A grocery store planned to open in the small Metro East town of Venice next summer will soon start construction.

Called Venice Grocery Market, the store will serve as an anchor to a broader revitalization effort that includes an attached pizza restaurant, the newly renovated elementary and middle school, single-family homes, a health clinic and more.

“This is a great day for the city of Venice,” Mayor Phil White said at Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony.

The Illinois Grocery Initiative covered $2.4 million of the $5 million total cost to build the store and restaurant in Venice. The General Assembly created the $20 million program in 2023 to help seed grocery stores in food deserts in urban and rural parts of the state.

The closest grocery stores or supermarkets are at le

See Full Page