Magruder’s to sell its remaining stores in Washington region – The Post
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The other night I was in Magruder’s in Alexandria when I noted that that the shelves were pretty empty. I asked a cashier if they were closing and she said they were just clearing out the shelves a bit. I was a bit skeptical, so today’s news is no surprise. Apparently, others began noticing last week that the store was a little light.
Magruder’s hopes to sell stores in Alexandria, Vienna, Gaithersburg and Rockville. The liquor store on Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase has been sold and will retain the name.
Since I moved to Alexandria, the Magruder’s near Seminary Road has been a regular stop for minor quick trips to the store. I’ve even walked or bicycled to it and enjoyed the convenience. When my then-girlfriend, now wife lived in Alexandria, that location was a Safeway. I joked it was “so old that it wasn’t even good enough to be a Safeway” when I saw that Magruder’s had taken it over. I also joked that it was a timewarp, because the appearance of the place and the music they played had not been updated since the 1960s.
When I was a kid, I remember dreading a trip to the Vienna location. The aisles were narrow, the lines were long and I can vividly remember old women throwing produce on the floor regularly when it wasn’t presumably any good any more. After a fire around 1986, it got renovated and wasn’t as bad, but it still was a place to avoid.
I am very curious to see what will replace the Alexandria location. It isn’t a large store, so I can’t imagine a major supermarket wanting to take over that space. I could see more of a specialty store coming in, but the location isn’t real exciting. If they hadn’t ditched the “shopping cart full of bowling balls” logo, I’d want ShopRight to show up.
MORE ABOUT MAGRUDER’S
Press release announcing the sale – PDF via The Post
Company history – magruders.com
Magruder’s began in 1875. The Vienna store opened in 1970, the Alexandria one sometime between 2003 and 2007.
MORE COVERAGE
Magruder’s Closing with Half Off Sale – Vienna Patch
Local Magruder’s stores will be sold – Gazette.Net (Maryland)