This past February, Pastor DeWayne McCoy drove 25 minutes south from his store, The After Market, for a networking Power Hour sponsored by the National Grocers Association Foundation’s Grocer Solutions Center. 

There at Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Conference Center, the founder and CEO of the nonprofit grocery store found “a lot of great information, a lot of great connections,” to support his efforts to expand his business and share his experience with the wider industry. 

Held at the NGA Show, the Power Hour marked the official launch of the Grocer Solutions Center, a one-stop shop that offers free tools, training, and customized support for independent grocers.

 

A New Model Meets Customers Where They Are

The After Market is located in North East Las Vegas, just blocks from the Nellis Air Force Base; it’s the only grocery store within a six-mile radius. McCoy, who experienced food insecurity while growing up in Louisiana, designed the store’s model—80 percent retail, and 20 percent free food bank—to support the whole community.

“It doesn’t matter if you make a half a million dollars a year, whether you’re on a fixed income or whether you are homeless,” McCoy shared in a recent TED Talk about food insecurity. “No one is embarrassed, no one is ashamed, and we can all walk out the door with the same level of pride, same level of dignity, because we have been served with such.”

Preparing to open the store’s doors in 2023, McCoy drew heavily from his own high school experience stocking shelves, ringing up customers, and bagging groceries at a Louisiana Piggly Wiggly. “Everything I learned there, I incorporated when I opened the market,” he said. “I even went back and thanked the guy who trained me.” 

The idea for The After Market didn’t come straight out of retail, however; it also grew out of McCoy’s pastoral work and his role as community engagement manager for Three Square Food Bank, which, in 2024 helped distribute more than 41 million meals to neighbors in need.

Conversations, Connections, and Customized Support

The Grocer Solutions Center’s supportive network has been helpful for McCoy, whose road back to grocery has a steep learning curve. “Being at the NGA show gave me the ability to grow in my understanding of how grocery stores actually operate and the changes that are coming down the pike,” he said.

“Hearing [other grocers’] stories, I know that some of the little things I’m dealing with aren’t nuances,” McCoy continued. “They’re across the board. We’re all trying to get the right product on the shelf. Everybody’s thinking about digital, AI, and delivery services.”

During the show, NGA arranged a tour of the store that included Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Sarah Pettit of Associated Food Stores, the After Market’s wholesaler. “We talked about the After Market’s innovative business model of combining grocery and food pantry,” said NGA consultant Chris Jones. (NGA members can schedule a store tour here.) 

McCoy is now working with the Grocer Solutions Center’s retail expert Jimmy Wright, who is advising on marketplace challenges. The After Market founder also hopes to share his own experience with the wider network of independent grocers, which he thinks can apply to other neighborhoods with limited food access.

“Where can I be of service and be served as an independent grocer in the whole ecosystem?” asked McCoy, reflecting on his goals as his relationship with Grocer Solutions Center evolves. “How can what I’ve learned with this model assist nationally? That is my whole drive for being here.”

Learn how the NGA Foundation’s Grocer Solutions Center can support your business.