Help Keep Sue’s Produce Open ❤️

Our Goal: $40,000

Hi everyone, my name is James, and I’m Tina’s oldest son. I’m writing this on behalf of my mom and our family to ask for your help keeping Sue’s Produce open in Rittenhouse.

Right now, Sue’s Produce is facing the possibility of eviction. We need to raise $40,000 to make a lump-sum payment toward our rent and keep the doors open.

If you’ve been to Sue’s, there’s a good chance you know my mom, Tina. She is the heart of the store. She wakes up around 2 a.m. every morning to prepare the Korean food she sells, then spends her days at the store taking care of customers. She rarely takes vacations and has spent most of her life putting her family, her customers, and this business before herself.

We’re asking for help because we want to give my mom the chance to keep doing what she loves and to keep Sue’s Produce in the community it has called home for nearly 50 years.

Our Story

Our family has been selling produce on 18th Street since 1976, beginning with my great-aunt—the original “Sue.”

Some of my earliest memories are of my parents buying one of my great aunts fruit carts at 18th and Walnut around 1990. I remember sitting under the awning of what is now Anthropologie to hide from the rain while watching my mom and dad work across the street. I was little, but those days have always stayed with me.

Eventually, the city shut the cart down, and my parents had to move on. After years of operating other businesses, they were offered to buy Sue’s Produce in 2012. My mom has been there ever since.

Over the years, Sue’s has become more than our family’s business. People stop in for fresh produce, smoothies, and my mom’s Korean food, but many of those customers have also become friends. My mom knows people by name, knows what they like, and has watched families come through the store year after year.

How You Can Help

If you’re able to donate, any amount helps—$5, $20, $50, $100, or whatever you can comfortably give. It all goes toward helping Sue’s Produce stay open.

And you don’t have to donate to support us. Come visit Sue’s. Buy your groceries or fresh produce, grab a smoothie, try some of my mom’s Korean food, or simply share this fundraiser with someone who knows and loves the neighborhood.

Every donation, every purchase, and every share matters.

My mom has spent years taking care of this store and the people who walk through its doors. We’re hoping that now, the community can help take care of her.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my mom and our family over the years. We truly would not be here without you.

Please help us keep Tina behind the counter and Sue’s Produce on 18th Street. ❤️

With gratitude,

James

Tina’s oldest son