Kirby's Fremont

Marketime, or Marketing to the Neighbors

By Kirby Lindsay

Vic and Brad Kaloper.

Many people in the Fremont neighborhood would say Marketime has met the goal Vic set for the store--over and over and over again. "We try to be a good, neighborhood store," he explained. The Marketime reader board and clock are landmarks in 'Upper' Fremont (also known as the Fremont Highlands) at North 44th Street and Fremont Avenue North.

Marketime has been there since 1965. The building might have begun life as a Safeway store in 1940. However, after World War II, it was a furniture warehouse. In 1952 Stan McPherson opened an IGA store there.

Meanwhile, Vic, who was a butcher, went into partnership with his friend Ken, a grocer, and opened two Ken's Markets before purchasing the store in Fremont. They bought the old IGA when McPherson wanted to retire. It had always been run ably by a manager so the new owners stayed focused on their other stores.

Vic ran Ken's Market, an institution in the Greenwood neighborhood, while Ken ran Ken's Market on Queen Anne. In the 1980s those stores were sold to Ken's sons and the partners focused on Fremont's Marketime. Vic's son Brad helped out after school and during summers bagging groceries, stocking shelves and clerking. Brad grew up with the business and when Ken retired, Brad bought his share and now runs the store with his Dad.

While Marketime is smaller than most grocery chain stores, with 6,000 square feet, they manage to fit nearly anything you could want on their shelves. There is a list in the office where employees write items requested by customers, although Vic is proud to say he is rarely asked for something that he can't find somewhere in the store. They have learned how to maximize space and they continually upgrade their stock. It might take you a few minutes to spot the breakfast cereal you need, and the dental floss is up high, but they have it all--and finding a clerk with a smile and a ready-to-help attitude is easy.

In 35 years of business, Vic has seen Fremont change. When Marketime first opened, the neighborhood had families living in houses. He has watched customers grow older and, in many cases, pass away. Now he has only a handful of elderly customers. Today most shoppers are young people who buy beer and wine and don't necessarily cook. "We don't sell pot roast anymore," says Vic. Apartments and condominiums have replaced many of the old single-family houses that once filled the neighborhood. The results are more customers, different product needs and a lack of baggers, since few kids now live nearby.

Talking to Vic, it is obvious that the people are the central part of his business. He notices his customers and cares what happens to them. He and Ken went into the grocery business because "we've always been people type people." The people don't even have to be customers. For years the store has supported the food bank, giving food and donations from customers. Recently the store raised $500 for our local elementary school by giving a day's profits from their espresso bar.

After speaking to Vic, I shopped Marketime's aisles. Usually I shop QFC but I can't say I've ever seen the owner hauling boxes on a hand-truck or stocking shelves like Vic was doing. Brad was hard at work rearranging produce but stopped me to ask for help. He is concerned for the safety of customers using the crosswalk in front of their store. I gave Brad my advice on getting a traffic signal, and we talked about construction on the Fremont Bridge. This awareness, of the world beyond the door, is what I would expect of a small, independent grocery store. Is Marketime a "good, neighborhood store"? They have my vote.

At age 16 Kirby Lindsay first shopped Marketime with a friend who said, "You don't know Marketime? EVERYBODY knows Marketime!" If you have questions about Fremont, you may write to Kirby c/o The Seattle Press or e-mail to fremont@oz.net.

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