Where can residents on KC’s East Side go for groceries after Sun Fresh closing?
Another grocery store closed in Kansas City, this one after battling issues for the past few years.
Sun Fresh, located at 31st Street and Prospect Avenue, has shut its doors as of Tuesday, Aug. 12. A sign on the door reads, “Unfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer, at this time, able to serve the residents of this important community.”
The 38,000-square-foot grocery store was the anchor tenant of the Linwood Shopping Center, which the city purchased in 2014. The grocery store opened in the summer of 2018 under the operation of John and Pam Lipari. Community Builders Kansas City took over the store in 2022.
The store’s shelves were almost empty in recent times, and it faced concerns of fighting, shoplifting, drug use and public sex with visitors. The closing of Sun Fresh follows The Merc Co+op at 501 Minnesota Ave. in Kansas City, Kansas, closing in July and Price Chopper at 7000 W. 75th St. in Overland Park closing in August.
That leaves one less grocery store in the city limits of Kansas City. If Sun Fresh was your primary grocery story, here are the closest options.
What are the closest grocery stores near Sun Fresh?
Patrons of the 31st Street and Prospect Avenue Sun Fresh don’t have to travel too far to find the nearest grocery store. Aldi sits at 3830 Prospect Ave., and is a four-minute drive south from the closed grocery store. Happy Food Center, 4019 E 31st St., is also four minutes east.
Other grocery stores in Kansas City can be found at:
- Aldi: 721 The Paseo and 6300 Independence Ave.
- Cosentino’s Market: 10 E. 13th St.
- Costco: 241 Linwood Blvd.
- El Mercado Fresco: 2620 Independence Ave.
- Price Chopper: 6327 Brookside Plaza
- Save-A-Lot: 3410 Troost Ave. and 3821 E. Truman Road
- Sun Fresh: 4001 Mill St. and 4209 E. 50th Terrace
- Whole Foods: 301 E. 51st St.
The area would not qualify as a food desert, since there are grocery stores within a mile radius of the now-closed Sun Fresh, but many shoppers may have to drive 15-20 minutes to get certain items if these stores do not have them in stock, depending on how close they lived to Sun Fresh.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 4:51 PM.
