For so long, the Tidyman’s building sat abandoned. But last week, with the opening of Super 1 Foods, it sprung back to life. And judging by the long lines, locals were ready for a new grocery store in downtown Kalispell. The 115 jobs are nice too.
Less than a week before Super 1’s grand opening, Safeway in Whitefish opened its doors following a 10-month remodel period. The store provided 125 jobs, 92 of which were new while the remaining 33 were previous employees.
At a time when Flathead County’s unemployment level is still hovering just below double digits, the 240 jobs are welcome news. Super 1’s downtown store director Dennis Sweeney, who has been director of nine grocery stores, said in the past he has received only a handful of applications for advertised positions. This time, he conducted more than 800 personal interviews with eager applicants.
Due to the heavy traffic at the store thus far, he is already looking at the possibility of adding new jobs. He doesn’t think there will be any shortage of applicants.
“If it stays like this, we’ll be hiring more,” Sweeney said.
Super 1 Foods has stores in Idaho, Washington and Montana, including branches in Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Evergreen. When the downtown location opened, it brought on 50 employees from the other local branches and then hired 65 new employees. Fifty more employees were hired to fill the gaps at the other stores.
The downtown store, located on First Avenue East, is 52,800 square feet, most of which is dedicated to the sales floor. It has a from-scratch bakery where all baked goods are made in-house. Sweeney said most larger chains have “thaw-and-serve” bakeries. The store also has a video store, salad and olive bar, espresso center, meat and seafood counter, European-style deli and the largest organic produce selection of any of the stores in Super 1’s chain.
Joe Unterreiner, president of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, said the arrival of Super 1 downtown could spur growth in the surrounding area. Right next door, the old Dollar Store sits unused.
“It’s great to see something in that building,” Unterreiner said. “I’m really excited.”
Safeway, located on U.S. Highway 93 South in Whitefish, is 52,226 square feet, more than 20,000 feet larger than before the remodel, said Cherie Myers, director of public and government affairs. The $17-million renovation added a Starbucks and expanded all other areas of the store. Like with Super 1, Safeway officials have recognized the increased demand for organic foods and expanded their selection accordingly.
“It has all the bells and whistles you want,” Myers said. “It’s just a gorgeous store.”
Safeway, like Super 1 in Kalispell, has seen heavy traffic since its re-opening.
“Things are going fabulously well,” Myers said.
The Kalispell area now has five major grocery stores: Albertsons, Rosauers, Smith’s, Super 1 in Evergreen and Super 1 downtown. Whitefish has two: Safeway and Super 1. Both towns have an assortment of smaller or organic stores as well.
By next year, Kalispell will also have a Wal-Mart Supercenter in the Hutton Ranch Plaza north of town. Sweeney said he believes the area has the population base to support five grocery stores and the Wal-Mart, but he acknowledges that the Supercenter will put a strain on business.
“Wal-Mart’s always a concern,” Sweeney said. “It’s going to affect everybody. They always do.”
In the meantime, Sweeney hopes his store continues to build up a loyal customer base. The first day the store opened, at least 3,000 people came through the front doors, Sweeney said. The following days were nearly as busy.
“The turnout’s been outstanding,” Sweeney said. “That’s what we were hoping for.”