Pierce County island’s popular store closed abruptly. Residents find solution
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- Anderson Island General Store abruptly closed in February, after 50 years.
- A newly formed Anderson Island Food Cooperative plans to reopen the store and gas station.
- AIFC hopes to reopen as a co-op in six months.
Five months after The News Tribune reported that the only store and gas station on Anderson Island closed abruptly after 50 years, plans are moving forward to revive it as a community co-op.
A newly formed nonprofit, the Anderson Island Food Cooperative (AIFC), seeks to “build a community-owned cooperative that restores essential grocery, food and fuel services back to our island home,” according to a statement published last week.
AIFC is working with the property owner and past store owner, in addition to island residents, to secure funding to reopen the store at 10202 Eckenstam Johnson Road. The plan is to open a grocery store and gas station only, not a cafe.
“Together, we are creating a place that truly belongs to us,” AIFC said in a statement July 8. “The AIFC Steering Committee is working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this store to life as swiftly and thoughtfully as possible … Thank you for your patience, your resilience, your voice and your enduring island spirit. We can’t wait to open these doors together and celebrate a bright, sustainable future for Anderson Island.”
Anderson Island Citizen Advisory Board chair Jeremy Kamel told The News Tribune on Monday the hope is to reopen the store in six months, but it might take longer. The idea is the new co-op would be supported through membership fees and sales, he said.
Summer island visitors should plan to bring all the food and drinks they’ll need from the mainland, Kamel said. Retired fire chief Jim Bixler sells ice cream and ice on the island with Chief’s Island Ice Cream. Several residents operate store-to-door grocery deliveries. It is illegal to carry gasoline on the Anderson Island ferry, a rule Pierce County isn’t planning to change soon.
About 1,500 residents live on Anderson Island full-time, with the island’s population swelling to more than 5,000 in the summer months, as previously reported by The News Tribune. Residents and visitors must take the ferry to Steilacoom to get groceries now, an added inconvenience for many retirees and the elderly.
What comes next?
In a couple of weeks, AIFC plans to host an in-person island town hall about the issue (with a remote option), said AIFC steering committee member Tom Barker.
AIFC is working to bring back reliable gas and fuel services to the island and has spoken with the Northwest Cooperative Development Center in Olympia for help starting a successful co-op, Barker said Monday. The AIFC had its first weekly steering committee meeting last week, Barker said.
The idea is that co-op members would receive discounts, and AIFC would get community input about what services should be offered and what goods should be sold, Barker said.
As previously reported by The News Tribune, the former owner of the Anderson Island Store struggled to operate on thin margins, with fewer sales in recent years and the cost of goods going up. When asked about the new store’s business model, Barker said AIFC is developing the details of what pricing would look like and supply logistics. AIFC is also exploring grant options, he said.
“You have to understand that it’s a difficult economic situation to operate a small store on a rural island in Puget Sound. So your expectations really can’t be, you know, wild profits. Your expectation needs to be an organization that is kind of part of the community,” Barker said, noting that AIFC might explore developing relationships with local farmers and other opportunities “to do things that are a little bit different than the typical grocery model.”
“You ain’t never going to be Safeway on a small island, right?” he said. “You need to be something different.”
Moving forward, AIFC will establish the governance and legal framework of the co-op, as well as conducting community outreach and a marketing campaign, Barker said. Depending on the type of food and goods offered, AIFC will have to work with the county to secure the right permits, he said.
It couldn’t come sooner for residents. Barker said he’s glad it’s stopped raining “because my lawnmowers are all out of gas.”
“Everybody says we need a store, so there’s a huge demand for it, just on the basic necessities kind of things,” he said. “But it’s a pretty social island. There’s a need for community and community gathering places, and the general store tends to be one of the main gathering spots.”
When asked why AIFC is not considering opening a cafe right away, Barker said, “it’s just a lot to manage three separate businesses” that require their own permits, employees and facilities.
“The urgent need is to provide groceries and fuel to the island,” he said. “Something will happen in the longer term … but at this point, we’re very focused on picking our battles and getting this thing running.”
