Owner Says Order To Shut Down Online Supermarket Is Unfair
“During COVID, I was home hosting children. And then I went to the store to get cereal. And the cereal was $9.54,” Shana Manradge said. “So I was driving around; there was no other store that had a quality box of cereal at a reasonable price.”
Concerned with the health of her Black and brown neighbors in Paterson, NJ, Manradge decided to create an online supermarket called A Better Market, which has been selling food and produce sourced from local farms and small businesses at an affordable price.
But this week the Paterson Health Department ordered Manradge to shut down her business, citing a lack of proper licensure to sell out of her home. Manradge thinks the decision is unfair since an ordinance for online businesses doesn’t exist. “As stressful as it can be at times, this is what I was supposed to do,” she said. “I love the fact that I have such support from my community. My customers are amazing. I love them with everything. And they just come and they know that they’re going to get the best from me.”
Until the issue is resolved, Mandrage can sell her products at pop-up shops around the city. Meanwhile, she is raising money for a brick-and-mortar storefront.