Austin Harvest officially has a new home, a move that will allow the previously seasonal business to serve as a year-round food resource for Austin, a neighborhood that is widely recognized as a food desert.
The new address is 423 N. Laramie Ave. The youth-led produce market, which has operated as a pop-up market since 2020, celebrated the grand opening of its brick-and-mortar location during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 13.
The new 2,200-square-foot space is equipped with state-of-the-art refrigeration units and a community patio. The market is run by CPS students who are affiliated with By the Hand Club for Kids, an after-school program in Austin.
The idea for Austin Harvest was conceived in 2020 by students who wanted to give Austin residents access to fresh and affordable produce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a temporary project, the teens established Austin Harvest with the intent of bringing hope and healing to their neighbors during a time of unrest. The market, opened in August 2020, was supposed to last for just 12 weeks. However, demand persisted.
“We had no idea that it would turn into something so huge,” said Rodney Williams, director of entrepreneurship and economic development for By the Hand Club. “We didn’t foresee this being a consistent market, but the community wouldn’t let us close.”
The market remained open until mid-December 2020, when it became undeniable that they needed to shut down for the season due to weather.
“That’s when we knew we needed a year-round facility,” Williams said.
In June 2021 Austin Harvest, with support from Sam Acho, a former Chicago Bear, and Athletes for Justice, participated in a WSCR-AM radiothon hosted by talk host Danny Parkins. The Score radio event generated more than $650,000 in donations to help build a permanent home for the market. Organizers secured additional capital through city grants to bring the project budget closer to $1,000,000. Construction on the permanent facility, which is the site of a former liquor store, began in May 2022.
“This is more than just putting a grocery store in a food desert,” Williams said. “We’re actually changing the narrative of the community by giving the kids an opportunity to thrive, to dream bigger, to do more. They’ve taken this project and made it their own.”
Since its inception, Austin Harvest has evolved into a fixture in the neighborhood that continues to fulfill a significant need. It also serves as a community gathering space, and a supportive and immersive entrepreneurship experience for students from By the Hand Club.
“The community has embraced us on a scale that I can’t even articulate,” Williams said. “Four years later, we can see how significant of an impact it has made on not only the community but also on every kid that is able to go through this program.”
According to Williams, Austin Harvest has a partnership with Jewel-Osco that allows them to provide both produce and flowers to Austin residents at affordable prices. All revenue generated is invested back into its operations and student stipends.
The staff consists of 14 high school students and two college students who have returned to the project to work as supervisors. That group of students is responsible for all aspects of operations including planning, staffing, interacting with customers and ordering inventory.
One of those students is Laquinton Wooten, a high school senior. Wooten has been with By the Hand Club since the fourth grade and has worked at Austin Harvest for three years.
“I’m excited because we don’t have to close anymore,” Wooten said. “Now with this building, we can be open year-round for the community.”
Wooten said he has been interested in pursuing entrepreneurship for years – even before he joined Austin Harvest.
“Austin Harvest took my goals and just really enhanced them and put knowledge toward them,” he said.
Another high school senior who is happy about the market’s new space is Alanna Choice, who has been with By the Hand Club since third grade. This is Choice’s third year working at Austin Harvest.
“It was hard in the winter, so this is definitely better,” she said.
Choice said she does a little bit of everything at Austin Harvest, including stocking shelves, ordering produce, ordering flowers and working the cash register.
“What I like about working here is just helping out the community and putting smiles on the customers’ faces,” Choice said.
Austin Harvest is open 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. For more information, visit https://austinharvest.org/