Kalispell Albertson's gets fresh look

The lobster tank is gone, replaced by a sushi counter and a greater variety of fresh seafood. Sections holding wine, beer, specialty cheese and pre-cut fruit are growing in size. Starbucks has landed.

The Kalispell Albertson’s is getting a long overdue makeover.

The long aisles that comprise the bulk of the center of the store are being shortened in many places, and the open space around the edge of the store is being filled with taller, newer displays. The result will be more fresh produce, meat, seafood, baked goods and local products.

Store manager Ramon Gomez said one goal of the remodel is to usher the store into the modern era. He said the grocery also hopes to participate in the ongoing renaissance of the west side of Kalispell as businesses in the area prepare for when the railroad tracks through downtown are torn out and replaced with an urban pedestrian pathway.

“You’re not going to recognize it,” Gomez said of the revamped store.

The lion’s share of the work so far has happened inside the doors. Updating the store’s facade, including the addition of LED lighting around the building, is set to begin within the next several weeks.

The tile flooring has been ripped up and replaced with polished concrete, and the old flaps that used to cover the refrigerator section have been removed in favor of sleek new glass doors.

The floral section has doubled in size. Directly beside it, customers will notice an expanded organic produce section and a host of new offerings of pre-sliced produce, which Gomez said happens in the store each morning to ensure freshness.

The requisite space was made by lopping off several feet of shelving from the long aisles that make up most of the store. Gomez said customers think the store has grown larger, but it hasn’t.

“We get customers every day saying, ‘How’d you make the store bigger without expanding the building at all?” Gomez said.

The extra space also allowed the store to move the customer service desk to a more centrally located position and bring in a new Starbucks coffee bar.

Another expansion has happened in the bakery. Gomez pointed out that they have one of the top cake decorators in Albertson’s stores, and new shelving and space gives them the chance to showcase her high-caliber skills more effectively.

“It’s just taken off,” Gomez said. “Our bakery has tripled in size.”

The nearby deli now features a hot wing bar with an assortment of dipping sauces, and a soup bar next to that. Across the aisle, a specialty cheese section coats an entire wall.

The former walk-in beer cooler has been replaced with more and taller shelves, which has allowed the store to expand the selection. Gomez said that before, many customers didn’t understand there was a beer cooler they were welcome to walk into, and this would make sure no one missed the selection.

Wine also has been expanded with new shelving.

Building permits filed with the city of Kalispell show the remodel estimated at more than $1 million.

Gomez said the expanded store requires between 20 and 30 new employees, about 10 of which are for the Starbucks. He credited the previous store manager with initiating the process, and said while he was happy to preside over the changes, they wouldn’t have happened without his now-retired predecessor.

A grand opening will be July 11, but customers can shop at the store throughout the remodeling process. The interior changes are in the concluding phase, and the exterior of the store may require customers to be rerouted through a certain entrance.

“Our store needed some love,” Gomez said. “It needed this. This side of town needed this.”

Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.