For the Auburn Reporter
Coastal Farm & Ranch has finalized the purchase of the former Walmart building next to the SuperMall in Auburn, company officials announced this week.
Renovation is more than halfway completed, with a soft opening tentatively scheduled for late May, company officials said.
Coastal, which operates 10 stores throughout Washington and Oregon, is one of the largest farm and ranch companies in the Pacific Northwest. Nearby stores include Mount Vernon, Wenatchee and Yakima.
“We’ve wanted to expand further into Washington for some time, and have been looking at the King County area for over two years,” said Byron Baule, operations manager for Coastal Farm & Ranch.
“What makes Auburn so attractive is the city and surrounding area are a unique combination of a thriving farm and rural community, balanced with a strong urban center,” Baule said. “The decision to purchase, versus pursuing any type of lease on the Walmart building, was pretty easy, based on the current environment and future growth of the Auburn market.
“We’re here to stay.”
Coastal employs more than 400 people and will employ approximately 40 additional people in the new Auburn location. Coastal is accepting job applications, which can be obtained by visiting the careers page at coastalfarm.com and then sent to jobs@coastalfarm.com.
The new Coastal Farm & Ranch store will carry more than 50,000 products. The store includes a main sales floor area of 65,000 square feet, along with an additional 59,000-square-foot indoor yard. This allows customers to shop fencing, livestock equipment, lawn and garden supplies, regardless of weather conditions.
Coastal recently renovated a similar Walmart facility in Mount Vernon, which will serve as a template for this project.
“The best way to describe our store is that about one-third of the store is dedicated to clothing,” Baule explained, “with another third being a combination of hardware, tools, welding and automotive, and the balance filled with animal health, farm equipment, tack, feed and supplements. It’s the kind of store you have to experience first hand. We really have something for everyone.
The new store will carry hundreds of western, footwear and fashion brands. The boot department will feature more than 4,000 pair of boots, from top manufacturers, including Danner, Justin, Georgia, Double-H and LaCrosse.
The store’s fashion department will feature one of the largest Wrangler and Carhartt selections in the Northwest. There will be separate departments for men, women and children.
The store’s Hearth & Home Department will feature 25 working stoves and fireplaces from Quadra-Fire, Eco-Choice and Harman, including wood, pellet and gas options.
The store also will feature the area’s largest supply of Liberty Home Security Safes in sizes of 23 to 50 cubic feet.
Dog, cat, horse, chicken and cow owners will find a complete animal health department for animals of all sizes. The store will feature livestock feeds from Nutrena and Purina along with pet food from Science Diet, Nutro and Diamond.
There will be a large tack and grooming department with saddles, bridles, and riding supplies.
“We are excited to be part of King County and support the people, schools and farms of Western Washington,” Baule said.
