Exodus Marketplace, a micro-grocery, is opening in Raleigh. 

For The Kingdom, a summer camp since 1993 and a local nonprofit focused on aiding the Raleigh area since 2001, is hosting a grand opening and ribbon cutting of Exodus Marketplace 10 a.m. Saturday, July 1, at 4100 Raleigh Millington Road.

Exodus Marketplace will be open to the public, but includes membership options.

A debut album, a community garden and a heart for art

With an annual membership of $45, customers will receive one special shopping visit per month. During those visits, customers can purchase items and staff will determine what additional items they will also receive for free, based on inventory.

Any customer can pay an additional $20 per year for the senior-plus membership, which includes a weekly produce package.

The 1,820-square-foot marketplace will operate from 7 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

Torrey Bates, For The Kingdom executive director, compared the store to a farmers market or a less-expensive Sprouts Farmers Market. 

Through Memphis Tilth, the new micro-grocery will obtain produce, bread, eggs, honey and jams, meats and other food items from farmers in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee at wholesale prices. 

Doing the hard work of helping kids, one child at a time

Bates serves as director of both organizations, which merged in late 2022.

Exodus Marketplace also features a coffee and juice bar and an outdoor patio meeting space.

Bates created Exodus Marketplace to help tackle Raleigh’s food desert issue. 

“Food desert means no legitimate grocery store is within walking distance,” he said. “Our food desert looks like gas stations and Dollar Generals selling food, not nutrient-dense, not fresh, not local.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a food desert is an urban area where citizens must travel more than one mile to find a grocery store selling healthy food.

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Depending on the success of the Raleigh store, For The Kingdom could open locations in other areas in Memphis, in the next six months to a year.

“Being a grocery store here, our goal is that it will be just that, we will be able to move into more blocks and neighborhoods in Raleigh, but also Frayser, South Memphis and Orange Mound,” Bates said.

Methodist North Hospital, also located in Raleigh, contributed $25,000 to Exodus Marketplace efforts.

“Our community partnerships are essential to improving the health and well-being of our neighbors,” CEO Florence Jones said. “It is unacceptable for any patient to lack access to food and other resources, especially when it comes to taking certain medications. We eagerly joined For The Kingdom to support their Exodus Marketplace to help eliminate food insecurity among our patients and the entire Raleigh community.”