LOS ANGELES — The approach is in the name the grocery store Skid Row People’s Market now carries. 

For thirty years, the store has stood in the heart of Skid Row, an area with about 2,700 homeless people. 

Since the second-generation owner, Danny Park, took over the store from his family in 2018, he has supported the nearby population. 

He changed the name from Best Market to People’s Market. He began carrying healthier food options and everyday toiletry items, expanding beyond a convenience store. He offered free water, PPE and store credit.

It has become a haven for the surrounding community. 

However, Park is ready to sell the store to allow for his mother to retire and him to focus on other efforts. 

Given that 56% of people without homes in Skid Row are African-American, while 10% of the Los Angeles County population is Black, it was essential to Park that the new owners represented that community. 

So, instead of selling it to the highest bidder, Park is selling it to a local nonprofit, Creating Justice LA. 

The nonprofit still needs help to raise funds to buy the store, so it has launched an online fundraiser. 

It hopes to gather enough support to buy the store in the next couple of months.