Valu-Mart
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (Discount department store) |
| Predecessor | Weisfield's Jewelers (parent company) |
| Founded | 1958 in Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Fate | Rebranded as Leslie's in 1974 |
| Headquarters | Burien, Washington , United States |
Area served | Washington, Oregon, Montana, Nevada, Alaska |
Key people | Leslie Rosenburg (company president) |
| Products | Apparel, variety goods, toys, sporting goods, pet supplies, home and garden items, electronics, appliances, pharmacy services, groceries, confectionery, automotive services, dining facilities, beauty salons, jewelry counters |
| Parent | Weisfield's Jewelers |
Overview
Valu-Mart was a discount retail chain that originated in Seattle in 1958. It operated as a division under the ownership of Weisfield's Jewelers. Weisfield's initially offered jewelry alongside consumer electronics such as televisions, radios, and stereos—many Seattle residents purchased their first TV from this retailer. Following the establishment of Valu-Mart, Weisfield's shifted its focus exclusively to jewelry sales. In Oregon, the chain initially traded under the name Villa-Mart.
Store Features and Services
Within the stores, dedicated grocery sections provided a curbside pickup service where customers could place their grocery bags into numbered bins. These bins were conveyed to the front of the store, enabling shoppers to drive up and retrieve their orders by presenting an attendant with a corresponding plastic card. Store staff typically assisted by loading groceries into customers' vehicles.
Competitive Landscape
Valu-Mart competed directly with Gov-Mart/Baza'r, a membership-based chain founded in Seattle by Joe Diamond. After Diamond sold Gov-Mart/Baza'r and it was relocated to Portland under new management, Valu-Mart began transitioning toward a more upscale market positioning, distancing itself from its discount origins. Meanwhile, Gov-Mart/Baza'r maintained its full-service discount model. Both chains featured curbside grocery pickup at their respective grocery sections and discontinued membership requirements by the mid-1960s. They maintained significant market presence across Washington and Oregon until Fred Meyer expanded aggressively in these regions during the 1970s.
Expansion and Locations
At its peak, Valu-Mart operated 21 stores predominantly located in Washington and Oregon (initially branded as Villa-Mart in Oregon), covering key urban centers from Bellingham to Eugene and extending into Eastern Washington. Additional outlets were established in Anchorage, Reno, and Great Falls, Montana. In 1973, Weisfield's replaced several older Seattle/Tacoma area stores by acquiring former White Front locations after that chain shuttered most Puget Sound outlets.
Rebranding and Market Changes
In 1974, following the acquisition of Gov-Mart/Baza'r by PayLess/House of Values, the Valu-Mart brand was retired and stores were rebranded as Leslie's. This rebranding aimed to position the stores as more upscale alternatives to competitors like Fred Meyer and local malls. However, due to inflationary pressures in the mid-1970s, this strategy did not achieve the desired success. During this period, Fred Meyer expanded its footprint within the Puget Sound area by upgrading existing Marketime stores (which lacked grocery sections) and leasing former Valu-Mart locations along with other smaller discount and department stores. Concurrently, K-Mart increased its market share through new store openings—including acquiring the former North Seattle White Front site in 1977—and through acquisitions of PayLess (prior to its drug store classification), House of Values, and Value Giant stores across Pierce, Kitsap, and Thurston counties. These latter brands overlapped with the original Tacoma drug store brand established by the Skaggs family during the 1980s.
Market Dominance
Throughout this era, Fred Meyer and K-Mart dominated the Seattle/Tacoma retail scene until Target entered the market in the late 1980s.
History
Initially operating as membership-only stores akin to Costco, the membership prerequisite was phased out by the mid-1960s. This change coincided with a strategic shift away from a basic warehouse-style environment toward a more polished, full-service retail experience, aiming to elevate the chain’s image beyond that of a simple junior department store. By the 1970s, the company began leasing portions of its retail space to other businesses, with the intention of later acquiring these areas to concentrate on general merchandise offerings exclusively. Each outlet featured departments such as apparel, variety goods, toys, sporting equipment, pet supplies (primarily fish), home and garden items, electronics, appliances, notions, pharmacy services, grocery sections (present in most locations), confectionery shops, automotive services including repairs, dining facilities, beauty salons, and jewelry counters—comparable to those found in Weisfield's.
The inaugural stores were established in several Washington locations: Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood (near Corson Street), Tacoma (off 35th Street), Spokane (5204 East Sprague), North Seattle (at 185th and Aurora), Yakima (905 East Mead), and Bellevue (at 140th NE and Bel-Red Road). The Georgetown store functioned as the chain’s flagship until 1973. That year marked the acquisition of a former White Front outlet in Burien, which became the new headquarters as operations shifted there and the original Seattle store was closed.
1960s
Throughout the 1960s, additional stores opened in Kent (Midway), Everett (9028 Evergreen Way), Richland, Anchorage, Spokane (E 525 Francis), alongside five locations in Oregon. A September 22, 1965 article in The Seattle Times highlighted that the Midway store—situated at 252nd and Pacific Highway South—was the sole discount retailer between Seattle and Tacoma when it launched its expansive 100,000 square foot facility. This store included a second-floor snack bar featuring views of Puget Sound from its dining area. The membership rule was abolished in 1965. Expansion also extended to Great Falls, Montana and Reno, Nevada. The company’s distribution hub was located in Kent at 212th and East Valley Highway within the newly developed Benaroya Business Park.
Villa-Mart
During the 1960s, stores located in Oregon operated under the Villa-Mart brand name (sometimes written as Villa Mart). The first Villa-Mart opened in Portland early in the decade, followed shortly by a Eugene location in 1963. Additional outlets launched in Beaverton and Milwaukie in 1966 and 1969 respectively. A Villa-Mart store also commenced operations in Salem in 1969. Eventually, these Oregon-based Villa-Mart stores were rebranded as Valu-Mart.
1970s
On September 9, 1970, the Greenwood branch at 100 NW 85th St. commenced operations. This location featured a contemporary design, including underground parking accommodating 150 vehicles and two shopping levels. Unlike other stores, it did not include an in-house grocery section but shared its parking facilities with a Lucky store situated on the same property. Spanning 75,000 square feet, the store was equipped with an escalator to facilitate movement between floors. By 1971, fabric departments were introduced across all 21 Valu-Mart outlets.
In 1973, Weisfield's divested its five Oregon Valu-Mart stores to Portland-based Fred Meyer, thereby exiting the Oregon market.
That same year, Valu-Mart took over former White Front stores located in Tacoma, Burien, and Bellevue. These sites were renovated to establish a mall-like atmosphere, reserving roughly one-third of the space for Valu-Mart operations. Emulating a strategy similar to Nordstrom’s at the time, segments within each of the 21 stores were leased to various businesses such as Hallmark shops, furniture outlets branded as Furniture Mart, liquor vendors, laundromats, arcades, cafeterias, jewelry boutiques, beauty salons, and Pirates Plunder Import stores. The aisles were designed to be spacious. Apparel sections were enhanced with carpeting and mannequins to offer a more upscale shopping experience. This transformation marked a departure from the typical discount store aesthetics and merchandise prevalent during that era. These revamped locations were strategically positioned near major malls like Tacoma Mall and Southcenter. Weisfield's leveraged this modernized design to reposition the stores from discount outlets into junior department stores. The corporate headquarters moved to the Burien location—now the flagship store—occupying space at the rear of the building. Concurrently, the original Georgetown store was closed while the initial Tacoma site was sold to Yard Birds. Architecturally distinctive arches at Tacoma and Burien were covered with vinyl siding and rebranded as Valu-Mart Plaza. The prominent White Front street signs were modified to display the Valu-Mart name and remained visible from several miles away.
Technological upgrades included the installation of one of the Northwest’s earliest computerized point-of-sale systems developed by Singer for a regional retailer. In 1974, Weisfield's rebranded all stores under the name Leslie’s, honoring company president Leslie Rosenburg. A fresh advertising campaign was launched featuring Joe Conley—known for his role as Ike Godsey on The Waltons—promoting Leslie’s as "America’s general store." Following this rebranding, candy shops were removed and additional retail spaces were leased to businesses such as vacuum cleaner and sewing machine vendors. According to a Seattle Times article dated August 10, 1975, Weisfield's 21 department stores generated 80 percent of its revenues ($81.9 million), yet Rosenburg opted to exit this market due to economic instability caused by recessions during the decade. He viewed recent expansions as overly ambitious and anticipated that competing against Fred Meyer would be futile after observing their new large-format "747" stores—each approximately 150,000 square feet—opening in Everett and Tacoma. These Fred Meyer locations combined diverse departments including variety goods, garden supplies, home improvement products, and groceries under one roof near Leslie’s existing sites. Although selling the chain reduced Weisfield's size at that time, Rosenburg expressed confidence in focusing on business areas where they had expertise and comfort.
After offloading its Oregon Valu-Marts in 1973, Weisfield's proceeded to sell other non-Oregon outlets. The Bellingham store was sold to Pay Less Drug Stores in 1975 along with a Reno location owned by Weisfield's. By 1976, most remaining properties were leased by Fred Meyer and integrated into their chain while ownership of real estate remained with Weisfield's. Exceptions included Tacoma and Everett locations which Fred Meyer did not lease due to nearby openings of their new large-format stores; Tacoma converted into a Jafco outlet while Everett became Fluke Electronics’ manufacturing facility.
Since Weisfield's retained ownership of these leased properties, grocery sections continued under Associated Grocers (Valu-Mart’s original grocery partner) before many transitioned into Mark-it Foods—a no-frills discount concept popular in the ’70s that allowed customers to mark prices themselves with grease pencils and bag their own groceries. Automotive repair bays also operated within some stores as Good Year Tire service centers. Restaurants and beauty salons maintained independent leases and continued operating even after Fred Meyer conversions until Kroger acquired Fred Meyer along with Valu-Mart properties. Some eateries were converted into Eve’s dining establishments under Fred Meyer branding during late-1970s remodels; food departments gradually came under Fred Meyer management except at Burien and Greenwood.
Following these transitions, Fred Meyer emerged as a dominant retail force expanding significantly throughout Puget Sound.
Additionally, in 1974 Weisfield's sponsored a hydroplane crafted by Ron Jones and piloted by Billy Schumacher (U-74). The boat bore Weisfield's branding again in 1975.
Today
Valu-Mart retained ownership of the real estate for their locations, leasing the premises to Fred Meyer until The Kroger Corporation acquired these properties in the early 2000s. Kroger sought complete ownership to facilitate extensive renovations or rebuilds aimed at removing physical separations between grocery and main store areas, enhancing lighting and climate control, upgrading Ethernet network infrastructure, improving parking facilities, and adding gas stations. Following the transfer of ownership, the Midway site was demolished and redeveloped in 2007 to include a new store, a gas station, and additional leasable space.Template:Fix/category[citation needed] The Greenwood store—featured in Fred Meyer advertisements during the late 1970s—underwent significant renovation throughout much of 2012, expanding its grocery section. Unlike modern integrated layouts, both Greenwood and Bellevue (which followed acquisition of the White Front location) were not initially constructed with grocery sections within the main building. At Greenwood, a separate structure was leased to Lucky Stores when that California-based chain operated in Seattle. The original grocery store there, known as Greenwood Market, was demolished in 2012 to accommodate the expansion.[1]
Many former Valu-Mart buildings remain standing today, though most have undergone substantial remodeling. The Burien location continues to operate as a Fred Meyer store and was extensively updated several years ago to eliminate the original White Front architectural style, including covering the distinctive concrete arch—once concealed by Valu-Mart with modern vinyl siding after acquisition. The gas station initially constructed by White Front was removed and replaced with parking spaces; subsequently, a modern self-service station aligned with Kroger’s current model was added on site. The Everett facility now serves as a manufacturing plant for Fluke Electronics; this structure shares design similarities with the original Midway store and remains on Evergreen Way, just a few blocks south of a Fred Meyer built in the 1970s. Pierce County repurposed the original Tacoma store as annex offices for county services. Meanwhile, another former store acquired after White Front exited Seattle is currently occupied by Michael's; this location had previously housed Jafco and Best stores. The Georgetown site functioned as Gamel’s outlet during the mid-1970s but later stood vacant until Treasure House transformed it into their flagship crafts store in the 1980s. After Michael's acquired Treasure House, they utilized this location before converting it into office space; presently, the building remains unoccupied.
The distribution center was utilized by Ernst for some time before they moved to the former Pay and Pak distribution facility in Kent during the 1990s.
Following Fred Meyer’s acquisition of the Burien property, its grocery section continued to be leased separately to Keith Undenburg’s Stock Market Food Store until the early 1990s when that lease ended and operations relocated to a former PayLess location in Burien (later acquired by QFC). During renovations in the 1990s that incorporated groceries into the main store, this became one of Fred Meyer’s largest locations at approximately 180,000 square feet. Former office areas used by Valu-Mart/Leslie’s for corporate functions were remodeled and served as Fred Meyer’s Northwest Regional Offices until those offices were moved to the Midway store following early 21st-century renovations. The Fred Meyer Credit Union was also relocated to the second floor of Midway—occupying space formerly used by a beauty salon—before moving again to a nearby shopping center. Additionally, the Anchorage Valu-Mart was purchased by Fred Meyer, becoming their inaugural Alaskan store and recognized as one of their larger retail outlets within the chain.
References
External links
- Detailed history of Fred Meyer from Funding Universe
- Article from Seattle PI discussing Warshall's outdoor store as a Valu Mart vendor
- Image depicting a Valu Mart Grape Soda can
- Historical 1966 legal case: Spokane County versus Valu-Mart regarding Sunday sales restrictions
- Further information on Fred Meyer’s corporate background