Beyond the Petsmart, we find what's probably the most interesting (and certainly most popular) part of this shopping center -- the Asian Food Center grocery store. This place has a very interesting history -- you can probably tell from the facade that it was formerly
a Kmart (probably the only one in Seattle), which closed in 2013 and was split up into the Asian Food Center and neighboring Hobby Lobby in 2014-15. But this store was around even before Kmart -- it was built in 1967 or 68 (sources differ) as a
White Front, a short-lived California-based chain that eventually got wrapped up in the complicated series of buyouts that eventually ended up with Fred Meyer. (The
Overlake Fred Meyer is probably a former White Front, though the series of mergers, splits, buyouts, closures,... in Seattle-area discount/departnent stores is far too convoluted for me to be sure of, well, anything in that sphere!) The Seattle PI has
an article with a handful of pictures from the Kmart's closing, along with an aerial view of the White Front from when it opened.
Regarding Asian Food Center, I'm not entirely sure of its history, especially since the super-generic name makes it very difficult to research. Further complicating matters,
its website refers to the company as Asian Family Market, which is the name of an older, apparently related store in Bellevue. What I do know is that this is one of the most popular Asian grocery stores in the region, and one of my coworkers (who is from China) apparently shops here a lot -- which did make me a little nervous getting pictures of this place! (Thankfully, nothing happened -- at least on that front...)
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