The neighborhood grocery store used to be an anchor in the community; a place where neighbors caught up with neighbors; where everyone knew your parents; where cashiers earned union wages; and where the products on the shelves reflected the needs and budgets of the neighborhood. 

Across the country, the neighborhood grocery store has been disappearing, replaced by multinational chains and big box stores that rarely have any connection to the communities in which they operate.

In Seattle's Central Area, a decade of gentrification and displacement continues to change the neighborhood that was once the center of Seattle's black community. The Red Apple grocery store may be the next community institution to be pushed out. As major development plans are revealed for the corner of 23rd and Jackson, neighbors are asking what will become of the Red Apple grocery store and the employees who have enjoyed union jobs there for over 20 years. If another grocery store takes its place, what will it sell, who will work there, and how much will it cost? 

Shelf Life seeks to present the human side of the neighborhood grocery store, as told by customers, employees, and neighbors of the Promenade 23rd Red Apple Grocery. By collecting and sharing stories, Shelf Life will demonstrate that sometimes community grows where we least expect it.

Shelf Life is both a physical project and a digital space; stories will be shared online but will also be incorporated into a ​physical installation and a nighttime projection mapping project. Shelf Life is an evolving collaboration between local filmmakers, oral historians, educators, photographers, and artists, including: Jill Freidberg, Inye Wokoma, Gretchen Burger, Sandy Cioffi, Carina A del Rosario, and Dacia Saenz.