A new grocery store is coming to Madison with the conversion of the city’s last remaining strip club, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The new spot, called Gooh, represents the culmination of five years of planning, two years of work, around $700,000 in city and state funding, and $1.2 million of investments from owners Samba Baldeh and Jerreh Kujabi.
The grocery store will offer staples like bread, eggs, and milk, as well as West African and Hmong food items. The store will not sell alcohol or cigarettes. It is 3,000 square feet in area, not including the basement and four apartments above it.
Visions, the former strip club at 3554 E. Washington Ave., closed in 2020 after a series of violent incidents. The neighborhood in which it sat is designated as a food desert by the city, so the owners hope to enrich the health and welfare of the area with the new store.
The building was constructed in 1947 and 1948 as Kehl’s Casino; the datedness of the space and several building code problems called for substantial renovation.
The owners intend to keep their prices in line with Woodman’s and lower than the Hy-Vee that is under a mile away. It will accept public assistance FoodShare cards.
