It’s hard to worry about anything else when you’re worried about where your next meal is coming from, yet that is exactly what we ask of residents of the 37915 zip code. Per the 2024 American Community Survey, the median household income in 37915 is just over $26,000 annually–or less than half of the city of Knoxville’s median. Since the last grocery store in the area closed in 2006, East Knoxville residents are forced to choose between long trips by car or bus to a full-service grocery store, and the more costly and limited–but nearby–neighborhood convenience and corner stores.

The One-Five Grocery Store seeks to address those inequities and increase access to nutritious foods. Designed by the community, for the community, the One-Five is a subsidiary of Battlefield and is a direct response to the needs and desires of community members as outlined in the Knox County Food Systems Assessment.

The name reflects the mission: the One-Five will operate with a nickel-over-cost business model, bringing affordable groceries to the 37915 zip code. Battlefield Farm seeks to obtain architectural renderings for the building they have secured; host community listening sessions to refine those renderings; send a Battlefield staff member and Board representative to the Rural Grocers Conference to learn from other small grocers; and visit two other non-profit grocery stores to better understand operational realities.