Simpson’s Local Market to lose SNAP payments, faces uncertain future

Simpson’s Local Market in downtown Trinidad is set to lose SNAP payments on May 25, a blow that could reshape where low-income families, seniors and other EBT shoppers buy groceries in the center of town. The loss matters well beyond one storefront: SNAP transactions account for about 15 percent of the market’s monthly income, and co-owner Kayvan Khalatbari has said the store’s future depends on whether sales can rise quickly enough after the cutoff.

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service notified the owners of a violation of USDA policies, triggering the disqualification. Under federal rules, retailers that violate SNAP requirements can lose the ability to accept benefits and may also face monetary penalties, fines or criminal prosecution. FNS also says it sends notices to nearby retailers when a local store is disqualified, a sign that the effect can ripple through a community’s food network, not just one business.

For Trinidad, the timing is especially sensitive because Simpson’s Local Market is more than a neighborhood shop. It sells meat, produce and other staples in a downtown area where nearby options are limited for people who rely on affordable groceries. Khalatbari also owns a similar market in Raton, New Mexico, but the Trinidad store sits at the center of a local food-access system that serves residents who may not have an easy substitute once SNAP is no longer accepted there.

The broader geography of Las Animas County helps explain why the loss could land hard. The county covers 4,772.9 square miles, making it Colorado’s largest county by land area, and the USDA Economic Research Service uses the Food Access Research Atlas to track low-income, low-access areas where grocery access is strained. In a county that large, losing a downtown grocer’s SNAP capacity can deepen the distance between residents and the nearest reliable food source.

Trinidad’s retail history shows how much has already changed. The town, settled in the 1850s and the oldest in Las Animas County, once had more than fifty grocery stores and meat markets, according to earlier local reporting. Rural grocers have since been squeezed by shrinking populations and thin margins, leaving fewer places for everyday shopping. Simpson’s now faces that same pressure, with business continuing for the moment but its long-term future tied to how quickly sales can recover after the SNAP cutoff.