Will the infamous messages on the Broadway Theater marquee become a thing of the past? (Image: CHS)
A wave of store closures shuttering drugstores across Seattle — and the country — will hit Capitol Hill. Customers will be left scrambling. Employees will lose their jobs.
Customers are being told Thursday they will need to move their prescriptions to another pharmacy — the entire Pike and Broadway Bartell Drugs will close in early December in the Harvard Market shopping center.
Customers also tell CHS the Rite Aid at the busy intersection of Broadway, John, and E Olive Way across from Capitol Hill Station won’t be an option — it is closing, too.
Rite Aid company officials haven’t confirmed details of the planned closures with CHS but customers say they are being informed of the impending Broadway/Pike shutdown and employees have said the Broadway Rite Aid will also be part of the closure.
It is another blow for customers of the drugstores after Rite Aid acquired the Seattle-founded Bartell company in 2020. It has been nothing but bad news since as the Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid chain filed for bankruptcy to settle federal and state opioid lawsuits.
The closures join a wave of announced shutdowns already underway that also include the Madison Bartell Drugs on First Hill.
Pharmacy options for customers will include the Harvard Market QFC, the Broadway Market QFC, area Safeways, a Walgreens Community Pharmacy outlet on 11th Ave, and Walgreens locations on Broadway and 15th Ave E. The 15th Ave E Walgreens location has been the subject of closure rumors repeatedly over the years since the pandemic with occasional bouts of low staffing and poorly stocked shelves.
Walgreens has also faces ongoing legal ramifications over opioid sales.
New services including by-mail delivery can also sometimes be an option as customers navigate the complicated nexus of retail, insurance, and health needs.
The downfall of the local Bartell chain after the takeover has been especially disheartening and the area narrowly dodged yet another impactful shutdown. Bartell Drugs had been lined up to be the centerpiece retailer in the Midtown Center mixed-use redevelopment at 23rd and Union. The chain’s pullout from the project made way for Black arts and cultural center Arté Noir to become the development’s anchor tenant.
The Broadway Bartell Drugs shutdown will put a hole in the retail mix at the Harvard Market shopping center on the upper level above the complex’s ground-level QFC. We’re checking with the center’s ownership to learn more. UPDATE: An ownership representative said he was not aware of the closure plans.
Meanwhile, shuttering the Broadway Rite Aid will leave the old Broadway Theater building and the old movie theater marquee that glows above the intersection darkened for the first time since the 1990s.
Just across from the busy transit, retail, and residential development of Capitol Hill Station, the corner remains held by its longtime real estate investors and could also be a prime candidate for change. Next door, an eight-story project is being lined up for the All-Seasons dry cleaners property — after a lengthy soil remediation process.
Rite Aid company officials have not yet confirmed the Broadway closures publicly. UPDATE: Local store management is referring questions on the situation to its corporate headquarters.
UPDATE 11/17/2023: Company officials have finally confirmed the Pike/Broadway Bartell Drugs closure saying the shutdown is part of efforts “to further reduce rent expense and strengthen overall financial performance.” The statement did not clarify the status of the Broadway Rite Aid. No representatives for the company have made themselves available for questions and CHS was directed to again email Rite Aid’s general media relations account with any further questions.
The rest of the statement is below:
We apologize for the delay in our response. Rite Aid regularly assesses its retail footprint to ensure we are operating efficiently while meeting the needs of our customers, communities, associates and overall business.
In connection with the court-supervised process, we notified the Court of certain underperforming stores we are closing to further reduce rent expense and strengthen overall financial performance.
The Harvard Market Bartell Drugs is scheduled to close on Tuesday, November 28th.
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Thanks for ruining Bartells, Rite Aid.
PS there is also a CVS Specialty Pharmacy at 1000 Madison near Boren as well. The Bartells there also is closing.
Maybe CVS can swoop in to one of the vacancies here but it doesn’t seem like drug stores are expanding.
Amazon Prescription service is expanding.
You trust low-ball Bezos with your healthcare? OK.
I think Amazon has enough access to literally every other facet of our lives at this point…
Unfortunately that pharmacy won’t fill for you unless you actually need specialty drugs. I had my normal scripts filled there for years but a while back they told me I needed to transfer them elsewhere since they didn’t qualify.
I thought that too after Rite Aid bought them, but it’s clear now that the Bartells family saw the writing on the wall for retail pharmacy and got out while they could. Rite Aid is only hastening their demise.
That’s terrible news. Bartell’s was my favorite drugstore. If they didn’t things @ the Harvard Market location, I’d go to lower Queen Anne.
I knew it was bad when Bartell’s was taken over by Rite Aid, but I didn’t think it would be this bad.
Won’t miss that Rite Aid, it was always creepy, poorly stocked and the pharmacists didn’t seem to know what they were doing. I went in for a flu shot once and they dithered around so much I left.
This will mean the only drug store on Broadway will be the CVS at BW and Pine, by the Egyptian. It’s okay, but Bartell’s was always better stocked. Note I’m thinking of them more for the store part than the pharmacy.
Shopped many times @ that Bartell’s, was looking forward to do my holiday shopping again there…guess I’d better go soon.
I hear ya. Another pharmacy is the QFC on Broadway. I used it once because it’s much closer for me but immediately switched back to Bartells. Guess I’ll give it another go.
I’ve actually had great experiences with QFC ever since I left Bartell’s after years of of them being my primary pharmacy. It got SO bad at that Bartell’s. Horrible service except for a couple of the techs, and they became nearly unreachable towards the end. QFC took it up on themselves to move ALL of my prescriptions for me when I told them I wanted them to be my primary. What would take Bartell’s minimum of a few days took QFC a few hours. Good luck with finding a new place. I know how hard it can be.
I was actually thinking of separate drug stores, not the “drug store in a grocery store,” which is why I didn’t mention the QFC BW Market pharmacy in my orig post. I found the “drug store” part of Bartell’s better stocked than QFC’s (for ex, the QFC greatly reduced hair dye). I never used Bartell’s as a pharmacy though. I have used QFC w/no problems.
It’s a Walgreens there. Not really the greatest one but maybe they will have incentive to improve.
What’s the point of a walkability score in the 90s if the neighborhood has nothing left open to walk to? You can’t have an Urbanist fantasy if all you do is enable an economy full of shuttered stores and crime and drug dealer open warfare.
You know businesses are thickly packed around both these locations and even with pandemic challenges there are few empty commercial spaces in these cores. Meanwhile, online services have more than exploded. They’re becoming economic lifeblood and we need to all figure out what that means for what we dedicate space to and what we don’t. Losing what feels like core services is going to be a hard transition. But you’re wrong about the “shuttered stores” — even amid some of the city challenges you so colorfully describe. Take a walk.
Not too wrong though. If you want Asian cuisine, a dentist, or cell phone shop, Broadway has you covered. If you want a selection of new basic socks or expanded housewares, you have limited options. I’d rather buy basic retail items in person but more often than not, Amazon/online is my best bet to find them. Sorry downtown Target, I’m a regrets shopping in person. That area is far too ‘colorful’ for my tastes.
Exactly. Capitol Hill certainly lacks any actual retail core, unlike Ballard and Fremont, which sadly did not used to be the case. I’m not sure it’s pandemic related so much as an affordability issue, and possibly a safety one, judging from what I’ve heard from the business owners I know in the area who’ve had their windows smashed and had to deal with aggressive people “in crisis” on multiple occasions.
That’s not my experience at all. If you want socks there’s The Cramp, Under4u, NY Exchange, Capitol Thrill, Standard Goods, etc all on or close to Broadway. Housewares you can get at QFC, Pacific Supply, ShopRite, etc all within a few blocks of Broadway.
I seldom have to leave the hill for errands.
I kindly disagree with this. Basic Goldtoe/Fruit of the loom socks. Basic Hanes whitey tighty briefs that the old Fred’s carried upstairs when they had simple clothing. Housewares at the QFC lower floor, Pacific Supply, ShopRite do not have expanded bedding or bathroom that Macy’s would carry downtown. An option for garbage cans or dish racks. U-Village is the best option now that downtown basic mall retail is gone. I just hate walking along Montelake or the UW parking area from the link station – it feels like a wasteland. So, hate on amazon but I can get fresh new high quality feather pillows by 5pm and not have to spend 2 hours doing so.
you can get basic socks at goodwill but that’s probably “too colorful” for you too. so go on destroying our planet and getting all your luxury items delivered to your front door. y’all who complain about how dangerous the hill is should please move to bellevue. thanks!
Way to sock it to them Ms. Goldman. But here’s the thing, if you want to live your urbanist fantasy you will have to live amongst people who don’t necessarily share your fine tuned perspectives. Telling those who disagree with your perception of Hill safety to move to Bellevue is, well, so Bellevue. Please do better.
Yeah, no thanks. Don’t want to run a random gauntlet to get more than likely poor quality socks from what many on the hill call a “for profit-nonprofit, employee taking advantage of, CEO over compensated” thrift store, Unless, people now support Goodwill on the hill to fill the gap for retail items? I’ve read nothing but CEO and capitalism hate for them for years now. .. that they are evil and take advantage of people, has this changed?
Sorry but how often do you need “expanded bedding” or “fresh new high quality feather pillows by 5pm”? That’s sounds more like the needs of a serial killer. Most people, I would think, are buying the things you describe, like, maybe, once a year.
Sounds more like projection coming from you. Are you certain you haven’t entertained fantasies about murdering people?
To add, if you want socks goodwill always has fresh socks (non donated) ready for sale
Yeah no. Fresh socks, not 2nd knock offs. Not to enjoy front of house security escort someone out at Goodwill on Belmont. Not to overhear someone using a dressing room as a latrine. It’s bad enough that I have to check a bag, just over the size of a small bag, at lifelong now. They have socks, not my style of 2nds. Bartell’s had basics of cotten wear at Harvard Market.
i keep reading that Goodwill takes advantage of employees and worker trainees, and the CEO is over compensated. Are the now on the neighborhood safe list?
Yikes, really? Those are the stores that count to you as stylish in Seattle? No wonder we’re a joke to real cities. They’re all so dorky.
The QFC and ShopRite are surprisingly poorly stocked for housewares. I’ve looked at those places for, say, a basic pot, and couldn’t find what I needed, so would have to go downtown to Bed Bath & Beyond. Now that’s gone too.
Yeah so many redundant restaurants. Barely any Italian and the ones that are can be too packed.
You can find basic socks in M2M and everything you need for the kitchen as well.
I’m not dating, that it’s good, that those stores and others are closing, but it happening everywher. Sadly.
You are right!! To go shopping we must drive to bellevue, Lynnwood or southcenter. Seattle city limits has nothing but grocery stores and target for retail.
Back in the 80s–90s, there was a real furniture store on Broadway, a Storables, and other useful retail. It’s not the case that the street never had the shopping you describe. It came and failed. U-Village probably did much to kill it by attracting the better-off Capitol Hill residents those Broadway stores relied on. Prior to its revamping, U-Village was less upscale and Broadway was less like the Ave.
You do realize that it’s not the city that decides which stores go where, right? The corporations determine where they want to put their stores. Also, if Seattle isn’t the livable city you dream of, but peer cities are, maybe you should move to one of those cities?
I was interested in reading about places being “thickly packed,” which I must say I’ve not experienced. Where? And there are more than a few empty commercial spaces around.
I do take a walk (I don’t drive) and I agree w/the orig poster who said there was “nowhere to walk to.” Though I’m mostly at the N end of the Hill and not the Pike/Pine area, though they don’t have anything that draws me there.
There used to be a lot of shops I’d patronize. Bookstores. Magazine stores (at one time we had 3 on the Hill!). Value Village. Video stores. Record stores. All the movie theaters. There were furniture stores, office supply stores. The Fred Meyer had more and better housewares than the shrunk section at the QFC does.
Now I don’t see anything I really want to patronize. Clothes stores seem pricey, and don’t carry basics (I wanted comfortable socks; had to go to Ross downtown to find them). Aside from that, it seems there are just a lot of bistros and drinking places. Not a neighborhood with actual shops.
This is really concerning. I had to fill a pretty basic prescription at the Walgreens on Broadway/Pine last week. My doc sent it Monday afternoon. When I hadn’t heard an update from Walgreens by Wednesday, I called and they told me it’d be ready at 4. I showed up at 4:30 to stand in a line that reached all the way to front of the store…and it still wasn’t ready. An hour later it was ready, but the line was just as long. All these pharmacies closing makes me wonder if days-long waits for prescriptions and long lines are going to be the new normal when there’s fewer places for all of us to go. Kudos to all the pharmacists out there working under tough conditions.
I’ve always had decent experiences at the Broadway Market QFC pharmacy. Don’t tell anyone else though for fear of swarming and don’t make any long range plans there. Kroger keeps acting like they want to abandon the rest of their stores in the area. More and more it looks like a hedge fund property.
They have to sell the QFC brand if they merge with Safeway so …
Although one of them could convert to a Kroger or maybe the Broadway Market one could be a small Fred Meyer again or Safeway.
meanwhile the QFC Pharmacy on broadway is getting swamped! Last week they received an RX for me at 2pm and it wasn’t available until 10am the next day.
I loved Bartells until Rite Aid acquired it, and now this. Rip.
This is a bit of a trip on transit, but there’s a nice pharmacy in Madison, madison park pharmacy and wellness center, that opened in response to Pharmaca going bankrupt and the new owner hired back on everyone that lost their job due to the closure, which is great.
Online-wise, CostPlus Drug is a great affordable service for drugs that aren’t controlled.
I’m sure theft contributed to the decision to shutter these locations. That coupled with high rents just added up to these locations barely being profitable if they even were.
These closures have been confirmed by corporate that they are related to the opioid settlement. So no, the “it’s because of freattle” talking point is mute. Please go back to the SeattleWA subreddit.
But obviously they are going to close the stores in which shop lifting is a major issue first. I have been going to the Harvard Exit Bartells for almost 20 years. So much shop lifting daily. I’m really bummed it’s gone, I only found out when I tried to get some last minute tea lights on Friday. The Rite Aid has been pretty bad for as long as can remember.
They are closing the Bartells almost everywhere even suburbs sadly.
Well, shit. I love Bartells, and that one is my preferred store. I will really, really miss the people who work there.
I live in First Hill, Seattle and have shopped Bartells for nineteen years for all my pharmacy needs plus. People are taking meds that are “life saving! No one bothered to offer alternatives. So what now? Think about it, the more people that die from a lack of medicines. now there will be that many more people not shopping. The overspending at grocery stores and pharmacies encourage theft. This doesn’t sound like smart business practices.
I just spoke to one of the regular employees at that rite aide and they said they are not closing. However by the amount of empty shelves and missing stock, I think its inevitable
The lead pharmacist at Bartells today clarified that the Rite Aid is indeed closing Jan. 4th.
According to the myriad of comments on the street, no one knows what is going on especially. the people who work
Hi Ron ,
I just came from Broadway Rite Aide and a Regular worker who I see all the time told me that yep they are closing the beginning of the month around December 4th give or take a few days .
Speaking of insurance needs, Regence/Premera stopped contracting with Kroger pharmacies at the start of 2023, and CVS only works with Aetna now, so refilling any prescriptions in-person will get far more difficult if this comes to pass.
why the heck is my rent going up when the neighborhood is being stripped. i don’t use amazon to shop, i want to do it myself and feel like i’m alive, damnit!
Online shopping like Amazon will eventually destroy most all retail.
Retail theft as a result of the local Progressive Anti-Police failure to blame.
I buy most everything online at Amazon.
Why not? Best prices, free prime shipping and an Amazon Prime account can be used by our entire family of 4.
Not to mention I don’t have to step over or deal with wacked out violent Drug Zombies now camped out along Broadway.
I just hope that the movie theater marquee can be preserved if/when the Broadway RiteAid closes. It’s a great splash of color on the streetscape. I still remember going to movies there back in the day.
By “back in the day” do you mean when Broadway had multiple movie theaters, a well-stocked Fred Meyers department/clothing store, a Gap store, QFC and Safeway, a variety of restaurants and bars? Now we have more housing and fewer amenities. That’s not progress.
A Hallmark and the PBS store – it made gift shopping a lot easier. I agree with everything you wrote. ..I especially miss multiple movie theaters. Last watched Best in Show (or a mighty wind?) where I can now do cardio. :/
One of the worst things to happen to The Hill is when that small Fred Meyer left the Broadway Market so that QFC could move in. It was a great place to get all of the aforesaid items folks are so lamenting on this thread.
Yes!
Yeah like 2 QFC’s 5 blocks from each other.
So even rent is part of they problem here. How shocking.
As someone who worked at the QFCs on the hill for over a decade, I can confirm there isn’t a pharmacy at Harvard market as is claimed in this article, unless there’s been a drastic change in the past year. At any rate, though, losing Bartell to rite aid stung, and I think we saw this coming. Not looking forward to the marquee being dark 😭
Today, mgmt @ the Broadway & E John St Right-Aid told me their last day is Dec 2nd.
I just happened to go to Bartell’s on Sunday, Nov 26. It was the last day. It;s now closed. I am so SAD and MAD at Rite-Aid for doing this.
Can the Walgreens on 15th Ave E join them?
Thanks for writing this. Bartell’s Broadway is/was my regular pharmacy, and I have no idea how they allegedly told customers this was happening, because I am literally finding out now after googling and finding your article. The same phone number for Bartell’s Broadway re-routes to Walgreens now. So from my experience there was zero notice to customers, and I unfortunately am finding this out when I need a med refill on a Sunday. The Walgreens they transferred everything to is not even open on Sunday.