By Larry Vogel
The recent news that Petosa’s Family Grocer, an Edmonds institution since 1986, is closing its doors on Feb. 28 left many downtown residents in shock. But according to Bill Wilson of Wilson Investments, property manager for the building, prospects for the space to continue as a full-service grocery are good.
This comes as welcome news to the many downtown residents who depend on Petosa’s for everything from basic groceries to affordable single-portion hot meals.
“Our goal is to keep a full-service grocery in downtown Edmonds,” Wilson said. “We have several experienced grocery operators looking seriously at the site. Negotiations are ongoing, so while we can’t comment now we hope to have some good news within the next several weeks.
“Both the owner and property manager are committed to keeping the doors open, and making the transition from Petosa’s to a new operator as smooth and seamless as possible,” he said.
According to Wilson, Edmonds citizens should look for some changes with a new operator. He said to expect a contemporary new store offering an updated inventory based on market survey data, with the stock and selection better keyed to the needs of the community.
Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling is a regular at Petosa’s deli counter, often picking up a sandwich on the run to eat at his desk in City Hall.
“I will miss Petosa’s very much,” he said. “But I’m pleased and gratified at the effort being put into keeping a grocery store in the downtown core.”
“For the past 26 years, Petosa’s has been an anchor for downtown Edmonds,” Earling said. “As the only full-service grocery within walking distance of our downtown business core, Petosa’s has provided an integral thread in the fabric of our community. We will always be indebted to the Petosa family.”
This is sad news! I will miss the Petosa family and staff with their friendly faces and helpful attitudes.
Good to hear this encouraging news.
This is good news…and while I’ll miss the Petosa family and staff, another small grocery will be most welcome in the downtown core.
Who is the owner?
The owners of the property are Howard & Donita Wilson.
The times they keep on a changing. When I visited Edmonds the summer of 1982, deciding whether to move here, I sat at a table outside this grocery store. So this grocery has been here since at least then, if not long before. Now, as a 30-year Edmonds resident, I recall that the Waterfront Antique place was one of the last local grocery stores (it was a Safeway store–having been moved many, many years before from 5th and Main, as I was told, to what became in the 1980s-early 1990s a pharmacy, to what it is today). The gas station/mini-mart kitty-corner from Engel’s Pub is perhaps the last downtown “grocery store.”
And that Safeway store, before it moved to what is today the Waterfront Antique Mall, was originally located during at least the 1930s at 5th and Main.