It's Been Over Two Decades Since This Last Happened in Loveland

Some like, and some do not like, the way Downtown Loveland is growing. Soon there'll be construction happening along 4th street for the Draper Building and the renovations of the Elks building. This new change, is about something old.

You may have heard that that Downtown Loveland will soon have a Natural Grocers, which will be the first new [grocery] store in the area for many years. Perhaps it's because of this new competitor coming to town, that the Downtown Safeway is stepping up.

I live in Downtown Loveland and often do my grocery shopping at the Downtown Safeway. Many will say how the store needs a lot of work, those peoples' wishes are about to come true. There's a 'but,' however.

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If you've been by the Downtown Safeway, lately, you'll have noticed "something" happening in their parking lot. There are a lot of pallets, a big Safeway trailer, and an overall "busy" feeling. As I was leaving with my weekly haul of groceries, I noticed one of the managers at the Customer Service desk, and asked him what's going on.

They're getting ready to remodel the store. First time they've done it, in 20 years.

TSM/Dave Jensen

I can tell you that this has been a long time coming. The freezers that hold TV dinners and such, has gone "down" again, among other things. I'm hoping that new freezers are a part of the renovations. The store manager did say they'll be "modernizing" things, maybe modern freezers are in the plan.

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The "but" of the renovations is, "they'll be modernizing, but they won't be putting in self-checkout lanes. The store manager said that the company doesn't feel that the customer base is large enough to warrant putting them in. That is disappointing, for sure.