New KC grocery store opens, promising safety for Prospect community. See inside
Right before the Sun Fresh on Prospect closed for business, the shelves were empty, Christopher Miller remembered. On Wednesday, May 20, he walked into a new store in a space that you wouldn’t believe was previously a struggling grocery store that was dealing with crime.
The new locally owned grocery store United Market KC, 3110 Prospect Ave., opened its doors Wednesday, welcoming in hundreds of community members into its 36,000-square-foot facility. The store had all the standard food items you need alongside a fully stocked salad bar, hot food, baked goods and more.
The grand opening ceremony featured dozens of community leaders, including Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. He described the journey to get open United Market KC as a “long and continuous and sometimes challenging journey.”
“Today is about bridging divides, divides between our community, divides over Prospect,” Lucas said. “Today we are bridging them, and we are building something great: fresh food and opportunity, and healthy living for every child in our community.”
It’s a transition that officially leaves behind a rather ugly legacy from the prior grocery store. United Market KC replaced Sun Fresh after it was closed down in August 2025 due to financial and community struggles. Shoppers and employees reported safety concerns, including fights, drug use and public sex.
That’s the thing about the old days. They’re the old days.
Anthony Estrada will be the operator of United Market KC. The KC native’s first job was pushing carts for a local grocery store at 16. Now, he’s provided over 50 jobs with the new store, everyone being hired within four hours, he said.
While his objective includes providing quality and affordable groceries for the community, safety is on the mind of many folks following the trials that came with Sun Fresh. Estrada is fully aware of the past issues, and that he’s going to do what it takes to create a safe environment for his customers and staff.
“We started from the security protocol, training, staff hiring. We talked about professionalism, we also talked about de-escalating techniques,” Estrada told The Star. “We also have security guards at the front door now. They have access to all 71 cameras, so the cameras are monitored.”
The safety message is pushed as you walk in the doors. A flyer featuring Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson tells customers that firearms are prohibited from the store and warns them about the punishment for stealing from the business. Johnson was also present at the grand opening.
There was quite a buzz throughout the parking lot and into the grocery store Wednesday, with so many people there it made parking scarce. It’s an energy boost for a community who was basically without a nearby grocery store for nearly a year.
Miller lives in the Raytown area, but he does his shopping in the area he previously lived in. While he’s relieved that there will be another grocery store for the community, he’s also hopeful about United Market KC protecting the people who come in and out of the store.
“There are a lot of senior citizens in this area that gotta walk to the store. Why should they have to go 7 to 8 miles away to go to a store, and they got a store right here in this community,” Miller told The Star. “That’s what they need to focus on, keeping these shelves full. People will come here long as they feel safe, because they might want to come here at 6-7 at night, you don’t want nobody coming approaching you for any type of money.”
United Market KC is open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
