The unexpected closure of the QFC grocery store on South Henderson Street has left many community members scrambling, but especially Orthodox Jews living in the area. The QFC closed on May 28 due to low profitability, according to a QFC news release. Saar's Marketplace will open in the space by mid-August.
While the new grocery will cater to those folks who still cook at home, the closure of the QFC is especially painful in the Jewish community, for it was the only kosher butcher and deli in south Seattle, according to the JT News. This makes it difficult for Orthodox Jews, particularly the elderly, on the Sabbath and other holidays.
The area is home to the largest concentration of Orthodox Jews in the state. Those who buy kosher products typically include conservative Jews, Muslims, Seventh-Day Adventists, and people who think kosher means better quality. Kosher seeking patrons will now have to travel to the Albertson's on Mercer Island or the QFC in the U Village - not an easy trek from Southeast Seattle.
Kent Swigard, a longtime Seward Park resident, area real estate agent, and member of the Askenasic Synagogue said the closure comes as a great disappointment to him.
"There are 500 families associated with three orthodox synagogues in Seward Park, and the vast majority keep kosher. The QFC had a very well stocked department for kosher foods with patrons able to buy anything from bread to soup to popcorn. Now folks will have to burn gas just to buy hotdogs and we'll once again have to piecemeal our groceries."
Swigard hopes the new Saar's Marketplace will have a kosher deli.
"The old kosher QFC deli did $15,000-$20,000 in gross sales per week,"Swigard stated . "There's a huge demand for these products."
The nearest grocery store to the closed QFC is the Rainier Beach Safeway. Cherie Myers, Safeway's regional director of public and government affairs, stated that the Rainier Beach store has a good kosher section right now.
"But ultimately our customers are our best voice in determining what moves well in the store and what we should carry," asserted Myers. "Right now we can't tell what the impact of the QFC's store's closure will be, but we try to keep our stores up-to-date."
However, QFC and Safeway are not the only stores in the South End vying for dollars from the area's culturally and economically diverse residents, whether or not they're seeking kosher products. What follows is a sampling of some of the area's other grocers.
PCC -Seward Park
The Seward Park PCC ranks as one of the most established grocers in the area with 20 years now under the co-op's roof (see page 7 for the anniversary story). Paula Houston is a regular PCC shopper.
"I shop here because of the vegetables," Houston said. "Also, I have allergies so it's easy to find wheat-free and dairy-free products here along with organic food. Sure, it costs a bit more but the quality is worth it."
"Produce is a draw for many customers", stated Jon-Paul Pachenker, a PCC produce clerk. "Our customers are really picky and want the good stuff, the best value for their dollar. We have some unusual products such as organic bananas, celery greens, purple carrots, and thumbelina carrots. Ninety-nine percent of our produce is organic which is what we will stock whenever it's available."
Laurette Delves lives in North Seattle but makes a point to stop in whenever she's in the area, usually every other week.
"I like the organic stuff, but I really like how [the store] is small and personable," said Delves, which was echoed by Molly Magai, who has lived in the neighborhood for the past six years.
"The service is great and it's a homey atmosphere," noted Magai. "The staff kind of knows who you are and so tries to accommodate you."
Jennifer Lyle, assistant store manager, said that 80 percent of the customers are from the surrounding neighborhood.
"Many people do their monthly shopping here, often spending $200 and stocking up," stated Lyle.
The store features a bulk foods section, including spices and teas, a health and beauty aisle with vitamin and herbal supplements and knowledgeable personnel, and a full service deli and espresso bar. Lyle said the PCC is unique because of its focus on customer service and satisfaction. "We have 65-70 employees and those employees try to know the customers by name," Lyle said. "We also encourage patrons to sample products before purchasing them. People are welcome to open a box of crackers, for example, and try them out. We're a neighborhood place and we're involved in this great community with food bank work parties and other events."
Grocery Outlet
Those looking for a bargain and a great adventure merely have to head towards Martin Luther King Jr. Way South to experience the Grocery Outlet. This three-year-old store offers savvy shoppers bargains on produce, dry groceries, and frozen foods. Customers can save 25-40 percent on their grocery bill. In addition to name brands, customers can find unusual products not sold at chain stores. For example, a recent foray into the store turned up a delectable bag of frozen farfelle bowtie pasta with pesto sauce for only $1.29.
Sam Haanio, a jovial gentleman from Hawaii and Grocery Outlet owner, says the store gets its products from major manufacturers such as Kraft, Pillsbury or Stouffers.
"The companies may have made a change to a product's package, size, or may have excess inventory, and the savings get passed on to the customer," Haanio noted. "What Grocery Outlet does is offer the best prices for ingredients you need. Our customers come in and spread the word. They are the great ambassadors to us. "
Viet Wah
The name of this store means Vietnamese Chinese, but the store strives to serve the many ethnic groups who make up the Rainier Valley.
According to Duran Slater, grocery manager who handles the American products, customers can find items ranging from Coke to toilet tissue to quail eggs, along with Chinese and western medicines.
"We see a wide variety of people in our store from whites to African Americans, to Filipinos to African customers from Somalia and Ethiopia," Slater observed. "We try to sell products that our customers want and need. For example, we sell a lot of choysum, a kind of lettuce, baccha, a rhubarb-like plant, bitter, winter, and yam leaves, plus, duck eggs."
Slater emphasized the great number of products his store carries that are quite different from the typical American grocer fare.
"We sell the most amazing Asian products," he said proudly. "A lot of Asian products contain just fruit and water, just the ingredients you'd expect to find in them. There's no hydrogenated this or that. These products are not advertised as health products, but they are healthy and good for you."
Saar's Marketplace
With Saar's Marketplace set to occupy the vacant QFC space, owner Greg Saar can't wait.
"Saar's has been around for 20 years and we have 12 stores in our chain. Saar's is value-driven. Our stores are like warehouses. We stock 'em high and we sell the product cheap," Saar stated. "We focus hard on the people who cook at home, who want to reduce costs at home. This customer got lost in the shuffle of grocery stores offering prepackaged convenience foods. That's who we focus on."
Saar is eager to cater to the various groups in the Rainier Valley, and he is cognizant of the needs of the Jewish community, among other groups.
"We're still evaluating what to do to meet the needs of the Jewish population. We want to cater to the neighborhood," Saar asserted.
When QFC announced its impending closure, Saars said they began interviewing former QFC personnel.
'We interviewed and hired quite a few of these people," Saar said. "Approximately 30 percent were given jobs at our store."
Mary Sanford may be reached at editor@sdistrictjournal.com.
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