This store must have been quite large for its time, since it has only been expanded a little bit since it opened, once in the 1980s and again in 2017 as part of its most recent remodel, yet it still feels quite large even by modern standards.
Somewhat unusually, this store got a bit of an exterior update during the 2017 remodel, despite not having any additions done to the front of the store. Even more surprising is the style Fred Meyer used here -- the traditional glass vestibule design, the standard design in the 90s and early 2000s, but which hasn't been used as much in recent years.
I'd also like to point out how awful the parking lot looks here. During the remodel, Fred Meyer clearly cut into the pavement quite a bit for whatever reason, but apparently they didn't feel like paying for any more pavement repair than they absolutely had to. Even a little seal coat (aka "black spray paint" 🙂) could have helped quite a bit here...
It's no secret that I like the traditional Fred Meyer glass vestibule style, and the corner vestibule here looks particularly nice. Sadly, the design used here is more like the Shoreline store than the Ballard one, in that the natural light from the vestibules isn't really able to get into the main part of the store.
Other than the vestibules and the new paint scheme, the exterior here still looks largely like what White Front built. My exterior pictures here didn't turn out super well since my iPod camera really doesn't like bright sunlight, but Street View has captured this store quite nicely.
This store has a surprisingly roomy front vestibule on this end, which honestly seems like somewhat underutilized space with just one lone merchandise display. It would also have been quite nice if that whole wall in the foreground could have been glass, so that all the nice natural light in here could have made it into the rest of the store...
With this store, Fred Meyer completely reimagined the standard Fred Meyer welcome sign, with this much less wordy one. Interestingly, this sign calls this the Bellevue Fred Meyer, while other ones in the store call it the Overlake location. Also visible here are some additional local flair pictures, including one of the Bellevue skyline (yes, a suburb with an actual skyline!) and one of the I-90 floating bridges, plus the same old Fred Meyer manager and cart posters that they've been using forever and a (somewhat tacky) giant flag.
The Marketplace (officially Banner) decor that this store received in the 2017 remodel is already sorta visible here. Before the remodel, it appears to have had the Fred Meyer block script decor, per this Yelp picture.
Turing around to the left, here's the store's Starbucks cafe -- a bit more than just a kiosk here! Like many newer stores, this store has essentially a whole Starbucks coffeeshop inside it, including its own ample seating area. It's interesting to see how well the standard Starbucks decor (the woodgrain around their sign in particular) goes with the store's decor.
The first service department along the right-hand wall is the store's sushi department, here apparently expanded to include a whole range of Asian cuisines. (Rather strange to see that proper noun in lowercase on the sign...) The store's cafe seating area is also located in this part of the store.
This portion of the store, with the lower ceiling, was part of the 1980s expansion. This end of the store was always home to groceries, but I'm not sure what the low-ceiling area was originally intended for.
Just past the sushi bar is the Bistro department, what Kroger has taken to calling their prepared foods sections lately. Interestingly, this bit of decor is shared with the Fresh and Local decor package, though I believe it originated with Marketplace decor. Interestingly, instead of the 2012-style (?) illuminated menu boards that seem to be somewhat common, this store has computer screens, something I haven't seen Kroger use very often.
Kroger really seems to like fully spelling out "delicatessen" in their stores these days, which I find a little bit dumb in that no one (at least in this part of the world) uses that term in normal conversation. Anyways, pretty standard Marketplace decor here, though that bread sign on the angled wall does look a little out of place as I don't recall having seen a sign like that elsewhere in this store, or any other Marketplace-decor store for that matter.
The back corner of the building here is the newest (2017) addition, though it's not super obvious where the line is. Still pretty standard Marketplace decor here... That being said, this is certainly my favorite Fred Meyer decor so far, and this store looks particularly good with it (though I'm sure it doesn't hurt that it only reopened with Marketplace decor about six months before I took these pictures, so everything was still shiny and new!).
The back corner of the building here is the newest (2017) addition, though it's not super obvious where the line is. Still pretty standard Marketplace decor here... That being said, this is certainly my favorite Fred Meyer decor so far, and this store looks particularly good with it (though I'm sure it doesn't hurt that it only reopened with Marketplace decor about six months before I took these pictures, so everything was still shiny and new!).
This is part 1 of a five-part weekly series for this store.
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