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Stone Way Safeway 1951 - 1993

Posted: 02 May 2020 17:24
by explorersea
The press called it a new "Ultra Modern" Grocery store, the new Wallingford Safeway on Stone Way, built from the ground up, complete with its own parking lot 1951. I visited the Stone Way Safeway many times in the early 1990s, this was a barrel roof store long before Marina's of course, freight was stored in the basement and the managers office was in a perch overlooking the store with windows (there was a time managers were supposed to keep an eye on the store while at their desk). This was a very small but efficient store, it was the highest sales per square foot in the Safeway Seattle Division before it closed. Safeway had the opportunity to purchase the store but suitor QFC stepped up in 1993 and bought it. The store remained open until 2001 when it was closed and razed (including that epic Safeway sign). The basement was dug out and the site remained an eye sore for years called "the pit" as QFC/Kroger tried to build a mixed use property that made financial sense, eventually QFC pulled out and sold the property to a developer. An apartment building was finally completed on the property 2012 alas without a new Grocery store. I have to agree with Safeway on this one, the site was too small and off the beaten path for a profitable Safeway.

Re: Stone Way Safeway 1951 - 1993

Posted: 02 May 2020 19:43
by Steve Landry
THE STORE SOUND SO COOL!

I wish we had interior shots, especially of that Store Manager's office!

I managed a store in N.W. Miami (Pantry Pride) that was originally a Frederick's Supermarket (Food Fair purchased all 25 of these stores in S. Florida).

It was built in the 1950's and was 35000 square feet (huge by the standards of the day). It had a suspended Manager's office from the ceiling with a 270 degree glass view of the store.

We had all service departments plus a shoe repair store, a gift/floral shop, a small hamburger/hot dog type little restaurant counter and many small appliance and general merchandise.

Re: Stone Way Safeway 1951 - 1993

Posted: 02 May 2020 21:42
by klkla
The store sounds cool but 89 cents a pound for cube steak in 1961 seems really high. At least some things at Safeway are still the same lol :)

Re: Stone Way Safeway 1951 - 1993

Posted: 03 May 2020 10:06
by explorersea
Steve Landry wrote: 02 May 2020 19:43 THE STORE SOUND SO COOL!

I wish we had interior shots, especially of that Store Manager's office!

I managed a store in N.W. Miami (Pantry Pride) that was originally a Frederick's Supermarket (Food Fair purchased all 25 of these stores in S. Florida).

It was built in the 1950's and was 35000 square feet (huge by the standards of the day). It had a suspended Manager's office from the ceiling with a 270 degree glass view of the store.

We had all service departments plus a shoe repair store, a gift/floral shop, a small hamburger/hot dog type little restaurant counter and many small appliance and general merchandise.
sorry guys I don't have any interior shots of this store, another interesting tid bit about this this store that POS enthusiasts might enjoy, this store was operating with surplus IBM 3683 registers from various stores a common practice in the 1980s and early 1990s to save money (money was tight in those days), the store controller was in the basement, the hard drive failed in the store controller and of all the worst times the back up file had been deleted at the sister store controller and wasn't rebuilt yet, we had to scramble to get a new hard drive loaded for the store (which took hours and hours in those days) and the store employees had to manually fetch prices to tally customers totals, the DM was very upset about the whole thing, within 2 years we converted the store to spanking new IBM 4683s and the store controller was hauled out of the basement.

Re: Stone Way Safeway 1951 - 1993

Posted: 12 May 2020 23:41
by justin karimzad
This page has a photo of that Safeway from the backside:
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht ... ce=sh/x/I'm

Re: Stone Way Safeway 1951 - 1993

Posted: 14 May 2020 04:33
by hornblwr
I shopped there a couple of times in 1999 - 2000. By then the store had the 1990's red / gray decor. I was surprised that Safeway was able to cram a deli into the store. I even saw the basement (I had to use the restroom.)
The store closed in 2001.

Re: Stone Way Safeway 1951 - 1993

Posted: 05 Sep 2020 08:47
by explorersea
thank you justin for the photo of the backside of a Safeway store, that actually is the back of the Wedgwood store on 35th NE which was very similar to the Stoneway store and was razed in 1965 for a Marina store which remains today (albiet the store has been heavily remodeled and no hint on the exterior)