No, ex-Bartell store won’t become a Trader Joe’s. But new CVS is open nearby
Another legacy retailer has closed in the Tacoma area and left behind a joke for those wondering what’s coming next.
As workers Sept. 30 continued to move out what was left of the Gig Harbor Bartell Drugs in Olympic Village, a sign was posted in the window with a picture of what appeared to be printouts saying, “Coming soon, Trader Joe’s.”
It also added, “Troll level EXPERT. Going to be placing these gems in the window when we close down.”
A worker on site Sept. 30 said they “had no idea” what was coming next to the property. A search of permits for Olympic Village show the most recent filing for tenant improvement at the Gig Harbor shopping center was for a new Bath & Body Works.
Eric Baker is community development director for the city of Gig Harbor. He told The News Tribune via email in response to questions Sept. 30, “City staff has not had any submittals for the Bartells building at Olympic Village nor have heard of any specific plans.“
He added, “The City is in process of revising its code to increase development opportunities on our urban centers like Olympic Village, so they may wait to see what that looks like for any future redevelopment of the site.”
The Seattle Times reported that the Gig Harbor store was one of the three final Washington state stores in the Bartell chain to close. The closure was the result of parent company Rite Aid’s second round of bankruptcy, which led to the sale or closure of most stores. The other two Bartells to close were in Kirkland and Mill Creek.
CVS acquired over 64 Rite Aid locations in Washington, Idaho and Oregon, including 20 Washington Bartell sites, along with acquiring prescriptions from about 625 Rite Aid locations across 15 states.
Just a few blocks away from the vacant Bartell, CVS at Harbor Plaza on Tuesday displayed a sea of red flags in the parking lot touting it is “now open” following a makeover of the former Rite Aid at the site. The site reopened as CVS in mid-August.
Inside, shoppers will notice wider aisles and more space up front than previously designed and a prominent wine section at the front with bottles on display nestled in wooden crates. The pharmacy remains in the back.
Bartell Drugs, founded in 1890 in Seattle, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rite Aid in late 2020, with stores in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Rite Aid filed for its second round of bankruptcy in two years in May of this year.
The Gig Harbor Bartell was the chain’s first in Pierce County, opening in October 1991. Its closure follows the shutdown of Tacoma’s South End Fred Meyer, which had been in operation since the early 1970s, and the impending closure of one of the state’s oldest Walmart stores, in Federal Way.
Previous reporting by The News Tribune contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
