Rite Aid to Bartell Conversion

[tkaye]

In passing the James Center Rite Aid in Tacoma, I noticed the exterior signage had been taken down and there were a couple of yellow and black banners out front. One said "Appearances can be deceiving" and the other said something like "We're building a new pharmacy for you." There is at least one trailer out back.

I checked the city's permitting website and there was a permit issued in December for "Bartell Drugs Interior Tenant Improvement Limited Remodel" and a sign permit for "Bartell Tacoma" issued last month. This location still had its original 1999 interior and, the last time I visited, it frankly looked like it had one front in the grave.

Interesting...

[storewanderer]

I wonder if they are consolidating an existing Bartell into this location.

[tkaye]

I wonder if they are consolidating an existing Bartell into this location.

The University Place Bartell is about a mile to the southwest. It is across the street from a Walgreens that does far more business, so it's possible. An Indigo Urgent Care just moved into an adjacent storefront, though, so I'd have to think that gave it a boost. (The prototype Indigo was at James Center but its space is being taken over by specialty offices by parent MultiCare.)

The other Bartell is three miles east at Sixth and Union. This location is a store that Rite Aid built in 2000 but sold to Bartell before opening. (They turned the diamond windows into squares but left the blue-framed entrance doors.) It's in a dense neighborhood that's more like a site they would have in Seattle and I don't think the clientele would carry over to the more suburban James Center.

[Super S]

In any case, this is an interesting development. Especially after Rite Aid spent all that money on sign conversions. It makes me wonder though if they are rebranding a location as a "test" to see if sales improve. I know some other Rite Aid locations have placed help wanted ads as "The Bartell Drug Company" over the past year, including areas of Washington where Bartell stores have never operated.

[storewanderer]

This is also interesting in that they have largely stopped remodeling stores, but this constitutes a store remodel.

[marshd1000]

I was in University Place tonight and went to that Bartell Drugs on Bridgeport Way. That store’s lease is up. So there are a lot of empty shelves and that store is closing by June 1st. It is being consolidated into the James Center Rite Aid building. I also noticed that they are integrating local brands that Bartell usually stocks.