‘Devastating’: Sole grocery store, gas station closes on Pierce County island
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Anderson Island’s sole grocery and gas station closes after 50 years.
- 1,500 year-round residents must now ferry to Steilacoom for fuel, food and basic supplies.
- County explores ferry gasoline permits and social supports for low-income, elderly.
Longtime residents of Anderson Island in Pierce County cycled through the community’s only gas station and general store on Monday. The shelves were bare, and the deli was quiet. After nearly 50 years in operation, the shop closed Tuesday when dwindling revenues couldn’t offset the cost of operation.
Without a gas station, cafe, hardware store, deli, post office or place to buy fresh produce on the eight-mile island, 1,500 full-time residents will have to take the ferry to Steilacoom. The store’s loss is expected to be felt more acutely in the summer months when the island’s population swells to more than 5,000.
As previously reported by The News Tribune, the island has seen a 64% increase in population growth since 2015, and the rate of new home construction has ballooned since 2020. Residents say the existing ferry schedule isn’t keeping up with demand and tickets are pricey.
Barbara Lake, the owner of the Anderson Island General Store, told The News Tribune on Monday that her margins were small. Over the decades, Lake said the store weathered challenging economic times, including the housing market crash of 2008, the COVID-19 pandemic and when the island lost power for several months, forcing islanders to live off generators. More residents have come to rely on Amazon and other delivery services, and with fewer sales in recent years and the cost of goods going up, her small business couldn’t make it, she said.
“This last year and a half has just been really bad. Equipment breaks down, and I can’t afford to get it fixed,” Lake said. “I held on and held on in hopes that the economy and the market would turn so that I would not have to let people down.”
The store’s closure was announced via Facebook on Thursday, Jan. 29. By Monday night it was closed.
Lake operated the store for about 17 years, and the previous owner, Jeff Gillette, ran it for about 30 years prior. Gillette is the property owner who took over ownership of the store again. He told The News Tribune on Tuesday that the business is for sale, and he hopes another store opens there in the future.
The Anderson Island Citizens Advisory Board (AICAB) is hosting a special meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. regarding the store’s closure.
Pierce County, citizen board looks for solutions
AICAB chair Jeremy Kamel said the store’s abrupt closure came as a surprise to many of the island’s residents, but he saw the writing on the wall.
Going ashore for groceries is an added inconvenience for many of the retirees and elderly on Anderson Island— who often don’t leave the island unless they have a doctor’s appointment, Kamel said. A reduced-price fresh meal service that Lake operated out of the Anderson Island General Store has also stopped.
Unlike other ferry systems, Pierce County ferries also do not allow passengers to carry gasoline containers aboard.
Pierce County council member Jani Hitchen said there have been “what-if” conversations about the store closing for a while. The county planning and public works team has been looking into whether permits could be acquired to allow passengers to bring gasoline on the ferry, she said.
“One of my concerns is for vulnerable adults that live on the island. The store really was the only source for fresh foods on the island,” Hitchen said. “We know we have low income, disabled [people] and seniors who just either can’t afford or can’t leave the island — whether they don’t have a vehicle, or they can’t drive anymore, or they just can’t afford the ferry cost.”
Hitchen said she’s asked the county’s Human Services team, through the Aging and Disabilities Resource Center, to connect with vulnerable adults on the island. In the summer months when there’s more island visitors, the county might put out some messaging to remind them there is no store on the island or place to purchase anything they might need when they’re there, she said.
“The county is not responsible for standing up a store. That’s, like, outside of our book of business,” Hitchen said. “So our big thing is, really, how do we support the population that’s there?”
‘Devastating’
In anticipation of the store closing, Kamel saw people stockpiling gasoline and noted that some local delivery services on the island have seen a boost in traffic.
Among the customers who visited the store Monday was Tim Hess, who has lived on the island 12 years. Hess said he would visit the store every day and was particularly fond of the homemade chili, pizza and clam chowder served every Friday.
Linda and William Miller have lived on the island for nine years. When asked about how they felt about the general store closing, William said, “I’d use the word ‘devastating.’”
“That just means when you take the ferry off island, you don’t do one thing — you make a day of it,” William said. “We’re lucky because we both have a car, have the money to go on the ferry. There’s a lot of people here who are not in that position.”
Gillette said he believes islanders will rise to the occasion.
“Anytime there’s a trial like this, a challenge, the islanders always just rise to it,” he said. “We’ve been through several over the years — extended power outages for months, through the storms and all of that. And it actually has been good for people. That’s when all of the small-town quibbling stops and everybody starts caring for each other.”
It’s a good opportunity for people with time on their hands to get out and serve each other, Gillette said.
“People are picking up orders at hardware stores and grocery stores and pharmacies, so there’s already some pitching in,” he said.
