Emergency meeting: Milwaukee's Metcalfe Park residents fight to save Pick 'n Save store

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A grocery store that serves Milwaukee’s Metcalfe Park neighborhood is set to close July 18, and some residents say the decision could leave them without basic access to food or medication.

“Just moving around ain’t easy for me,” said 74-year-old Robert Duckett Jr., who lives nearby and doesn’t drive.

“I don’t think no bus will go where the [other] Pick 'n Save is at,” Duckett said.

The Pick ‘n Save near 35th and North Avenue is one of five Milwaukee locations the grocery chain plans to shut down this summer.

On Monday, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges held an emergency town hall meeting in response. As of Monday afternoon, organizers expected at least 100 people to attend.

“That doesn't prepare the community to plan or do any family planning—on if my grocery store leaves, where can I go, what can I do?” said Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges.

“The community wants the Pick ‘n Save to stay open at least until December 2025 so we can work with other grocers to come in and take on that space,” McCurtis said.

McCurtis said the issue is bigger than just one building closing. She says the community is not just asking to save one store—it is standing up to preserve a neighborhood's ability to access medicine and healthy food.

“Not only is the grocery store leaving, but the pharmacy as well,” she added. “So there's really no grocery stores or pharmacies in the vicinity.”

Milwaukee Alderman Russell Stamper released a statement calling on Pick 'n Save to stay open to allow more time for a new grocer to occupy the space.