Major makeover comes to a finish at Winslow’s landmark grocery

Published 9:58 am Sunday, August 30, 2015

It’s been a long time coming, but now — after 18 months of crazed construction, the felling and return of its classic sign and the addition of some intriguing culinary accoutrements — Town & Country Market recently announced the official completion of its remodeling endeavors.

Though it took slightly longer than expected, store officials said, the construction process and ensuing moments of chaos were taken in stride by store costumers and staff together.

“We are incredibly grateful to our customers, our employees and the contractor for the patience, good humor and family feeling we’ve experienced over the course of this remodel,” said Rick Pedersen, director of T&C.

In celebration of the project’s successful completion, the store will host a community open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17. The event will give islanders a chance to get a look around the market and experience its newest offerings, including food samplings and culinary demonstrations.

“It’s just a chance to express our appreciation for our customers’ patience and let them get a look at the market,” said T&C spokeswoman Becky Fox Marshall.

“It’s just been amazing,” she said of the community’s continued support of the store throughout the project.

“What’s also amazing is how customers pulled together,” she said. “They helped each other find things and had such good humor about it and really made a game out of it.”

Despite the trials and inconveniences that accompanied construction, Marshall said that the owners were determined to maintain the historic location and to remain open throughout.

“It would have been far less expensive and far easier to not stay downtown,” Marshall said. “But this is where this company started, so this community and this store means so much to the whole company that they made that commitment.”

The market was opened in August 1957 by the Nakata and Loverich families, and remains a family-run business which has grown to include stores in Ballard, Lakemont, Poulsbo, Mill Creek and Shoreline.

In addition to their commitment to the past — including the replacement of the iconic but rather aged reader board with a sturdier replica — Marshall said the store owners worked to ensure the remodel reflected the concerns of the future as well.

“The other thing is the environmental commitment,” she said. “We’re going to be using about half the energy that we used before even though we added 10,000 square feet [3,000 of which is sales floor space, the rest being back room and storage space as well as offices and employee areas].

“Change is difficult, but the heart is the same and that’s really what we’re concerned about,” she added.

Some highlights of the remodel:

• Market officials estimate the store will use 49 percent less energy per square foot than before, with about 3 percent provided by rooftop solar panels.

• Having lost only 30 spots in the remodel, the market now boasts 148 parking spaces.

• Two electric car charging stations are available on the south side of the store.

• The store will eventually have 36 bicycle parking spots, though they are not yet completed.

• Two seating areas are now available, one on the main floor and one upstairs, which can accommodate about 100 people.

• The new design caters to both “quick stop” and “extensive” shopping excursions. The northeast entrance offers easy access to prepared foods, sushi, deli and coffee bars, while the west entrance opens onto the floral, produce, bulk food, meats and seafood sections.

“It’s really arranged by the way people eat today,” Marshall said of the store’s reorganization. “People don’t eat the way they did when the store was built. It’s a whole rethinking of how people shop.

“People used to have 15 recipes and you’d just make them over and over and over again,” she explained. “So, you knew how to stock your pantry. You’d stock up and then you’d eat for a month or whatever. Well, people really want to explore much more now. People go to the store more frequently [today] and they want to be inspired.”

Thus, in addition to the new manned sushi bar, T&C has expanded its culinary demonstration stations, which include itemized recipe printouts of featured dishes.

“We’re not just selling groceries,” Marshall said. “We’re into [the] cooking, and that starts with how you shop [and then] how you cook [and] how you enjoy.

“We’re trying to meet the demands of the modern shopper.”