BIZNOTE: Westwood Village Rite Aid lease up for grabs after company’s new bankruptcy filing

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | Westwood

A property company working with Rite Aid has released a new list of properties and leases for sale/assignment in its new bankruptcy filing, and the list includes the Westwood Village Rite Aid location. The company’s new filing comes just eight months after it emerged from Chapter 11. After seeing this, we went over for a photo of the WWV Rite Aid, and discovered this posted at the entrance:

We’re checking to see if local Bartell Drugs have similar postings. (Update: We found one at the Jefferson Square store.) As for the WWV Rite Aid, one of the property company’s documents says the current lease is up in a year but there are 10 years worth of options; current base rent is $21/square foot (the building is just under 17,000 sf). We don’t yet know the plan for the California SW Rite Aid location – also leased – and the two West Seattle Bartell Drugs stores (Admiral and Jefferson Square), also leased. Rite Aid says it has financing to help it continue operations while it seeks a buyer for the company.

Grrr! May 6, 2025 (12:10 pm)

I am so upset that Bartell Drugs sits on the fringe of being brought down from this stupid management of Rite Aid! Bartell’s was a family business… local… and absolutely outstanding ! It’s heartbreaking to see such a long time business such as Bartell’s be sucked into the financial disaster of Rite Aid. ‘Who” made such a high risk financial disaster of a decision ? Missing Bartell Drugs very much. The shelves are almost bare.: it’s very sad

Jeff May 6, 2025 (12:19 pm)

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Don’t worry, the people responsible took their millions and left someone else holding the bag. They don’t even think about it anymore, most likely.
Alki resident May 6, 2025 (1:10 pm)

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The Bartells make more money in real estate than in the stores. They don’t want to continue retail. It was a good run.
Kt May 6, 2025 (1:13 pm)

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I think it was the grandkids that sold it…
Anne May 6, 2025 (1:40 pm)

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You can “blame “ Bartells for selling their stores to Rite Aid for about $95 million . You can “blame”Rite Aid for mismanagement. I see nothing wrong with the former-but someone’s vision for Rite Aids future (after the acquisition) was way off.

jlws May 6, 2025 (12:34 pm)

“brick and mortar” drug stores of the 60-90s are no longer relevant or profitable in 2025.labor cost, L&I and lease rates have mushroomed up.the main business of pharmacy prescriptions now have more options, ie: online & mail order to name a couple.bartells would have gone the same route, even if they had not merged with rite aid

HS May 6, 2025 (12:54 pm)

Phew! Commercial rent is so pricey, $30k monthly rent in Westwood Village. I imagine that’s on the lower commercial rent spectrum too.

flimflam May 6, 2025 (4:07 pm)

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Yeah, that is wild – about a third of a million dollars per year just on rent. Imagine the utilities per year also?!
- CW May 7, 2025 (7:59 am)
  
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  I’d think commercial rent is a much bigger issue than labor costs. And frankly, with shelves half empty it’s unreasonable to expect customers to visit a store when you can have exactly what you need delivered to your door for less. Pretty much every time I go to a store other than for groceries I can’t find what I’m looking for and I end up ordering online.

Erik May 6, 2025 (1:15 pm)

For anyone looking for a pharmacy. Alto pharmacy delivers. Sometimes same day. I have used them for years and they have not once ever missed a delivery. Always on time, always in stock. So much better than any in person pharmacy around West Seattle.

Suzanne May 7, 2025 (5:12 pm)

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Didn’t know about Alto! Thanks for letting me know.

AK May 6, 2025 (1:26 pm)

Crossing fingers they don’t put in more housing! West Seattle is full!!! We need a private pharmacy company to take over, especially the Rite Aid on California.

Amy May 6, 2025 (2:00 pm)

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Oh no, not more housing for people to live 🙄
Alki resident May 6, 2025 (2:27 pm)

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The size of the building and parking lot, it would make a great family restaurant. That’s really lacking in West Seattle today. Years ago we had so many family friendly restaurants to choose from.
- Eric1 May 6, 2025 (3:26 pm)
  
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  I have fond memories of when that was the Keg Restaurant.
  - Bill#1 May 7, 2025 (3:01 am)
    
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    Not to mention Sea Galley!
  - LiouxLioux May 7, 2025 (8:13 am)
    
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    That Keg is where I became a West Seattle-ite in 1996! After an open house my realtor and I went there and wrote up an offer.
- Benjamin May 7, 2025 (8:35 am)
  
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  And how is a “family restaurant” going to survive and thrive with $30k monthly rent? $8 burgers and $5 kids meals? Those days are not coming back. Sure, it would be great to have nice place for people to not patronize…
Justin May 6, 2025 (3:22 pm)

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The Rite Aid on California would be a perfect location for hundreds of new homes!
- Anne May 6, 2025 (7:37 pm)
  
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  That’s some prime real estate -go up high enough & you’ll have a fab view. Not low income though.
- Pauline May 6, 2025 (7:45 pm)
  
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  Affordable homes…but you know very well it’ll be expensive. Only people with high paying professions and tech will move in…
  - amd May 6, 2025 (7:56 pm)
    
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    Which frees up the down market homes those people have been buying for those whose price range is a bit lower, and so on and so forth, and some people who previously did not have housing will have housing.
- WS Res May 7, 2025 (1:36 pm)
  
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  “The Rite Aid on California would be a perfect location for hundreds of new homes!” – I just drove past there today and thought the same thing.
GreatK8 May 6, 2025 (4:35 pm)

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I wholeheartedly agree!! The influx of new people is untenable. People are constantly talking about a housing shortage, but fail to acknowledge the fact that the population growth has outpaced the infrastructure to support it. So over it…
- Foop May 6, 2025 (8:15 pm)
  
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  I agree, you should leave to make room so people who want to live here can enjoy all west Seattle has to offer./s

ACG May 6, 2025 (1:28 pm)

So that will leave us with the Walgreens on 35th or the pharmacies in Safeway or QFC stores. Anyone out there have a recommendation of one of those options for me to transfer my prescriptions to? Thanks!

David May 6, 2025 (1:47 pm)

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Don’t forget Walgreens on 16th and the Seattle side of Roxbury.
- dwg May 6, 2025 (2:31 pm)
  
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  sigh…i wish i could forget it.
  - k May 6, 2025 (4:42 pm)
    
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    That Walgreens is horrible. I’m establishing care with a provider at SeaMar in White Center so I can use their pharmacy.
Pamela May 6, 2025 (3:29 pm)

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You do not have to be a member of Costco to have them fill Prescriptions.
Joan May 6, 2025 (4:18 pm)

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Shop around on GoodRx or compare with your copay. I pick the cheapest one in my plan network. I have found QFC to be less than Safeway. But even more is getting some from Canada. Yes, you can mail order from there. Our stupid health system and Big Pharma. Some asthma meds are over $200. Canada is a fraction of that.
Erik May 6, 2025 (4:27 pm)

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Alto Delivery Pharmacy. Try them. They’re better than any other pharmacy in the area. Been using them for years myself.
wrd May 6, 2025 (5:22 pm)

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Recommend QFC pharmacy! Short lines. Courteous competent staff who answer questions clearly and quickly. Glad I found them and tx’d prescriptions there. I had hung in with Bartell for about a year sfter their unwelcome acquisition by Rite Aide. But after that their declining service, speed of filling prescriptions, poor customer service and being chronically short-staffed overcame my Bartell loyalty. Glad I changed!
Marty2 May 6, 2025 (6:57 pm)

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I just transferred my recurring prescriptions to an online pharmacy. I had good experiences using the Safeway Pharmacy on Roxbury for Covid shots, so I’ll use them for any specific medication going forward.
A May 6, 2025 (7:02 pm)

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Safeway on 28th is at least half decent. Staff is helpful and friendly. Ive had zero issues getting a prescription that is a controlled substance, which is sadly sayin something. Can’t speak on other locations tho

DRW May 6, 2025 (2:07 pm)

If only Pay ‘n Save was still around.

Karena May 7, 2025 (12:51 pm)

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Oh what about Payless. I still hear their Christmas jingle. Merry Christmas from Payless

Josh May 6, 2025 (2:48 pm)

It’s going to be interesting to see what goes in the Rite-Aid store. If a drug store or something else.

anonyme May 6, 2025 (4:01 pm)

Brick & mortar pharmacies are still essential for those who need meds immediately, or can’t (or don’t want to) pay extra delivery fees. The Bartell’s pharmacy is constantly busy; perhaps it would make sense to have a small, pharmacy-only storefront instead of paying for a lot of real estate to sell little stuff that most people get on Amazon.

Tracey May 6, 2025 (6:02 pm)

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Retired pharmacist here. So funny. That is exactly what pharmacy used to look like before the big corporations saw filling prescriptions as a cash cow and way to entice buyers to fulfill all their one stop shopping needs. When I graduated from pharmacy school in the 80s, my dream was to own a little pharmacy with perhaps a tiny storefront shop of gifts or a soda fountain. Those dreams were quickly dashed. The number of insurance contracts you need to sign and fulfill makes it very difficult for us to go back to the 80s. I suspect mail order will largely prevail. Most pharmacists would prefer not to have to engage with the public anyways and storefront will be for acute not chronic meds. But damn, this is where I fill my prescriptions!
East Coast Cynic May 6, 2025 (7:12 pm)

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Yes, I have been in the situation of needing a prescription filled the same day I get it from a doctor, usually for a invasive procedure. I couldn’t see a online mail order pharmacy working for me in that instance.
Ray West May 6, 2025 (7:25 pm)

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ANONYME – I don’t see a small independent pharmacy opening up anywhere around here. I remember about 20 years ago that someone attempted to set up a storefront pharmacy in what is now the “Box Bar” on California Ave. & Brandon St. They became so mired and overwhelmed in obtaining permits, filling out paperwork, submitting endless forms, dealing with regulations, inspections, etc., that the pharmacist just gave up and closed before they even got started. I believe he got a job at a corporate-owned pharmacy. Too bad, because we really need something like that.

jw May 6, 2025 (4:44 pm)

Let’s get a good restaurant back in that space.

Jethro Marx May 6, 2025 (7:18 pm)

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Ooh are we doing the thing where we decide what it ought to be? I love that, and suggest an open-source competition restaurant, where restaurateurs show up to claim a grill spot and then have to defend it. Especially if it’s pizza. And there should be some pinball or whatever, obviously.