FOREST PARK, Ill. (WLS) — Customers turned out Saturday to help save a Black-owned suburban grocery store that said it’s at risk of closing and appealed for help from the community.

The owners of Living Fresh Market in Forest Park say business is not what is used to be, and closing would have ripple effects far beyond the store walls.

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The community showed up and showed out in their effort to keep the local grocery store in the neighborhood.

For the first time in a long time, Living Fresh Market was packed.

“It’s a valuable store, and I think people… should know about it,” shopper Lalita Pittman said.

Saturday morning, shoppers answered the call to help the grocery store stay open and filled the aisles.

“We opened up the doors at 7 a.m., and people obviously started coming right away,” Living Fresh Market senior executive Melody Winston said. “We’ve had about about 800 people come through today so far.”

Because of the grocery store’s dire financial situation, the owners made a public plea this week and reached out to local businessman and philanthropist Early Walker for help. In his social media post, the businessman and philanthropist pledged to buy $500 worth of groceries and asked a thousand people to join him and spend $100 each at the store Saturday.

On average, a large grocery store sees at least around 2,000 customers a day.

“We’re talking about jobs here we talk about workers people that have families and we’re also talking about small businesses,” Walker said. “There’s no way we can be with a big box stores if our community isn’t supporting it.”

Plenty were eager to support the cause, like Chicagoan and first-time Living Fresh Market shopper Rachel Little.

“Social media was blowing up… so I showed up,” Little said. “I drove an hour. I drove an hour to come get my groceries.”

Living Fresh Market is one of the largest Black-owned grocery stores in the country. It is owned by Pastor Bill Winston of the Living Word Church and his family. They also own the mall where the store is located.

“We’ve made it something that’s enterprising and meet the needs of the community, so we want this to not be your last visit,” Winston said.

The owners admit that business has remained slow since the pandemic. Tariffs, along with people losing jobs and food assistance benefits being cut, have not helped either.

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While it’s estimated about a third of the market’s customers get SNAP benefits to buy groceries, the store also supports other small businesses by selling their products in the store.

“I definitely have a stake in here in order to make the store stay here,” said Larry Roberts Jr. with Larry’s Barber Colleges. “Nevertheless, because of the fact it’s a Black-owned business, and we have to support our own.”

Living Fresh Market is heavily involved in the community, offering a mentoring program and providing assistance to local food pantries and shelters.

Supporters say that this effort can’t end here. They’re asking that the public come back to the store at least twice a month in support all in an effort to help it stay in the community.