The long-awaited upgrades to Rosslyn’s aging Safeway are almost done, store staff say.
Customers may have already noticed several changes in the store at 1525 Wilson Blvd, also known as the “Subterranean Safeway.” The Starbucks counter is now located by the front doors, rebuilt with the coffee company’s trademark white subway tiles.
Today (Thursday) people queued in long lines for coffee at 8 a.m. and a store employee joked that customers were already “wearing the new Starbucks out.”
Inside the Rosslyn store is also a seafood department — the location’s first — situated in the rear next to the new “Butcher Block” section with sliced meats.
The frozen section also has new freezers. Shelves in several aisles were also replaced with new ones placed wide apart and lit by LED strips. New self-checkout machines have joined the check-out aisles.
Store managers have also expanded the produce section, housing the fruits and vegetables in new wooden displays.
Construction continues in the deli and bakery section of the store, which staff told ARLnow is being expanded to include a flower section and curve around the wide alcove under the street windows.
The Rosslyn Business Improvement District said previously that the upgrades would be completed this spring.
Safeway replaced the tile floor with concrete, added the self check-out machines, and began replacing the raising aisle shelves in January “to provide more space for a greater variety of products.”
Rosslyn residents has long requested renovations on the store, which has operated out of the location since 1962.
Neighborhoods previously told the BID that “better grocery stores” was a top priority for the neighborhood.