TACOMA, Wash. — One month after the Fred Meyer in Tacoma’s South End closed its doors, the grocery store now sits boarded up. The signs are gone. The parking lot is mostly empty. For many in the surrounding neighborhood, there is a void without the place they frequented for groceries and other goods.
The closure, part of a broader wave of shutdowns by Fred Meyer’s parent company, Kroger, has left residents feeling the impact, emotionally and economically. Sixty Kroger-owned stores have closed or are set to close across the country, including six in western Washington.
“I was sad, mad, angry, just like a lot of us were. It was definitely a community spot,” said Shawn Tibbitts, a local restaurant owner. “You know, somebody made a decision and that decision is going to affect everybody in South Tacoma.”…