Rite Aid to close second store, a new shoe biz opens, and changes happening on Pacific Ave.
Rite Aid, which filed for bankruptcy in October, is closing a second store in Thurston County, the business confirmed in an email to The Olympian.
The location that is closing is at 691 Sleater Kinney Road in Lacey. The store’s last day is Dec. 14. After the store closes, customers will be able to pick up their prescriptions at Walgreens at 4540 Lacey Blvd., according to a spokesperson.
That’s the same tack the business took when it closed its store at 8230 Martin Way E. on Sept. 27. The following day all prescription files were transferred to the Walgreens at 8333 Martin Way E.
Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a process that will allow it to speed up its plan to close under-performing stores, The Associated Press reported.
Other business happenings
A couple of self-described “sneakerheads” are opening their first store in west Olympia, co-owner Johnathan McMillan told The Olympian this week.
The business is called Sole & Style and it was scheduled to open at 10 a.m. Saturday at 1025 Black Lake Blvd. SW, Suite 1B. McMillan is opening the business with friend and business partner Nate Evander, who has been selling shoes online for years, McMillan said.
McMillan pitched him on the idea of opening a brick-and-mortar site, and after months of planning, the business has arrived.
The business will sell shoes, but it’s not just sneakers. They are selling a range of shoes, including designer shoes, as well as clothing and accessories, including high-end purses, McMillan said.
“We are not just catering to sneakerheads, but to everybody so that all feel welcome,” he said.
Items also will be offered at a range of prices so that “no one feels priced out,” McMillan added.
If McMIllan’s name sounds familiar, that’s because he has long been associated with Centralia College in Lewis County. He earned his associate of arts and bachelor’s degree there — the school has some undergraduate degree programs — then went on to become the assistant men’s basketball coach for 10 years. Most recently he was the assistant athletic director before deciding to go into business, he said.
He worked with first-generation and low-income college students there. McMillan is passionate about sneakers, but also about education, and he’s prepared to talk to adults and youth about the importance of an education at the store, he said.
Another feature of the business: They are going to have a “buy, sell, trade” program, McMillan said.
The regular hours of the business are still being worked out, but this weekend the business is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Mod Pizza has opened a new location in Lacey at 4022 Pacific Ave. The business is open 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. It’s the third Mod Pizza in Lacey.
A longtime vacancy on Pacific Avenue across from the Lacey Fred Meyer has been filled by a Take 5 Oil Change. The site had been an auto glass repair business and a COVID-19 testing site.
According to website information, the business got its start in Canada. However, the site did not include information about the Lacey location.
And there’s one more bit of information about Pacific Avenue in Lacey: A building is being demolished between the Chehalis Western Trail pedestrian bridge and the House of Donuts.
Property owner Capital Development Co., the same group that operates South Sound Center, requested the demolition permit, said Grant Beck, Planning & Development Services Manager for Lacey.
If you know of a retailer, restaurant, coffee shop or other business that is opening, closing, expanding, remodeling, or changing its focus, send an email to reporter Rolf Boone at rboone@theolympian.com.
This story was originally published December 8, 2023 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Rite Aid to close second store, a new shoe biz opens, and changes happening on Pacific Ave.."
