There have only been three owners of Rosedale Market, formerly known as Eide’s, the landmark grocery store at the bend of Rosedale Street and 86th Avenue.

There could soon be a fourth.

Ken and Carol VanWinkle have owned the store since 2004, when they purchased it — along with another couple who have since left the business — from the store’s only owners after the original Eide family. A portrait of the Eide matriarch still hangs in the market’s back corner.

“Everyone remembers Mrs. Eide,” Ken VanWinkle said.

The store has attracted a consistent neighborhood clientele since it first opened in the mid-1940s, and VanWinkle said many of his customers have been patrons of the market since then.

He and his wife were customers themselves for two decades; their home is just a mile away.
VanWinkle retired nine years ago from his job as a pilot for American Airlines. Six months later, the store came up for sale.

“We decided it would be a great adventure, so we bought it,” VanWinkle said.

Now, the time has come to pass the store along to new owners, he said.

“It’s a time-consuming enterprise,” VanWinkle said. “We’re ready to retire again.”

The VanWinkles made significant changes to the store during their time as owners. First, they changed its name to Rosedale Market. They also remodeled much of the space, including rearranging some of the walls to open up more room, moving the front counter, installing a new floor and replacing the owners’ living quarters at the back of the store with a large space for a deli with breakfast and lunch service, espresso stand and seating area. A deli counter and several tables and chairs now fill the space.

VanWinkle said many of the changes came from the suggestions of his longtime customers.

“There’s been wonderful community support, and that’s absolutely the key to our success,” he said. “We try to be cognizant of their needs and what they’re asking for.”

That includes the makeup of the market’s products, which VanWinkle said he tries to keep as local as possible. The store currently offers beer from 7 Seas Brewing Company, beef from Palms Ranch, Williams Family Salsa and Cascade Bagels, among other locally-made products.

A wine corner, another of the VanWinkles’ additions, offers products from some nearby vineyards, and the sitting area features paintings for sale from local artists.

VanWinkle said he’ll miss the community connection he’s built with the store. He frequently rings up customers at the register, talks with regulars and introduces himself to new visitors.

“That’s the place that really makes this all worthwhile,” he said of his interactions at the front counter.

The store has been on the market for about a year, although VanWinkle said the economy is still not particularly friendly toward the sale of a grocery store. He and Carol would like to sell the store to another owner who understands the Rosedale Market is, and has been, an important gathering place.

“We’re very hopeful that a local family will step up and keep this place as it is,” VanWinkle said. “That’s our ultimate goal.”

When the store is sold, VanWinkle said he and his wife still plan to be regular presences at the register — from the other side.

“It’s been our community store for 20 years, that’s not going to change,” he said. “We’ll be here.”

Reporter Will Livesley-O’Neill can be reached at 253-358-4152 or by email at will.livesley-oneill@gateline.com. Follow him on Twitter, @gateway_will.