance with all grant guidelines and permitting requirements; complete all project budgeting and invoicing; leading communication between stakeholders, and so much more.
Neighborhood Allies’ support at a glance:
- 4 years of consistent partnership
- Approximately 500 hours of technical assistance and advisory services
- $544,500 dollars of funding leveraged as a result of fundraising efforts by our team
