More than a Market: Miss Ruby’s grows food, pride, and possibility

By Amanda Barber

This article was originally published by Westside Together, a community-driven initiative to support Charleston’s West Side residents, families, businesses, and partners by working together to create a thriving community for all. You can make a donation here.

Miss Ruby’s Corner Market, located at 739 Central Ave., has a mission to offer fresh, locally grown food at affordable rates to the West Side of Charleston. The market sells produce, seasonal products, healthy snacks, pantry staples, farm-fresh eggs and meats, and homemade jams, sauces and spreads.

Miss Ruby’s was formed by the Keep Your Faith Corporation (KYFC), which strives to help children and seniors in the Charleston community. Dural Miller, KYFC Founder and Executive Director, started the organization in 2006.

Dural works hard to oversee the market along with staff members Cassandra Cummings, Chef Ke, and Chef Molly. They collaborate to provide workforce development, food system development, and community outreach.

This year, KYFC implemented the Miss Ruby’s Summer Kids Club at the market and a fenced garden area behind the building. The program, led by therapist Brian Mitchell, is available for adolescents (from elementary school age to the college level) to hang out and work. The summer project is also open to the elderly, as there are several senior facilities near Miss Ruby’s.

“So it’s going to be an extension of Miss Ruby’s, but more of a sense where we can get their hands in the dirt,” Dural says.

In alignment with the KYFC vision, Miss Ruby’s participates in pop-up farmers markets in the community and at local senior high-rise apartment buildings. Miss Ruby’s does not charge individuals at these pop-ups thanks to funding from the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation and other organizations. This also helps outside local farmers because Miss Ruby’s can buy other produce when they do not use their own, set up, and give it away.

Dural sees the impact of Miss Ruby’s, as West Siders had voiced they wanted a store that offered fresh fruits and vegetables. The market has been able to supply the produce at discounted rates. People can shop for healthy items to take home and cook, providing beyond what local convenience marts offer. In addition, Miss Ruby’s is a symbol of pride for the neighborhood.

“I believe, just as a whole, having something to be proud of is having a grocery store in your neighborhood,” Dural says. “It’s your grocery store, you know, the neighborhood grocery store. I mean, that has been really special for people to be able to stay and come by and hang out at.”

Aside from the grocery store, Miss Ruby’s has a deli and grab-and-go section where they offer sandwiches, salads, and daily specials. Dural says this aspect of the market is a great opportunity for people in the neighborhood, especially West Side workers, to obtain nutritious meals beyond fast food items. Dural gave the example of a working man who recently stopped in for a Miss Ruby’s chopped salad, which includes fresh meat, vegetables, and other ingredients.

“He didn’t want to go and eat anything fast food, like burgers or anything,” Dural says. “He wanted something fresh that he felt like would keep his work day going. I think that has been a good thing for a lot of the workers coming in, being able to get fresh food to take for lunch.”

Another plus of Miss Ruby’s is seeing how multiple generations are becoming involved, Dural says. Chef Ke and Chef Molly are teaching the community recipes to make with nutritious ingredients. Dural explains that people in their mid-20s and 30s are returning to Miss Ruby’s, saying, ‘Well, we did this with that. You got any other ideas?’”

In addition, seniors come in to tell market employees exactly what they need, which is food that benefits their health. Younger children are finding they enjoy foods they have never tried, such as broccoli. With various age groups benefiting from the store’s products and services, it is just another way the neighbor truly stands behind the entire mission of Miss Ruby’s.

Reflecting on the origins of KYFC and its mission, Dural recalls that he struggled with reading as a child, so he sought to create a program that would help individuals with reading and boost their self-esteem.

Initially, KYFC worked with homeless shelters and elementary schools, with a particular focus on supporting special education classes. Dural says he noticed that at one elementary school, when children with special needs were in trouble, the staff would walk them around the school and talk to them. Then, Dural noticed something else: when other students saw that these children were in trouble, they would pick on them for it. This inspired the KYFC team to create an alternate space where children could go when they needed a break from the classroom.

“So, we started offering that space as a garden space, and we started doing agricultural therapy in the garden, and that started a thing called the West Side Grown Project,” Dural says.

To support mental health and wellness of the community, KYFC opened its behavioral health center, which is overseen by Alecia N. Allen. The clinician team provides “culturally-sensitive, trauma-informed care for children and adults.” Clients can receive help with trauma, anxiety, depression, addiction, stress management, relationship concerns, grief and loss, and other life struggles.

In addition, KYFC began offering pop-up markets at local schools and worked with West Virginia University Extension to offer nutritional courses inside classrooms. The organization also bought an empty neighborhood lot and turned it into an urban farm and agricultural training center. Dural says all of these actions by KYFC eventually grew into the purpose of what Miss Ruby’s Corner Market is today.

“For us, I grew up on the West Side, and I know what it means to scream West Side,” Dural says. “So being able to put Miss Ruby’s in there has been a blessing for us, and I think the neighborhood has really wrapped around it.”