DARRINGTON — The IGA store in this mountain town has finished an extensive remodeling, boosting the size and appearance of Darrington’s only full-sized supermarket.
In an era when new supermarkets in larger cities cover more than 50,000 square feet, the independently owned Darrington IGA, which employs about 30 people, isn’t huge. Even after the expansion, it has only 14,000 square feet.
"It’s not big, by any means, but for Darrington it is," said Randy Ashe, 52, who owns the business along with his 50-year-old brother, Kevin.
They bought the store along Highway 530 from their mother, Ivonne Ashe, last year.
"She’s still here, though; she’s still the boss," Randy Ashe quipped.
Ivonne Ashe, the daughter of a Darrington logger, built the Darrington IGA with her ex-husband, Louis Ashe, in the late 1970s. About a decade ago, she did a smaller expansion of the store.
This time around, the renovation of the storewas absolute, Randy Ashe said.
"Everything is new except for the shell of the building," he said.
Despite that, the store remained open through the construction. It had to. Darrington IGA is the only "big" supermarket in town. Its chief competitor, Family Grocer, shut down a couple of years ago.
With all new equipment and larger specialty departments, Ashe said customers seem to like the expanded store.
"We’ve had lots of good comments on how it turned out, and we’re real pleased," he said.
After officially kicking off festivities on Wednesday, Darrington IGA will continue its grand opening through April 13. During that period, Ashe said, the store will raffle prizes, give away two two-minute shopping sprees and offer special sales.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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