Progress? No.

It saddened me greatly to learn of the Farmers Market grocery store’s closing.

It had been a fixture of Auburn Way South for just over 10 years and supplied a greatly needed grocery source for that part of town. Although it was small, it had great meat and produce prices. We watched it grow from a simple “dollar”-type store to a real little gem of a grocery store that was fun to visit.

After the small QFC store closed up by the casino, it became a very important store for that part of the city. Its departure will now create a hardship for a number of residents and a great inconvenience for many others. There is no other full service, convenient grocery store in that area of the city. Nor is there one that caters strongly to minorities.

The owners of the store were making a profit and holding their own financially. It was the property owner who decided not to renew the store lease that is causing this issue. Frankly, the so-called progress of development is not progress in this case – it is solely greed. Someone’s push for the almighty dollar this time will not cause progress. It will simply cause hardship for all those negatively affected.

Farmers, we will miss you.

– Sondra Johnson