DAYTON, Ohio — After six years of planning, years of fundraising, and months of construction, Dayton's Gem City Market has its sights set on an opening day before the spring.

General manager Leah Bahan-Harris said it's incredible to see the building come together every day.

“Here in the middle, we’ll have the cashiers right here, all of the different aisles in the middle,” she said, walking through the interior of the site.

Every time she visits, she said it looks more and more like a grocery store. Bahan-Harris took on the general manager job in August and she said, since then, it's been a privilege to witness the project, just blocks away from home, progress before her very eyes.

“I’m from the community. I grew up here in Five Oaks,” she said. “I used to come to this area when it was McCallister’s and shop here.”

The Hall Hunger Initiative estimates 50,000 people in Montgomery County live in a food desert. Northwest Dayton is home to one of Ohio's largest, with little to no access to fresh, healthy food for miles.

Local stakeholders have been working to bring a grocery store to the neighborhood for six years, choosing a co-op model, as they believe it will last longer and offer more.

“We really are rounded out to be a beacon for the community, because they literally started in a meeting room — just a small group of people — and they built this up,” Bahan-Harris said.

Bahan-Harris wasn't one of those original planners, but she said her background as a chef, in retail, and in urban agriculture made herself a natural fit.

“It really was a dream to me," she said. "I’ve always wanted to have a position I can utilize my skills and take them where I came from and to empower and I would think working here is definitely a serving opportunity to empower other folks.”

The co-op model allows the community to share ownership of the store with reduced membership fees for those who live in the surrounding neighborhoods or anyone who identifies as low-income.

When it opens, Bahan-Harris said the first of its kind store won't just offer fresh, affordable food, but also opportunities for education and health care.

The store will have a community room neighbors can rent out for meetings and events. There will be a health clinic in partnership with Five Rivers Health, and Bahan-Harris said she's particularly excited about the teaching kitchen.

“Teaching people about pea pods or how to make your own pesto or how to be more conservative with your budget in a kitchen,” she said.

Bahan-Harris said that's an important step in offering fresh food and giving locals the opportunity and knowledge to serve themselves.

For years, northwest Dayton has seen little, long-term, locally-driven investment, but the $7 million project changed that.

Bahan-Harris said it opens the door for the community to meet its own needs and she's proud to be one of their own, making sure they get the access they deserve.

As of January, the store is hiring. Bahan-Harris said they plan to hire 25 employees, 40 percent full-time. She wants as many locals on the team as possible.