PORT TOWNSEND — Aldrich’s Market, an anchor business in Port Townsend’s uptown neighborhood, will close for about a month in order to replace flooring that was damaged by dry rot.
The store will close Friday and is expected to be closed through March, said owner Milt Fukuda.
The damage was discovered when workmen discovered that the store’s freezer was not properly installed above a runoff water pan, which caused the wood below the concrete floor to rot, Fukuda said.
The repair includes moving the freezer, replacing the rotten wood and installing a drainage system that will prevent future dry rot, the owner said.
After the closure ends, another five weeks of repairs will occur in parallel with the store’s operation.
The market first opened in 1895 and operated continuously until Aug. 4, 2003, when the building burned down.
Nearly two years later, it reopened in the same location in a new building constructed by David Hamilton and Jonathon Ryweck, operating as Ham and Rye LLC.
The Fukudas took over operation of the market in 2007.
In the summer of 2011, repairs began on the building to shore up unstable areas, a process that inconvenienced both the market and the apartment tenants who live above the store.
The store hasn’t restocked its meat or produce since setting the closure date.
These items are being sold at a discount, with anything left over to be donated to employees or the food bank.
Canned and frozen goods that are not perishable will be kept in the store but will be examined for expiration dates after the reopening, Fukuda said.
The store’s wine collection, which contains more than 700 varieties from throughout the world, also will stay put.
The store employs 15 people in addition to Fukuda, his wife, Renee, and son, Scott.
Some of the employees will be able to collect unemployment during the closure, Fukuda said.
Several of the employees said they planned to do an early spring cleaning but had not planned a vacation because they did not know when the store would close or reopen.
“I’ll be cleaning my house, and I’ve also scheduled a root canal,” said checker Charmaine Kennedy, who has worked at the store for seven years.
Fukuda calls the store “a community market in the European style” where customers come in several times daily.
“People come in here to get fresh food for their next meal,” he said.
“I imagine that many of them have empty refrigerators at home and come in here whenever they are hungry.”
While the store’s closure will force customers to shop at other local groceries, Fukuda expects them all to return at the reopening.
“There is the risk they won’t come back, but I think they will,” he said.
“We are proud of our quality products, and the community’s support is amazing.”
The food co-op management is aware of Aldrich’s closing and will adjust its inventory accordingly to accommodate an increased demand for dairy products and other items, said inventory manager Deb Shortness.
The co-op is now carrying a specialty item, a cookie created especially for children that is sold at Aldrich’s, and it has not been decided whether this will continue after Aldrich’s reopens, Shortness said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
