What prevents small grocery stores from thriving in America? Is it zoning? Are they not allowed? So many food deserts could be solve if they had European style small grocery stores rather than driving to big box stores miles away. https://twitter.com/IDoTheThinking/status/1286417899523936256

Dollar Generals are popping up all over rural America filling the grocery gap. I get in rural areas the economics of shipping fresh produce is just much harder but urban low-income areas just cede all their buying power to big grocery.

People keep saying density but liquor stores and 7-11's thrive in the U.S.
It's just that nobody uses those for grocery shopping except very low income people because they heavily rely on big brands which doesnt appear organic and concerns of mark-ups.

Chinatowns are great at this. Its mostly local stores selling tons of produce. But it never thrives in Black neighborhoods.

And it probably never thrives in Black neighborhoods because unlike Chinatown or Latino enclaves and other immigrant communities, Black communities seldom have their economic power owned by and for Black people.