Folks who’ve been without groceries for nearly two years since Safeway closed its location across from the Metro station on Rhode Island Avenue will soon be able to shop again: Discount chain store Save-A-Lot has just signed a lease, and hopes to open by late spring or early summer.
The closest stores at the moment are in Hyattsville, Seat Pleasant, and Bladensburg, Maryland. But if you want to get a sense of what the store will sell, visit a Murry’s on Georgia Avenue or H Street: The more familiar grocer is a licensee of Save-A-Lot (which is owned by Supervalu) and the new store will carry Murry’s brand foods, a company representative said.
The Save-A-Lot will be 12,000 square feet, slightly smaller than the Safeway. The landlord B&R Associates, which has owned the massive property since at least 1984, is apparently looking for another big retailer to take up the rest of the space.
All of which might disappoint the those looking for some higher-end options in the neighborhood, right across from the new Rhode Island Row—-or, better yet, someone to buy the property and put a new mixed-use development there. Looks like in the eyes of the landlord at least, the time isn’t quite ripe.
UPDATE, 7:05 p.m. – A commenter points out that there is also a Giant Foods across Rhode Island Avenue. So no, it’s not exactly a food desert.