A No Frills grocery store at Coxwell Ave. and Gerrard St. has abruptly closed, leaving its residents wondering how they’re going to do their grocery shopping in an area that’s referred to as a food desert.

The Rocca’s No Frills closed suddenly on Wednesday. The signature yellow No Frills sign had been taken down, and the facade painted over. At the front entrance, a sign notified people that emergency renovations had to be completed, and that a shuttle service would run to another No Frills on Carlaw Ave. for anyone who needed it.

The area has few other large, affordable grocery stores around it, a situation that’s often referred to as a “food desert.” The U.S Department of Agriculture defines a food desert, or “low-access community,” as an area where at least a third of the population live more than 1.6 kilometres from a supermarket or large grocery store.

Loblaws, which owns the No Frills brand, closed the store after “unavoidable” repairs, Kevin Groh, Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Communication for Loblaws said in a statement.

“We made the proactive decision to close Rocca’s No Frills because we’re unwilling to compromise on customer safety or shopping experience. We did not want to close, but this is a very old building,” Groh said in the statement.

On Thursday afternoon, area residents were seen walking up to the doors of the store, expecting to do their groceries, only to find it closed. Many expressed their surprise at the closure, saying they hadn’t gotten any advance notice.

Barbara Ambroise, who has lived in the neighbourhood near the store for over 36 years, and shops at the store almost daily, was surprised to see it closed. She and her husband had been hoping to pick up ingredients for supper, and were at a loss for what to do.

“What are we doing for supper? We were going to get some chicken … we rely on [the store], and it’s always there, always open,” Ambroise said.

Ambroise and other area residents who shopped at the store said they had no warning of the closure. Jim Murray, who got off his bike in front of the store, only to do a double-take when he realized it was closed, said he’s friendly with the cashiers, and hadn’t received a heads up from them the day before.

“I’ve been coming here for like ever … I know the head cashier really well, I see her all the time, but [she said] nothing,” he said.

The area has few options for affordable groceries, residents said. Though there’s another No Frills on Carlaw, it’s a 10 minute drive away and not accessible for some residents who walked to the old store. Kim Hull shops at the No Frills about once a week. The location and prices were what keep her coming back.

“I comparison shop, so I’ll buy my milk here, but I’ll buy my yoghurt at a mom-and-pop place on the Danforth, but [this store] is pretty cheap,” she said.

Hull said she can afford to buy her groceries elsewhere, but that’s not true for everyone who lives in the area. Ambroise said she’s going to make use of the shuttle service so she can keep shopping at a No Frills store, but she still wishes she had gotten some warning.

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“If we had been forewarned, we would have gotten the things we had a list for today,” she said.

“It’s a pain in the neck,” her husband Al Ambroise said.