What: An independently owned market that’s long served as the Machias area’s general store and sole gas station.
Where: 1217 S. Machias Road, between Snohomish and Lake Stevens.
Owners: Steve and Rene Williams.
Employees: Approximately 15.
Founded: 1958, according to the best recollections of people Steve Williams has asked and county records. The couple have owned the market for 10 years.
Notable: The Machias Grocery moved two weeks ago a few hundred feet to the north of the original building. The original market was housed on the ground floor of a two-story house, with relatively little sales space, even less parking and two gasoline pumps outside. The new lodge-style market building, at S. Machias Road and OK Mill Road, has 5,500 square feet inside and eight fuel pump lanes out front. Inside there’s a new full-service deli in addition to more merchandise rows. So far, Steve Williams said, customer response to the new market has been positive.
Reason for growth: Its prime location as the only food market in the Machias area. “The area’s building up so much in the past 10 years, it’s probably tripled or quadrupled the traffic around here,” Steve Williams said.
Biggest challenge last 12 months: Actually, the big challenge has been spread over the past few years, Steve Williams said. That’s been the drawn-out process of getting a zoning change and a raft of permits to build the bigger Machias Grocery. “It’s been an arduous trip,” he said.
Biggest challenge now: Getting the business moved in and running in the new place. “Right now, we’re in our second week, and everyone’s been working their tails off to get everything done,” Steve Williams said.
Quotable: “I think it’s beautiful, it turned out great,” Steve Williams said. “I think the whole community will benefit.”
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