Tag Archives: groceries

Madison Valley’s new corner store? Kitchen & Market ’boutique grocery’

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(Image: Kitchen & Market)

The corner grocery store isn’t dead yet in Seattle but you might have to pay a little more for your chips. A small neighborhood grocery in Madison Valley is set to reopen as part of the Kitchen & Market “boutique grocery chain” that says it is “chef- driven” and “primarily focused on bringing fresh products and meal kits to market.”

“I am so excited that we are opening a store in Madison Valley,” Stephanie King, Kitchen & Market’s founder and CEO, said in the announcement of the store’s opening. “Madison Valley has long been a neighborhood of fabulous customers of Kitchen & Market via our delivery service and now they can visit us in person.”

The change for the market across the street from neighborhood anchor Cafe Flora is another burst of life for the neighborhood’s struggling business community as it has asked for more support to make it through this final year of construction to create the new RapidRide G rapid bus line to connect the waterfront to Madison Valley via First Hill and Capitol Hill along E Madison. Continue reading →

‘Solid loss’ — A Capitol Hill low-waste retail experiment ends as The Naked Grocer will close to end 2023

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Truesdell at the grocery’s opening in 2022

One of Capitol Hill’s most ambitious retail experiments is coming to an end.

The Naked Grocer and its low-waste approach to shopping will shut down to end 2023.

“I started realizing it was a possibility that we would need to close around the middle of November—up until then, I held out hope things would turn around,” owner Jayne Truesdell told CHS about the decision. “Our sales steadily declined throughout the fall and it ultimately came down to the amount of money coming in versus the amount of money going out.”

Truesdell said the Naked Grocer has been operating at a “solid loss.” She said the sales needed to create a thriving business would have to be about double, and that the amount of growth needed does not feel possible. Continue reading →

With avocado toast and a juice bar boost, The Naked Grocer keeps ‘waste-less’ grocery dream alive on Capitol Hill

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Toast and sandwiches to the rescue (Image: The Naked Grocer)

The Naked Grocer is the dream of making a package-free grocery shopping experience available to everyone and it is really happening right here on Capitol Hill.

But it might take avocado toast and a juice bar to help that dream stay a reality.

It has been about a year since Capitol Hill’s bring-your-own container grocery store first opened its doors at Pine and Boylston. The Naked Grocer is filled with bulk bins and shelves of spices, and recently added a cafe to the mix. Owner Jayne Truesdell says her favorite part of the past year has been her daily interactions with regulars. She is also hoping to get more people through the doors.

“We need people to participate in what we’re trying to do or we won’t ultimately be sustainable for the neighborhood. I know sometimes people are happy to have us here but don’t utilize us,” Truesdell said.

Truesdell calls the work a balancing act due to steep business costs on Capitol Hill. She still hears customers say they’ve never heard of the store before — which is frustrating — and has dealt with graffiti on her windows.

“There’s always shit going on in Capitol Hill, which everyone who lives here knows. I think we get to experience the best of the neighborhood, getting to know our neighbors and have those relationships and regular daily interactions, but then also feeling so depleted by some of the vandalism,” Truesdell said “For it to be expensive and difficult, I think that’s really hard.”

The dream is still alive. And it is growing. The newest addition to the space is a juice bar and cafe Truesdell opened in July. The crowdfunding campaign she ran gathered a total of $7,800 from 117 backers over the course of 17 days. Continue reading →

Spice SPC, an Indian grocery also serving samosas, curries, and fresh chai, settles in on E Madison

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After its move from Rainier Ave in May, Spice SPC has been adding new flavors to the Capitol Hill and Central District communities around its new location on E Madison. Started by Aditya Bajaj, Spice SPC is a social purpose Indian grocery store. The new shop has been receiving a warm response from the neighborhood as it stands across Safeway next to a big chain takeout pizza franchise.

“The new location has definitely helped us attract more customers, especially because it’s in a very accessible location from most parts of the city,” Bajaj said. “We were previously in a very isolated location, and so we moved to Capitol Hill.”

Spice SPC’s E Madison’s new grocery has seen many perks of shifting locations. Bajaj said that this has allowed them to introduce a small food menu serving Indian curries, rice, samosas, and fresh chai. He plans to soon expand the spread and include more snacks and beverages. For now, it is best to stop by on the weekends for the house creations. Despite the store being new to the neighborhood, Bajaj says that they’ve seen many customers coming their way, especially through word of mouth. Continue reading →

Indian grocery store Spice SPC now open on the edge of Capitol Hill

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Indian grocery store Spice SPC has reopened after its move from its original home just off Rainier Ave to just off E Madison.

“We are a social purpose Indian grocery store which I believe is the only SPC Indian store in the area,” Aditya Bajaj tells CHS. “SPC is recognized as a corporation to pursue profits and social good in WA state. We care about our customers, communities, and suppliers.”

And, for those of you wondering where the border falls, Bajaj considers the north of Madison location as Capitol Hill.

Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Safeway redevelopment to create new apartments and grocery store gets design OK

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The design proposal for the development project that will create a new 50,000-square-foot grocery store, new apartments, and a massive underground parking lot on the site of the Capitol Hill Safeway was approved Wednesday night by the East Design Review Board.

In another marathon meeting for the body, the board debated some elements of the Weber Thompson design proposal before ultimately moving the project forward in the public process. Continue reading →

What the 15th and John Safeway redevelopment — Greystar Capitol Hill? — will look like

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The future view from E John

Plans are taking shape for the new Safeway-and-apartment complex set to rise on what is now just a Safeway at 15th Ave E and E John. The project also now has a name. Depending on how a major lawsuit over rental price fixing allegations shakes out, Greystar Capitol Hill could end up an infamous entry into the neighborhood’s mixed-use development branding hall of fame.

The proposal has been making its way through the design review process, and is now scheduled for what could be its final meeting before the East Design Review Board. After rounds of refinements, developer Greystar and architects Weber Thompson have landed on a final proposal.

Design Review: 1410 E John St

Land Use application to allow 2, 5-story apartment buildings (336 units total) with retail. Parking for 373 vehicles proposed. Existing building to be demolished. Early Design Guidance conducted under 3038145-EG. View Design Proposal  (49 MB)    

Review Meeting
February 15, 2023 5:00 PM Meeting: https://bit.ly/Mtg3038146

Listen Line: 206-207-1700 Passcode: 2481 882 5283
Comment Sign Up: https://bit.ly/Comment3038146
Review Phase
REC–Recommendation

Project Number

3038146  View Related Records
Planner
David Sachs

The existing Safeway and its adjoining surface parking lot will be demolished. In its place will rise a pair of 5-story buildings. A new Safeway will be built on the ground floor, facing John and wrapping around to 14th Ave E. Along 15th, there will be space for a handful of small retailers. Plans have three areas carved out for retail space, but two of the three seem large enough that they might be able to be split up, so there could be up to five stores along 15th.

Above it all will be 336 apartment units. The units are planned to be a mix of studio, open 1-bedroom, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom. Below ground, there are plans for about 373 parking stalls, 150 of which will be dedicated to the grocery store. Continue reading →

Spice SPC Indian corner shop has plans to join Capitol Hill-Central District grocery mix

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(Image: Spice SPC)

While some of its largest chains are going through major changes in the area, smaller and more specialized grocery stores are moving in to serve Central Seattle across areas like Capitol Hill and the Central District.

A new project in the works at E Denny Way and Madison will add to the mix.

Indian grocery store Spice SPC has plans to join the Avant Apartments building with a new 1,000-square-foot shop on the northwest corner of the development where 21st Ave fades into Denny. Continue reading →

Developer to hold ‘neighborhood discussions’ as final design for Capitol Hill Safeway redevelopment is pounded out

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A rendering of the E John facade (Images: Weber Thompson)

A draft proposal for the February design review shows the current concept for the project (Images: Weber Thompson)

Developers of the project to redevelop the Capitol Hill Safeway with a new 50,000-square-foot grocery store, housing, and massive underground parking lot won’t face the final round of the city’s design review process until next month but they aren’t leaving anything to chance.

Developer Greystar and architect Weber Thompson will hold two “virtual neighborhood discussions” this week as they pound out the final proposal for the design to create two new five-story buildings including the new grocery, around 334 400 market rate apartment units, some new, smaller retail spaces, and an underground parking lot for about 350 cars.

“During the Virtual Open House, we will present materials related to our project and proposed neighborhood benefits and answer any questions you may have. We will also have a project survey on the website that you can fill out to communicate what is important to you,” Greystar says in the announcement: Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s latest grocery indignity: The Madison Trader Joe’s no longer sells booze

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There are five Trader Joe’s stores across Seattle including the U District, Queen Anne, West Seattle, Ballard, and Capitol Hill — but only the Madison store no longer has whiskey, gin, and vodka for sale.

A decade after the grocery added hard liquor to its aisles after the end of Washington’s prohibition on grocery sales, Trader Joe’s Store #130 has removed spirits from its shelves.

A call to the store Wednesday afternoon confirmed the change. We have not yet heard back from the company’s Southern California headquarters about what led to the decision. A CHS reader said that employees have told shoppers that theft has been an issue but safety issues for employees were also part of the decision.

The change comes as the latest minor inconvenience and change in the day to day for shoppers and customers on Capitol Hill and in Seattle spurred by concerns about crime and safety. Continue reading →