ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — City Center Market, a family-owned grocery store, has opened today in downtown Rockford, ending a 30-year effort to bring fresh groceries to the area.

Located at the corner of West State and Church Streets, the new store aims to address the food desert in downtown Rockford, where residents previously had to travel four miles to reach the nearest grocery store.

"The feeling now that it's done is that the work is really starting," said owner Ashay Patel. "Now is the time to really look at the community. What do we need? What are we missing? What can we address?"

Inside the store, Patel has displayed a newspaper clipping from 1995, highlighting his father's early plans to open a grocery store in the downtown area.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalis

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