on the cover / By Bob Doran

Grocers and lifestyles

(June 21, 2007) H umboldt County is a “natural” sort of place. And we’re not just talking forests, rivers, seashores and mountains — when it comes to food, we’re ahead of the curve on the suddenly hip natural trend. We have fruit and vegetable farmers who have been completely organic for decades, dairies and cattle ranchers producing grass-fed beef and organic milk, and a cadre of shoppers who have grown used to stores that stray far from conventional fare.

While many in the rest of the country are just now tuning into the benefits of natural foods through the rapid growth of chains like Whole Foods Market, we have stores like the Co-op, Eureka Natural Foods and Wildberries that have been serving us for years — decades, in fact. Even neighborhood markets like Murphy’s have long-established ties with local growers and offer natural and organic products.

Organic produce island at the “Lifestyle” remodeled McKinleyville Safeway. photo by Bob Doran

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Meanwhile, up the road in McKinleyville, a national grocery chain is making its bid for its share of that natural market by revamping its look and adding organics to its product line. A recent “grand reopening” heralded a transformation of sorts.

As soon as you walk in the door you know it’s not your same old neighborhood Safeway. A riot of color from an island of flowers greets you. Next to it a display of artfully arranged fruit — nectarines and grapes in wooden boxes, shining apples in wooden barrels — suggest an old country store. Straight ahead a sign reading, “Safeway — ingredients for life,” hangs above a cold case full of packaged salad greens, many of them marked with an “O” for organic.

The reworked produce section just inside the door shows the most dramatic change. Faux wood floors have replaced the linoleum. More wooden cases stacked with decorative fruit and vegetable arrays are illuminated by subdued spotlights, positively warm in contrast to the previous fluorescents. Banners showing the hands of what appear to be real working farmers draw you to an island of organic produce. Signage on the wall suggests that the food here is “fresh from the fields.”

The overall effect suggests that this remodeled store in McKinleyville has gone organic and natural and is now akin to stores like the Co-op and Wildberries. Not that it shares their design — in fact the new Safeway look is much more like a store from the Whole Foods chain, and intentionally so.

According to Esperanza Greenwood, a flack from Safeway’s California headquarters in Pleasanton, the refurbishing of the McKinleyville store is one step in a major transition in the works throughout the chain. “It’s more than just a paint job,” Greenwood says. “Safeway is remodeling all its stores across the country in what we call the ‘lifestyle’ format, in response to our customers’ wants and desires.” Safeway’s plan is to convert all its stores to the format by 2009.

Locally, that means more than a Whole Foods-esque produce section. More organic products are offered storewide, including Safeway’s new instore brand, O Organics, launched last year. There’s also an expanded deli, a new olive bar, a soup cart, a cheese table “with an international selection” and a “full service” bakery with cakes, “artisan” breads and bagels.

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