Why Gem City Market Matters to Families in Northwest Dayton

For many families in Northwest Dayton, Gem City Market is part of everyday life. Omega CDC supports community businesses that are rooted in the neighborhood.

At Omega CDC, our community development work is about how we show up every day and that includes where we choose to spend money.

For part of 2025, we decided to use some of our resources in a purposeful way: from September through December, Omega CDC purchased $22,500 in gift cards from Gem City Market as a part of our Hope Zone workgroup incentives.

The Hope Zone Workgroups are a monthly gathering of anywhere between 100-200 Northwest Dayton residents who work to activate plans and solutions for education, economic stability, health and wellness, and community. Members who participate are incentivized with gift cards to reduce food insecurity and increase food access in Northwest Dayton.

We did this because the choices we make as an organization help shape the community’s economic activity — not just in programs, but in everyday life.

Our decision is rooted in what we know about Northwest Dayton and what local businesses like Gem City Market represent to the neighborhood.

What Gem City Market Does Locally

Gem City Market opened in 2021 on Salem Avenue in Northwest Dayton after years of planning, investment, and collaboration. (Desert Kitchen Collective) You can shop there just like any grocery store, but it was developed with a particular purpose in mind: to bring a full-service grocery option to an area that had not had one in years. (Greater Ohio Policy Center)

Gem City Market offers:

Fresh produce, meat, dairy, and pantry staples.
Specialty and organic products.
A café space and community-oriented areas such as a teaching kitchen and programming space.
A business structure where people can become members and have a stake in the market’s operations if they choose.

These features make the market an important place to shop for groceries and support everyday needs and connection for many people living nearby.

Why Local Support Matters Right Now

Local businesses contribute in ways that ripple outward. When dollars are spent nearby, they stay in the local economy — supporting payroll, purchase orders, local suppliers, and everyday livelihoods.

Just as importantly, sustained support sends a signal that this is a community where businesses can survive and grow. When people see local businesses thriving, it creates confidence for other entrepreneurs and investors to imagine themselves here too.

That’s part of why Omega CDC invested in Gem City Market gift cards — using our purchasing power to strengthen a community-owned grocery store that people rely on for food, choice, and access, while reinforcing the kind of neighborhood economy we want to see more of.

Supporting the Local Economy Is a Shared Effort

Supporting local businesses doesn’t look the same every day for every person. Some residents shop there regularly, some use gift cards when they can, and others spread their spending across a mix of local and regional businesses.

What matters most is the recognition that local businesses are anchors — places that provide products, jobs, services, and economic flows right where our neighbors live and work. By directing some of our own organizational spending toward a neighborhood grocery, we’re reinforcing that local loop of value.

How You Can Get Involved

If you’ve not yet visited Gem City Market, we encourage you to explore the store and see what it offers. Shopping locally can simply be choosing where you make purchases in ways that align with the community’s long-term economic health.

Whether you’re:

Picking up a week’s groceries,
Supporting someone with a gift card,
Becoming a member-owner, or
Sharing news about local businesses with family and friends,

Your choice to shop in the Gem City Market matters.

Investing in and supporting neighborhood businesses helps strengthen the shared economic fabric of the community. That’s part of what Omega CDC is working toward — not just programs and projects, but everyday actions that contribute to a thriving Northwest Dayton.

To learn more about the Gem City Market, please visit gemcitymarket.com.