ARLINGTON – Clyde Ellis was here when the local grocery store wasn’t expected to carry fresh sushi, organic bananas and exotic wines.
Today, the native son will preside over the opening of the newest store to deliver those items to the fast-growing population of northern Snohomish County.
“I grew up in Arlington, so for me this is a real homecoming,” said Ellis, the new store’s manager.
At 8 a.m. today, the Arlington Haggen Food &Pharmacy is scheduled to open at 20115 74th Ave. NE.
The 60,000-square-foot store has many of the features that Haggen’s regular shoppers have come to expect. That includes an extensive wine department with its own steward, a section of organic produce, natural foods and health-related products, and large bulk and frozen foods sections.
For example, in the frozen meats section the store has bulk prawns, shrimp and scallops that customers can choose themselves.
The store also has a Market Street Cafe, where customers can buy sandwiches, salads and other ready-to-eat meals.
Dale Henley, Haggen Inc.’s president and chief executive officer, said Haggen views its cafes as a distinct area of the store that requires special attention. It’s paid off, as the eateries have been a success.
“It attracts people. In a lot of places and communities like this, it almost becomes like a gathering place,” Henley said.
TerraVida Coffee, which has two other locations in Haggen stores, will operate a specialty coffee bar in the front of the Arlington store. Whidbey Island Bank’s third branch in the county also is located inside.
In all, the 24-hour store will employ 150 to 200 people.
Some residents may wonder why the opening took so long. The company began the planning process more than four years ago. Nothing happened until last year, when construction began. Henley said that in the intervening years the regional supermarket chain concentrated on other projects.
“We had several other stores under construction, he said, explaining that Haggen Inc. tries to do just two to three store openings a year. “We’re a private company that wants to grow, but we don’t want to grow just to grow.”
Haggen has operated stores in Snohomish County since the mid-1960s, with its last new store opening in Marysville in 2000. Henley said there are no definitive plans for another store in the county, but the chain is constantly evaluating new sites.
Bellingham-based Haggen operates 32 supermarkets in Washington and Oregon under the Haggen and Top Foods names. It’s the largest independent grocer based in Washington.
A Safeway store is nearly across the street from the new Arlington Haggen, and the nearby Smokey Point area is home to two other supermarkets as well. But Henley said he thinks the new Haggen will do well at the busy corner of 74th Avenue NE and Highway 9.
“Our studies say so,” he said as he walked around the store on Tuesday afternoon. “We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
Glenn Court (left) of Miatech works on the misting system in the produce department at the new Haggen Food &Pharmacy in Arlington on Tuesday.
Dale Henley, president and CEO of Haggen Inc., stands in front of the Arlington store, which opens at 8 a.m. today.
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