While New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, advocates for a government-run grocery store chain as a pillar of his campaign, a failed experiment along the same lines at Kansas City suggests that the concept is not quite ready for prime time.

The Missouri store reportedly suffered a string of concerns, including fights, drug use, and public sex. Safety was such a concern for staff that teenage grocery stockers carried tasers.

Customers of Sun Fresh Linwood were greeted this week with a sign saying that it was closed and would not reopen.

“Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer, at this time, able to serve the residents of this important community,” a note taped to the front door said on Tuesday. “It has always been our dream and passion to provide quality products and services in a safe, family environment. At this time … we are unable to do that.”

The city spent $17 million to acquire and redevelop the grocery store and it opened in 2018, the Kansas City Star reports. The idea was to provide fresh food in an area of the city labeled a “food desert” because it lacked a grocery store.

Community Builders Kansas City took over the store in 2022. It lost $1.3 million in 2023.

It opened with 14,000 customers a week, but those numbers dropped to about 4,000 this year, making it difficult to sell fruit, vegetables, and fish before the merchandise spoiled.

This year, the city gave the nonprofit $161,000 in rent relief and $750,000 in other funding in an effort to keep the store operational, but it continued to struggle.

The organization’s CEO, Emmet Pierson, said it struggled with its goal to provide food to the neighborhood.

“Community Builders has been vocal for years about our concerns and fears regarding the increasingly insurmountable challenges,” Mr. Pierson said in a statement to KCUR Radio.