Food equity comes to Watts as a mini market brings fresh produce to the neighborhood

Community pride and entrepreneurship take form in the reopening of Watts Up Mini Market, a local store in Watts that looks to bring healthy grocery access to a community that has faced systemic disinvestment and a lack of fresh produce. 

The neighborhood mini market, located on the corner of 95th Street and Anzac Avenue, will accept EBT and SNAP, ensuring that for local families, access to nutritious food is only a short walk away instead of a bus ride. 

Last Friday, the community of Watts and local and state leaders gathered for the ribbon-cutting of the mini market that had previously closed in 2024 and 2025 due to a lack of funds. 

Keisha Daniels, owner of Watts Up Mini Mart, said she hopes local community members support the market and feel welcomed. 

“When we were young, we did not have a lot of money, and there were a couple of local markets we’d go to, and we got things on credit, for free sometimes, and that helped us so much as a family that did not have much. We do the same thing here,” she said. 

Daniels, who is from Watts, said apart from experiencing food insecurity herself, she has seen how her community has been severely disinvested in for years. 

“[This is] your community store,” she told community members at the ribbon-cutting. “We give things away to the kids for perfect attendance or being good at school. Some may only have 10 cents, and they are like ‘Can I get a juice and chips?’ We have many kids who say, ‘I don’t have enough money today; can I bring it back?’ and we say, 'Yes.' We are not here just to take your money.” 

Today, the dream of Keisha Daniels returns after she was part of Success, Capital Access and Leadership for Entrepreneurs (SCALE), a free business coaching program that connects entrepreneurs with no-cost business advising and helps them access capital to open or expand their business.

Through SCALE, Daniels was able to secure a $50,000 microloan from Macedonia Community Development Corporation, a local community lender, which helped with the renovation and reopening of the Watts Up Mini Mart. 

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Daniels thanked her family and community for helping her achieve her dream and said she hopes the store is more than a mini market but a true community hub for Watts. 

“I wouldn't be here without [those] who have supported the store and when I say supported, I mean that we volunteer our hours. As a small business, [we] don't have the capital to pay people, so we volunteered through love and that's how we were able to grow,” Daniels said. 

For years, Daniels has organized to make Watts, a predominantly Latino and Black and community, more equitable. 

She is one of the four siblings and friends known as the Sisters of Watts, a group of activists who for years have held free food giveaway, back-to-school drives, sponsored youth basketball and cheerleading team and helped secure housing and supportive services for people escaping domestic violence, coming out of homelessness or returning home from incarceration.

Today, the microloan has allowed Daniels to upgrade her store from the inside with new refrigeration, cabinets and more. 

Also present at this weekend’s ribbon-cutting was U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-43), the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, where she talked about the importance of small businesses and food accessibility.

Waters, who had flown from Washington, D.C. the night prior, said the nation’s capital was not in great shape. “Washington, D.C. is a mess, and of course I’m glad to get away for a few days to be here in the district. What is happening today is what this government should be dedicated to: empowering, helping to provide resources and careers and helping to develop entrepreneurs and small businesses,” she told the community. 

Waters also pledged to continue her work to ensure small businesses in communities that are often overlooked receive more funding. 

“I want to thank you for having the wherewithal, the insistence, the outlook and the care for the community to want to do something special,” Waters told Daniels. 

For years now, the areas around Watts, including nearby areas like Willowbrook and South Central L.A., have been known for having a high concentration of liquor retailers and fast food restaurants, leading to their classification as urban food deserts by organizations, including the United States Department of Agriculture. 

According to the Economic Research Service, because food deserts are tied to the historical origins of redlining, these areas are often correlated with neighborhoods of lower income and with more racial minorities. 

Many food justice advocates have strayed away from the term “food deserts,” as they argue that, unlike a desert, which is a natural occurrence, food injustice isn’t. It is a reality that has been driven by racial and systemic inequities that have intentionally segregated food access for many working-class communities.

Elmy Bermejo, director of California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), said businesses like Watts Up Mini Market have the potential to transform their entire communities. “That's what entrepreneurship is all about: seeing what your community needs and having the courage to go for it,” she said. 

The Watts Up Mini Market, the now family-run business, is now open and is located at 9502 Anzac Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90002.