By Mike Templeton
We have offered numerous stories on the progress of Meiser’s Fresh Grocery & Deli because it operates in the historically urban Appalachian neighborhood of Lower Price Hill, where much of the goings on of the Urban Appalachian Community Coalition also take place. Meiser’s is part of the larger work of Your Store of the Queen City which has recently hired a new Executive Director/CEO, Mark Mussman. It seems like a great time to check in and see what is new, what remains, and what Mark Mussman brings to one of our important community allies.
Mark Mussman’s new role of Executive Director and CEO of Your Store of the Queen City (YSQC) puts him at the helm of an organization whose mission is to assist and develop community-based endeavors to provide access to healthy food for all in greater Cincinnati. As part of its work, YSQC creates community-based jobs by supporting the development and networking of resident-centered, culturally, and economically inclusive enterprises in food desert areas of greater Cincinnati. This is a likely step for Mussman has for many years been advocate on behalf of the homeless in greater Cincinnati, and has assisted in food access through his work with organizations such as the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. His approach to his new position could be summed up when he told me that “life expectancies should not be predicted by your zip code – this is why food justice is a community issue, not an individual or family issue. No one should feel shame for facing hunger. Your Store of the Queen City is both an opportunity and asset – a promise to strive towards a future rid of hunger, but from the roots up. I look forward to working together and helping eradicate hunger throughout the region.”
I recently reviewed Mark Mussman’s book, Steal the Street, and I contacted him again to get some of his thoughts on what he is up to in his new position. His previous work experience is, of course, fundamental to what he is doing now, but Mussman said his motivation in YSQC is much deeper than that. “For me, the mission of YSQC is personal, as I grew up in a home that was food insecure, so I know what it can be like, especially for children, when food is not available. Like most of us, my important life experiences have centered on food, or the lack of it.”
Drawing on his early life experiences provides him with insight that may not be as easily available to others. “Food plays a big part in the daily events and celebrations in Cincinnati. My own grandmother, who lived her childhood years on State Ave. in Lower Price Hill, was known for her double-decker sandwiches that she served to me and her 40+ grandchildren whenever we visited. She made sure our holidays were filled with laughter, joy, love, and food.”
The work of YSQC is complex and varied as they are deeply invested in all kinds of projects around the city that affect how food reaches people in communities. This includes things like assistance with local farmer’s markets, but it also means developing sustainable businesses that make food access a long-term feature for the communities in which they work. While with the Homeless Coalition, Mussman emphasized the ways economic and other forces are often invisible components of what drives homelessness. As he told me, “My work at the Homeless Coalition helped people think more critically about invisible systems that enable and even require homelessness. In this new position, I have a legacy to uphold, of both community leaders and visionaries who brought Your Store of the Queen City to fruition.” This kind of complex approach is what makes for far-reaching solutions.
Of course, one of the key projects for YSQC is Meiser’s Fresh Grocery & Deli in Lower Price Hill, a place that is close to our hearts in so many ways. From the very beginning, we have been engaged with Meiser’s and their impact on this historically urban Appalachian neighborhood. It has been a joy to report on Meiser’s one astounding success after another as they have woven themselves into the Lower Price Hill community. From the community meals that are now a gathering point for locals, to the free food Meiser’s regularly provides to neighborhood folks, Meiser’s is a jewel for Your Store of the Queen City. Mark Mussman is just as enthusiastic about Meiser’s as we are. He intends to get the word out that “Meiser’s not only sells food, but it also has free food from La Soupe available in the front section, a free Tuesday night meal, and free produce on Thursdays. With prices increasing rapidly at the grocery store, these types of food distribution events are necessary to sustain and build community.”
Sustaining and building community is ultimately what Your Store of the Queen City is all about, at Meiser’s Grocery & Deli and throughout greater Cincinnati communities.
It will be exciting to see the directions things will go with Mark Mussman at the helm of Your Store of the Queen City. He has a long-standing association with the urban Appalachian community, going back to his early involvement with the Urban Appalachian Council, and has also been active in the LGBTQ+ communities. He is attentive to all the community partners of YSTQ which include Community Matters, Queen Mother’s Market, Black Power Initiative, Price Hill Will, and so many others. Somehow, he has managed to publish another book through all of this, The Slumlord Factory: and Other Essays on Neoliberalism, Corptocracy, Corporate Welfare, Gentrification, and Homelessness. One wonders if he ever sleeps. We wish him the very best in his new position, and look forward to all the great things to come for greater Cincinnati.
More information on Your Store of the Queen City is available on their website: yourstoreqc.org
You can follow Mark Mussman on Facebook: facebook.com/markmussman
Michael Templeton is a writer, and independent scholar. He is the author of The Chief of Birds: A Memoir published with Erratum Press and Impossible to Believe, published by Iff Books. He is also the author of Collected Apoems, forthcoming from LJMcD Communications, and the awaiting of awaiting: a novella, with Nut Hole Publishing. Check out his profile in UACC’s Cultural Directory. He has published numerous articles and essays on contemporary culture and works of creative non-fiction as well as experimental works and poetry. He lives in West Milton, Ohio with his wife who is an artist.