Safeway - Fairfax, VA: A Place for Marketplace

Welcome back to the Shoppes of Battery Mill: the best is what we're all about! Today we head on over to the safe(way) side and explore another one of the D.C. area's grocery stalwarts. What will this Albertsons-owned chain bestow upon us today?

Photos taken September 26, 2020

Store information

• Store name: Willard Way
• Store number: #4001
• Address: 10350 Willard Way, Fairfax, VA 22030
• Opening date: 1978
• Decor package: Lifestyle 3.0 (pictured: Marketplace v2)
• Features: Deli, Floral, Meat & Seafood Counter, Bakery, Pharmacy, Beer & Wine, Café Seating

Crowning Old Town Fairfax (the seat of the illustrious namesake county) to the north just so happens to be a plain old strip mall. The Courthouse Plaza Shopping Center, as said strip mall is known by, is itself crowned by a stately Safeway. Having presumably relocated from a nearby Marina store, this store has been standing as Old Town Fairfax's built-in supermarket for nearly 50 years. Sharing a wooden shingle-clad facade with eclectic businesses like the Fairfax Surf Shop and Title Boxing Club (pictured), Safeway has fronted the center while surprisingly remaining largely intact over the years.

 

Naturally, with the original 1978 exterior sign intact, and the urbanization of the area, the center has been awaiting redevelopment. Those haven't gone through yet, and as thus, here we are.

As of my 2020 visit, this store sported the second iteration of Safeway's circa 1990s "Marketplace" prototype (not to be confused with this Marketplace). For those not in the know, Marketplace was Safeway's early attempt to expand their stores beyond the constraints of the standard American supermarket. The package sought to add a little color to the plain Safeways of the time, as well as add some upscale elements and trim.

With all that being said, let's take a look at a hidden gem of the Northern Virginia retail scene!

Store tour

We kick off the interior tour with a trip to the florist. I like how this department appears sprawling compared to the more compact floral department stores at other retailers. There's also a handy bit of produce together, with the two departments going together quite often at supermarkets.

 

One may notice that the interior is a night-and-day contrast to other nearby locations. Much of Safeway's local store fleet was bestowed with the Lifestyle decor package in the 2000s and 2010s. The Lifestyle prototype thoroughly renovated each location it graced, replacing everything from the lighting scheme to flooring to departmental layouts. All together, these makeovers made these stores more upscale, with the assorted changes giving the spotlight to prepared food (via the Signature Café brand) and expanding the selection of every other department. Have a look at these remodeled Safeways that show just how thorough these projects were!

 

The same could very well have been true for the Fairfax City Safeway, had the California-based grocer invested in this building. Yet, this one, as of 2020, was a polar opposite. The store retained the largely plain layout schemes of classic Safeway, kept the uniform flourescent lighting strips, and held on to the standard white tile (save for a little effort here). Besides the intricate crown mouldings of the Marketplace era, this has largely been true of this location since its opening.

Side note: I recommend checking out the excellent article, "Ingredients for Survival" from Houston Retail. It's got a contextual history of Safeway leading up to Lifestyle's launch, as well as user contributions all about the ins and outs of the concept!

The pink-clad produce section is up next. One advantage of the vanilla Marketplace decor is that it does make the produce contrast in terms of color. 

Next to the produce area is the bakery. Quite the pairing if you ask me! 

The first actual aisle I have chosen to explore is the magazine/greeting cards section. All your paper needs, right here (save for Pepsi Mini cans). This aisle is standard Safeway fare, and does not have the breaks in the aisles as Lifestyle stores tend to have. I will say, that is a rather tall magazine display.

Zipping down Aisle 2, this is what awaits us at the end. 

Party print & paper, greeting cards... and... greeting cards. Magzines... stationery... gift wrap. And then there's the pharmacy. This pharmacy is a lot smaller than what's in Lifestyle-era stores, lacking the fancy waiting rooms and clinics.

 

Aisle 12 checkpoint cleared! This time, treat yourself to breakfast and bake time essentials. On top we have the aisle marker itself, and below we have a look down into the aisle.

 

 What I appreciate about the marker's design is that it's viewable from four different angles: facing into the aisle and diagonally for perimeter shoppers entering in all directions, as well as facing away from the aisle for customer reference purposes. Additionally, the aisle header describes the categories of food that are expected, making it easy for customers to pair multiple items together for the described need. It's a shame Safeway didn't continue this into Lifestyle and beyond, personally. 

 

Down in the aisle, you can see the Marketplace-era gooseneck signs all intact. Those tend to go missing or be replaced with signage from modern decor packages at many retailers, so it's nice to see those remain from the last major remodel. At the end of the aisle, Safeway hosts the lunchmeat freezers, with a nice checkerboard signage enticing customers to shop for their picnic essentials.

All the m_ats you need for an unforgettable luncheon! I like how older supermarkets would also leave an alcove for departments like these, too.

 

 

Wanna know what goes well with meat & poultry? Beer, more specifically White Claws! 

 Here we are at the corner deli. Sure a lot going on here! Let's dissect it all.

 The first thing to see is the amount of product here. With a small space, it's nice that Safeway uses it well! The next portion is the varied walls and ceiling. It directs people to the counter, as well as partitioning off the department with everything else to the left.

Another forgotten art of grocery retail is the mezzanine. In my mind, it's a good idea to keep watch over the store and add another complex decor element challenge.

Finally, we arrive the at the checkouts, greeted by a sweet Express checkout ad. This sign, like the rest of the package gives off a West Coast vibe, at least in my mind. 

For our last interior shot, we stare down the front end's gallery of impulse buys.Ice packs, sunscreen, and seasonal buys are all available here (the latter being set to Halloween goods due to the time of year). Above, we meet up with the mezzanine again. This setup seems to be more peculiar than what's over the deli, like a catwalk enclosed on all four sides. I don't know if there are any offices above and out above the awning, but it likely could have been there as an observation deck before security cameras were commonplace.

For our last photos of the tour, we take a look at these rare Safeway signs, perhaps dating back to the store's opening (with some updates to match the Marketplace package). 

From what I've seen, it is becoming less common for supermarkets to advertise their in-store features outside. Whether signage costs have risen, delis/bakeries/etc. have become mainstream enough, or retailers would rather let the facade speak for itself, I can't tell for sure.

Conclusion

Thank you all for coming along with me today! In the years since this visit, the store was updated to the current Safeway package, as is the case with lots of local stores. However, said remodel appears to be less thorough than others, and the general vibe remains. Nevertheless, it's great that Marketplace lasted as long as it did here for me to capture it in all its glory. Now the biggest test remains if the store will remain intact in place - the latest plans to replace the center have stalled so far.

Anyhow, see you next time. Happy New Years' to all as well!