Fwd: [LCNalliance] August 23 UPDATE: More on the Fred Meyer Closure; Our Legislators Have Met With Kroger National Admin Staff
Muriel Lawty
From: <sandra...@seanet.com>
Date: Sat, Aug 23, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Subject: [LCNalliance] August 23 UPDATE: More on the Fred Meyer Closure; Our Legislators Have Met With Kroger National Admin Staff
To: Lake City Neighborhood Alliance <lcnal...@googlegroups.com>
Hello, all! Here are some updates re the Fred Meyer situation.
Mark von Walter reports:
This AM I attended Rep Pollet's drop in discussion at Full Tank Coffee on LCW at 80th. I was only able to stay for about 40 mins, but Rep Pollett had some very interesting introductory info:
1. All three D46 legislators, Valdez, Pollet, and Farivar along with our King County legislator, Dembowski met with Kroger national admin staff to discuss closing alternatives. Our own D5 councilperson Juarez did not reply to the invite.
2. Kroger made generalized claims that increased shoplifting, security expenses, and drop in sales have precipitated the closure, but when challenged for statistics and details, they would not provide info.
3. Because LC FM serves Seattle’s most diverse and income stressed neighborhoods, legislators proposed some tax and compliance relief legislation to entice Kroger to stay in LC.
Open discussion added points before I had to leave:
4. The 6.5 acre site and large two-story building is a challenge for efficient use of space, and it lacks potential for alternative commercial uses.
5. The relocation of 130th by the City in the 1980s to accommodate the FM expanded parking lot was a point of interest.
6. Rep Pollet was not open to considering use of the building for a larger Community Center because of the work and scheduling already done on the 28th Ave site.
I asked Mark if our legislators gave any indication of Kroger’s willingness to reconsider the decision to close the store. He replied, in pertinent part:
Rep Pollet’s remarks at the beginning of the meet didn’t indicate any constructive response from Kroger, but fortunately our legislators have opened the door in a timely manner, and hopefully more persuasion from our City leaders (?) will keep up the pressure. Pollet also mentioned using zoning regs to pressure Kroger to stay open as a food sales use, which would be city authority. Since I couldn’t stay for the rest of the meeting, I don’t know what additional comments were made. Of the dozen attendees, most were Freddie advocates.
Property tax records show the property is 5.5 acres, appraised at about $25M, and property tax $284K/year. Seems like there are some grounds for negotiating with Kroger. It would be a significant financial hurdle for potential future development of the site.
Thank you, Mark! I am very impressed that this meeting with Kroger national admin staff has already taken place! Way to go, Senator Valdez, Rep. Pollet, Rep. Farivar, and Council Member Dembowski! At least some of our public officials are trying to do something! I am disappointed that City Council Member Debora Juarez failed to respond or attend.
Please write to those elected officials who attended to thank them, to ask them to continue working on this, and to ask them to keep us informed. Those email addresses are:
Please write to Debora Juarez to ask her to work on these efforts: Debora Juarez (debora...@seattle.gov)
Please write to City Council and ask them to work on these efforts too:
This is a link to all 9 City Council members’ contact information. https://seattle.gov/council/members
You may also send an email to cou...@seattle.gov. That will reach all 9 Council members at once.
And where is Mayor Harrell? I have not seen one word from him yet about this announced closure. Please contact him: https://www.seattle.gov/mayor/contact
And if you can attend the August 28 meeting with Mayor Harrell to ask him to act, please do!
Come to a D5 meeting with Mayor Harrell -- 8/28 at Meadowbrook CC 6:00-7:30 pm. Those planning to attend are required to RSVP by filling out this form:
Dorothy Darrow wrote:
I agree that the local government will be imperative to convincing Kroger to keep the Lake City location open. But I also think having regular protests will keep the issue in the minds of the public and hopefully the local news.
We had about 8 people today, some with signs. Since the closure announcement was so recent, the notice to gather was last minute and not well publicized. We did talk, exchange information and agree to gather again.
There has to be a better option for informing people of an assembly, Nextdoor is OK but invites all sorts of negative comments.
I plan on attending the meeting on Thursday night.
Thank you, Dorothy! I would love reports from the August 28 meeting with Mayor Harrell. I have a conflict that evening.
And I am happy to send out notices about future protests. Maybe if we send out separate emails about specific protests, they will stand out more. In the meantime, we can write and call!
Phil Roberts wrote:
If someone is in conversation with the city council, they might ask about whether revenue from the 'sweetened beverage tax,' could somehow be used to address grocery store closures. One of the tax's intended benefits was to increase access in the city to healthy foods for low-income people. This situation would seem to qualify, with many low-income people around the Lake City store. The tax takes in about $20 million a year. However, it's already spent on other things, so redirecting it wouldn't be easy. And where to spend it to help? I don't know, we can't just give our tax money to Kroger to make them stay.
Thank you, Phil!
Mike Arst writes:
I'd like to comment on the suggestion of possible future boycotts. I understand the sentiment, but it could be self-defeating. If one reason for the closures is rampant shoplifting: What happens if stores they've considered closing (but are leaving open for now) experience a drop in paying customers—but no drop in shoplifting? What decision might they end up making about those stores? I understand the anger toward the company. But in the end, a boycott might well have unintended consequences.
Thank you, Mike! I agree that a boycott should be deferred for now. A boycott may make more sense if we cannot stop the closure of the Lake City Fred Meyer.
Jane Hesslein writes:
We were there this morning at 10 and spoke with the lovely folks at the Emergency Hub. They may have to relocate if Fred Meyer closes.
Inside the store, many things have reduced price tags without ending dates. I’m guessing this is ahead of closing. I asked a worker about this, and he said he suspects it’s a slow rollout to closing, that Kroger had learned from another closing not to put everything 50% off to start, since another store had a very long line form immediately.
Thank you, Jane!
It will not be easy to stop the closure of this store, but if EVERYONE contacts our elected officials and the Fred Meyer email addresses/phone numbers in the emails below, that will help. The more who write and call, the greater the impact. Please do not sit back and do nothing, thinking that everyone else will do the work! It will take a village to save this store!
Thanks! Sandra
From: sandra...@seanet.com <sandra...@seanet.com>
Sent: Friday, August 22, 2025 9:00 AM
Subject: August 22 UPDATE: More on the Fred Meyer Closure--AND the Lake City Emergency Hub has an Open House and Drill this Saturday August 23 from 10 a.m. to noon
Importance: High
Hello, all! Here are some more ideas about the Fred Meyer situation:
Martina Morris writes:
One more place to make your voice heard:
Come to a D5 meeting with Mayor Harrell -- 8/28 at Meadowbrook CC 6:00-7:30 pm. Those planning to attend are required to RSVP by filling out this form:
Please consider attending this meeting with Mayor Harrell! This should definitely be a topic discussed at that meeting.
Megan Graves writes:
I was at the Fred Meyer pharmacy on Wednesday morning and learned that the staff was as surprised as the customers about the announced closure. Talked to a pharmacist and an assistant I've known a long time. The assistant said she couldn't sleep Tuesday night. They are most upset that they won't all be working together as they consider themselves family. When I expressed my thoughts about the closure the pharmacist handed me a card from a stack she had on the counter that had a handwritten e-mail address on it. She said it was the address of the woman handling comments about the closure that they had been given by HR. The address is Tiffany...@FredMeyer.com. I said I would e-mail her and share the address with neighbors who were also upset.
The pharmacist said the easiest thing for us to do is to continue to use a Fred Meyer or QFC pharmacy as they are all on the same system and we won't have to transfer prescriptions to another store system. I bet the pharmacy at QFC will be swamped.
Please consider writing to Tiffany Sanders as well as todd.k...@fredmeyer.com.
Thank you, Martina and Megan!
Sandra
From: sandra...@seanet.com <sandra...@seanet.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2025 1:53 PM
Subject: More on the Fred Meyer Closure--AND the Lake City Emergency Hub has an Open House and Drill this Saturday August 23 from 10 a.m. to noon
Importance: High
Hello, all! Here is more on the Fred Meyer situation.
Sue Pope writes: The local food bank will really feel the loss as Fred Meyer gives a ton of food to them.
Excellent point! Thank you, Sue!
Dorothy Darrow writes:
FYI, I provided a number to contact Fred Meyer corporate and here is the response one caller got:
I called the corporate switchboard and was able to talk to a human very quickly. She said she would make a note about me calling to ask Kroger to reconsider closing the Lake City store. I figure the more people who call the better chance we might have to get them to change their minds. At least I know I tried something. Thank you for providing this information.
Call Center
Open Mon. – Fri. 7 a.m. – Midnight, EST
Sat – Sun. 7 a.m. – 9:30 p.m., EST
1-800-KRO-GERS
Corporate Switchboard
Also, here is president's email address:
To contact Todd Kammeyer, send an email to todd.k...@fredmeyer.com.
Thank you, Dorothy! Please do call and email Fred Meyer corporate (politely) to let them know how important our Fred Meyer store is to all of us, and to ask them to reconsider the decision to close it. We can at least make our voices heard!
Sandra
From: sandra...@seanet.com <sandra...@seanet.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2025 10:59 AM
Subject: FW: Fred Meyer Closure--AND the Lake City Emergency Hub has an Open House and Drill this Saturday August 23 from 10 a.m. to noon
Importance: High
Hello, all! Please see Susanna Cunningham’s important email below. The Fred Meyer closure would also force the Lake City Emergency Hub to find a new location.
NOTE: As it happens, the Lake City Emergency Hub has an Open House and Drill in the Fred Meyer parking lot this Saturday morning from 10 - 12 noon, and they would love to have the protesters and all interested to come by and learn about the Hub and preparation for disasters.
Details are below. Please come to the Fred Meyer on Saturday August 23, and bring your protest signs!
Sandra
From: Susanna L Cunningham <susa...@me.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2025 10:31 AM
To: Perkins Sandra Lynn (san...@slplaw.net) <sandra...@seanet.com>
Subject: Fred Meyer Closure--AND the Lake City Emergency Hub
Importance: High
Sandra, Also the Lake City Emergency Hub will be impacted by this closure since our shipping container with the supplies needed to run the Hub is located on the lower Fred Meyer parking lot. We will need to find a new location so we can continue to serve our community.
As it happens, we have an Open House and Drill this Saturday morning from 10 - 12 noon and would love to have the protesters and all interested to come by and learn about the Hub and preparation for disasters.
The Hub is located in the the southwest corner of the lower Fred Meyer parking lot (corner of Lake City way and NE 130th) in a blue shipping container.
Thank you for keeping us all up to date with neighborhood issues.
Susanna
On Aug 21, 2025, at 8:50 AM, sandra...@seanet.com wrote:
Hello, all! Our neighbor Nancy Cannon asked me to send her email below out to the group. She is passing on suggestions from Fred Meyer employees about what we can do to retain the store.
My husband and I were at the Fred Meyer this morning. Our checker (whom we had not previously met) told us the store would be closing on October 17. That is less than two months away.
I also recommend contacting our District 5 City Council representative, Debora Juarez (appointed by City Council when Cathy Moore stepped down in early July). debora...@seattle.gov
The two at-large City Council members may also help: Sara Nelson, sara....@seattle.gov, and Alexis Mercedes Rinck, alexismerc...@seattle.gov.
We can ask them to intervene to see if there are any steps that can be taken that would keep the Fred Meyer open. It is a crucial pillar of our neighborhood.
I agree that the closure of the Lake City Fred Meyer is disastrous for our area. We have already lost a lot of local businesses, but this closure is a huge blow. It will be especially hard on our low-income neighbors. I think that saving the store is a longshot, but it is worth a try.
I have received a lot of emails about pharmacy alternatives. They are all over the map (literally and figuratively). I will try to send out a summary this weekend. (I am catching up at the office after a long vacation.)
Thanks! Sandra
From: Nancy Cannon <nanc...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2025 6:30 PM
To: Riviera Sandra Perkins <sandra...@seanet.com>
Subject: Re: List & Fred Meyer
Hi Sandra
I was in FM today and picked up a few ideas from employees; might be worth passing these on so we can at least try to retain the store:
Pass the word that there will be a community gathering on Saturday, with some Lake City businesses participating. People should stop by between 9-6. Carrying signs encouraged.
Contact:
1. Seattle Times and TV news re the community gathering & encourage them to cover the event.
2. Mayor’s office-
Seattle needs to help Lake City, which already deals with too many empty storefronts, too much homelessness, too much crime and debris. An empty FM will exacerbate all of these problems.
Stress that many elderly and/or low income people rely on the FM in Lake City. There are no other conveniently located stores.
City needs to work with FM to find a solution.
3. Kroger-
A. Encourage them to downsize to just one floor. Re: groceries-people dont need as many different forms/amounts/choices of the same products, so curating would allow some of the huge space on one level to accommodate some of the department store type of merchandise that we do need.
The other floor could be rented out to help the bottom line. (Maybe put in a dozen pickleball courts-more space is needed for indoor play.)
B. Threaten to boycott all Kroger stores. Shop at Safeway, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Met Mkt. . .anywhere but QFC.
Nancy
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