When the decision was made to locate a Grocery Outlet store in part of the space in the North Sound Center recently vacated by Cost Cutter, a search began for the store’s operator. Ferndale resident and store operator for the Bellingham Grocery Outlet, Troy Clark, was seen by many on the sidelines as an obvious choice.
The company did approach the Clarks with the opportunity. But that meant they would have to sell their stake in the Bellingham store. With so many years invested in the facility, customers and employees, that was too hard to do and they chose to pass.
But Larry Brown, current store operator of the Lynnwood Grocery Outlet, jumped at the opportunity to come to Ferndale. Brown expects to be up in Ferndale mid-June and is looking forward to a soft opening in late July with a grand opening celebration in August.
Clark said, “We look forward to the opening of the Ferndale store and helping them get on their feet. They’re good people.”
Melissa Porter the vice-president of marketing for Grocery Outlet pointed out, “This location is going to be large by Grocery Outlet standards. So you can expect a lot of variety.” About Brown she stated, “We are excited to have an experienced store operator come into the Ferndale location. He can be expected to be on top of acquiring the best products and deals.”