The End of An Era: Social Safeway to Be Demolished

• April 20, 2009

by Mark Wellborn

As of next Monday, the Whole Foods in Glover Park is going to be getting a lot more business. DCmud is reporting that the “Social Safeway” at 1855 Wisconsin Avenue NW (see map here) will close this Sunday and demolition will start soon after. Georgetown and Glover Park shoppers should not worry: a new and improved Safeway will open in its place in March 2010.

According to DCmud, the new store will have “a 21st-century design by Torti Gallas Architects and a new floorplan that will largely abolish the current store’s massive and congestion-prone parking lot.” The new store will look a lot like CityVista’s “Sexy Safeway” and bear little to no resemblance to 17th Street’s “Sandinista Safeway.”

A few months ago, family demographer Lynda Laughlin made the case that grocery stores are “few and far between” in many parts of DC. Laughlin’s research found that there were 16 grocery stores in Wards 2 and 3, approximately one store for every 8,911 residents. However, in Ward 4, the city’s most populated ward, there was only one store and Wards 7 and 8 only have three grocery stores, one for every 45,000 residents.

2 Comments

1. Mr.MX said at 9:41 pm on Monday April 20, 2009:

   Holy SH#T, that is just a sin. Closing Social Safeway really does end an era.  I have been in and out of DC for the last 20 years and even back in the 1980’s when I went to GWU we would head up to Social Safeway for groceries and girls.

   Change is not always good. I will have to say my goodbye this weekend.

1. GroverPark said at 11:14 am on Tuesday April 21, 2009:

   it is closing but will re-open next March. do not fear.