Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

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Super S
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Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by Super S »

Earlier today I was in Shelton, and stopped at the Fred Meyer Marketplace there. It seemed rather large for a "Marketplace" but did not have much merchandise that was not grocery-related. Unlike the Marketplaces I have visited in the Portland area, this one also did not have things like Home Electronics, Paint, or a Garden Center. The layout was not typical...the bakery and deli were located on the other side of the store from the produce area, and this store only had one main entry/exit. However, it did have Freddy's current interior colors.

The outside of the store leads me to believe this building might not have originally been a Fred Meyer. The architecture is not typical. And, although it has the current signage on the building, the road sign uses the 90s-era "squared" lettering. This store is also in a strip mall, although the store is not physically attached.

Most interesting though was the fact that this store is directly across from a Super Wal-Mart, and was quite busy. That made me wonder if Wal-Mart impacted what went on at this location.

I almost suspect it was a former QFC, which would make sense given that Fred Meyer and QFC have the same parent company,
but it seems too big. It also seems like it could be a typical Freddys that was converted to a Marketplace, but the interior layout does not make sense for that.

Anybody know the history of this store?
marshd1000
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by marshd1000 »

This particular store is a former "Stock Market Foods". Stock Market Foods was started by Uddenberg Foods, which owned several Thriftways. Uddenberg was eventually bought out by QFC. Many stores were rebannered as QFC as Stock Market was a warehouse format. Some were kept as Stock Market and became QFC's discount banner. Eventually QFC sold most of the Stock Markets that were not converted to QFC. The remaining Stock Markets were in Shelton, Lake Meridian near Kent, Spanaway and James Center in Tacoma. When Fred Meyer bought QFC, these stores were turned into Fred Meyer Marketplaces. The Lake Meridian store was eventually sold to Albertsons. Now that store is a 24 Hour Fitness. As for the Shelton store, I believe I had heard rumors that it was going to be expanded into a full Fred Meyer. But Wal-Mart may have made then think differently. Also the Shelton store also sported a Starbucks for awhile, but it didn't do well. There were also two other Fred Meyer Marketplaces in the Puget Sound area. There was one in Silverdale, which I believe had been a Food Pavilion. I believe it is a electronics store. There was also one near White Center on a site that had been home to a old non-food Fred Meyer and a Larry's Market. Eventually the White Center site was torn down and Larry's opened up its' Lowbucks Food and Drug, which was unsuccessful. Lowbucks was eventually acquired by Fred Meyer and became a Marketplace with a Photo Electronics and Music Market. After Kroger took over, it was sold to Safeway.
Super S
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by Super S »

Interesting. Stock Market for some reason never crossed my mind, but if this store had the "diagonal" aisle layout that Stock Market used, I could understand the extra space. Like I said before, this store seemed quite busy when I was there and had the current interior...one of the nicer "Marketplace" stores I have visited.

What year did Stock Market open this store?

The only Stock Market location I was somewhat familiar with was the Longview location which opened, as a new store, around 89 or 90. The store was not popular at all here, and I don't think this store even lasted two years before it closed. Local grocer Sinnett's Market Place took over this store (after some minor remodeling, which included returning to a traditional aisle layout) and they closed a couple years ago, it is currently being remodeled into a Big Lots and Jo-Ann Fabrics.
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by marshd1000 »

I do not know the year the Shelton Stock Market opened. However there is another connection between Fred Meyer and Stock Market Foods. The first Stock Market Foods was opened at the Fred Meyer store in Burien. This Fred Meyer was originally a White Front, then Valu Mart, then Leslies. Valu Mart leased out the food department in most locations. So when Fred Meyer acquired the Burien location, the existing grocer had a lease that lasted until 1990. The grocer that started as Mark It Foods, eventually became the first Stock Market. Eventually, as Stock Market's lease was drawing to a close, they opened up a new location at what is now known as Burien Town Plaza, where Saar's Marketplace is. When QFC bought Stock Market, they turned the Burien location into a QFC. That remained a QFC until after Kroger took over. Before Stock Market opened at this location, there had been other grocers that had been there. Burien Town Plaza started it's life as Gov Mart Bazar, which had food. Then after Gov Mart folded, the grocer became "Plus 10 Foods". That lasted only a few short years. After that there were no grocers on the site until Stock Market opened.
VibeGuy
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by VibeGuy »

This may also explain the *extremely* odd/large QFC in Belfair, then, which, I swear, has no peer in the QFC pantheon - it's got a layout that could best be described as . . . "non-traditional".

E
marshd1000
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by marshd1000 »

Yes, the Belfair QFC started its' life as a Stock Market Foods. Woodinville, Lakewood and Parkland are also former QFCs.

There are some other QFC that were Stock Market that have since been closed. These include Pearl Street in Tacoma, Burien, Yelm, Rainier Beach. There was also a store in Sumner that originally was a Johnny's. When Johnny's sold to QFC, the Sumner sold to Stock Market. Then Stock Market was sold to QFC and the Sumner store finally became a QFC. When Kroger decided to open a Fred Meyer in Sumner, the QFC employees were offered positions with Fred Meyer and the QFC was closed.
tkaye
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by tkaye »

Saar's Market Place picked up many of QFC's ex-Stock Market locations over the years, including the S. 64th & Yakima store (originally the Hi-Ho Shopping Center, which evolved into Bi-Lo Foods), the Pearl Street store, the Port Orchard store (in the old Kmart shopping center on Olney Road), Burien, Yelm, and Rainier Beach. Since they were acquired by Saar in phases, I wonder if there had been some sort of agreement with Associated Grocers that when QFC purchased the Keith Uddenberg stores, they could "test drive" the locations and unload the stores that didn't perform well as QFCs. (AG had been pretty proactive in not letting a member store fail completely -- they would usually facilitate a sale to another grocer, and would even operate stores themselves if no buyer could be found. QFC was the largest member of AG when they picked up the Stock Market stores in 1997.) Saar's business strategy is apparently to take poorly performing upscale stores (i.e. Larry's Markets and QFCs) and turn them 180 degrees around into a cut-rate warehouse operation.

Some other notes:

In addition to the James Center Fred Meyer Marketplace in Tacoma, the Gig Harbor Fred Meyer Marketplace was also a Stock Market Foods. That store was built by the Hogan family as a Food King around 1966 and elements of the original exterior are similar to that of the University Place Albertsons, also an ex-Food King of similar vintage.

Keith Uddenberg held onto his flagship Thriftway in Gig Harbor after the sale of the rest of his stores to QFC. He died in 2000 and QFC took over the Gig Harbor Thriftway around 2004.

The Parkland QFC was built in 1972 and was a Mark-It Foods before becoming a Stock Market. In Lakewood, the QFC store was built in 1978 as a PayLess Drug (of Tacoma) and a Lucky supermarket. When Lucky left the Seattle market, the Pay 'n Pak home improvement chain consolidated the grocery and the drug store. Stock Market Foods took over when Pay 'n Pak folded.
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by marshd1000 »

tkaye wrote:In addition to the James Center Fred Meyer Marketplace in Tacoma, the Gig Harbor Fred Meyer Marketplace was also a Stock Market Foods. That store was built by the Hogan family as a Food King around 1966 and elements of the original exterior are similar to that of the University Place Albertsons, also an ex-Food King of similar vintage.

Keith Uddenberg held onto his flagship Thriftway in Gig Harbor after the sale of the rest of his stores to QFC. He died in 2000 and QFC took over the Gig Harbor Thriftway around 2004.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that the QFC near Highway 16 was a old Bag N Save that was built by the Hogan family as was the QFC in Enumclaw. I thought that the Fred Meyer Marketplace in Gig Harbor had always been a Stock Market Foods. I do know that between QFC and Fred Meyer, Kroger operates 3 stores in Gig Harbor.
tkaye
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by tkaye »

marshd1000 wrote:Please correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that the QFC near Highway 16 was a old Bag N Save that was built by the Hogan family as was the QFC in Enumclaw. I thought that the Fred Meyer Marketplace in Gig Harbor had always been a Stock Market Foods. I do know that between QFC and Fred Meyer, Kroger operates 3 stores in Gig Harbor.
You're right... I checked the Pierce County Assessor's site and the Gig Harbor Fred Meyer was constructed in 1990, which means it would have originally been a Stock Market Foods. (The property was originally developed with a Food King in the mid-'60s, however... obviously that building has been demolished.) The Hogans still own that property and the UP Albertsons shopping center... I assume that the Albertsons got an exterior facelift around 1990 (the interior definitely dates to then) -- they probably used the same architect that was working on the new store they were building in Gig Harbor. That would explain why they have similarities.

The QFC on Point Fosdick was built for the Hogans as a Bag & Save. In addition to the Enumclaw store, there was also a B&S in Bremerton that QFC did not acquire. It sat vacant for awhile and then was split into a Petco and a Seattle Goodwill thrift store.

The tangled web that develops when you research these family owned supermarkets that used to dominate the market is quite interesting. We haven't even touched the Hogans' Piggly Wiggly stores!

Oh, in my last message, I forgot to mention that the Silverdale Fred Meyer Marketplace, which was built as a Food Pavilion around 1992, was remodeled into a Best Buy in 2001. Fred Meyer wasn't there very long -- they were there from about 1996 to 2001. The Silverdale store had a broader selection of departments than the Stock Market-variety of FM Marketplaces... there was a full-line electronics department, a U.S. Bank branch, and a good deal of housewares. I think there may have even been a demonstration kitchen, but my memory is a bit foggy. It kept Food Pavilion's dark lighting scheme (I think the rafters were painted black) which also set it apart from the bright white interior of your average Fred Meyer.
marshd1000
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by marshd1000 »

marshd1000 wrote:Yes, the Belfair QFC started its' life as a Stock Market Foods. Woodinville, Lakewood and Parkland are also former QFCs.
I had meant to say that these QFCs are former Stock Markets.
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Re: Fred Meyer Marketplace, Shelton, WA

Post by marshd1000 »

tkaye wrote:Oh, in my last message, I forgot to mention that the Silverdale Fred Meyer Marketplace, which was built as a Food Pavilion around 1992, was remodeled into a Best Buy in 2001. Fred Meyer wasn't there very long -- they were there from about 1996 to 2001. The Silverdale store had a broader selection of departments than the Stock Market-variety of FM Marketplaces... there was a full-line electronics department, a U.S. Bank branch, and a good deal of housewares. I think there may have even been a demonstration kitchen, but my memory is a bit foggy. It kept Food Pavilion's dark lighting scheme (I think the rafters were painted black) which also set it apart from the bright white interior of your average Fred Meyer.
I should mention that the Roxbury Fred Meyer Marketplace actually looked like it was a Fred Meyer in that it had high light colored ceilings with the big mercury vapor lights. This store was acquired from Larry's and it was known as Lowbucks. It had food and drug. This store was only remodeled in about a week. The pharmacy was kept open during the remodel. When it was done, like Silverdale, there was plenty of housewares and a full-line electronics and Music Market department. Also there was a nutrition center added. One unique feature of this store was the addition of a combined espresso and sub sanwich stand. This was in the day before Fred Meyer had their own Kivu coffee stand or Tully's or Starbucks.
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