Middleburg Safeway Celebrates

Middleburg Safeway Celebrates

By Pat Reilly

With a party unrivaled since it first opened 55 years ago, Safeway unveiled renovations to its Middleburg store with a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently.

The meat department circa 1967.

The meat department circa 2022.

Photo by Vicky Moon

The produce department today.

Photo by Vicky Moon

On hand were Middleburg Vice-Mayor Peter Leonard-Morgan, Safeway District Manager Richard O’Neal and Store Director John Hill. The Crush Funk Brass Band set a lively tone as many of the store’s longtime customers stopped in the parking lot.

“We’re so proud of the 55th anniversary of Safeway serving the Middleburg community,” said Mayor Bridge Littleton, who was out of the country and unable to attend. “They’ve been a stalwart of our town and surrounding area for over half a century and have supported our community in ways that cannot be measured.”

Leonard-Morgan pointed out how convenient it is to have Safeway right in town and recalled once receiving three injections in one day at the pharmacy.

“One of the things I love about the store is the staff,” he said. “They’re always there, like an unrecognized little army, making sure we have what we need.”

As the wine columnist for Country ZEST, he also couldn’t resist pointing out that the wine selection, “while not a huge array, allows you to get a really decent bottle of wine and not spend a fortune.”

The day of the celebration, Safeway presented donations to two critical local charities, Seven Loaves Services food pantry and the Middleburg Humane Foundation.

“We’re very appreciative of Safeway’s long-time support for Middleburg Humane,” said Josh Muss, its chairman of the board.

“We’re thankful to have Safeway as a partner,” said Tami Erickson, who manages Seven Loaves. “When we need emergency food purchases, they’re there to help.”

Several Safeway departments were quietly upgraded over the winter, including:

The deli section, with an expanded selection of ready-to-go prepared meals, specialty cheeses, and fresh sliced meats.

The meat department, which has added new cases featuring a variety of organic and natural chicken, as well as a wide array of beef selections, including choice beef, grass-fed beef, natural beef, and organic beef.

The seafood department, with a new refrigerated “grab and go” seafood case with crab meat, smoked fish, and more.

An expanded selection of fresh cut fruits and vegetables has been added to the produce department, now with more than 150 organic items.

The expanded juice section, which now features more than 100 different varieties of juices and beverages, including Kombucha.

The Safeway Pharmacy has trained pharmacists who are available to fill prescriptions, administer immunizations (including COVID-19 vaccines, travel vaccines and flu shots), and consult with patients about their specific health conditions. The store’s pharmacy also offers prescription delivery by mail and same-day delivery.

Safeway’s floral department features fresh cut flowers, seasonal bouquets, and assorted blooming varieties of plants and orchids, with in-house floral designers creating custom arrangements.

The 17,276-square-foot Middleburg store first opened on Nov. 30, 1966, and has operated continuously since. Today, the average Safeway is 55,000 square feet.

Middleburg native Jim Poston was at the 1966 opening as a teenage employee. He recalled a big party—“chandeliers and drapes and drinks.” A fine photographer, as well, he has many images of the original store.

Former Middleburg Mayor Betsy Allen Davis, co-owner of The Fun Shop, another town institution, recalled there was an A&P and a family grocery store, The B&A on Washington Street when Safeway arrived.

“Obviously, having a store in town is very important, but being a small town, I wish it was on a back street and we could use that space for something else, like a park,” she said. “Still, they kept it so it’s a little more traditional.”

Loudoun County has adopted a single-use plastic bag five-cent tax for certain kinds of businesses. Safeway is the only business in Middleburg affected by that.

Leonard-Morgan, the council’s liason to The Middleburg Sustainability Committee, said the town has arranged to give each resident three reusable grocery bags in June.

The rack of gloves on the right looks as if this photo was taken yesterday. What stands out to our readers, first to reply wins a gift?

The shopping carts are all lined up on the west end of the Safeway and appear as if unchanged.

Students from the Middleburg Community Charter School made a last minute detour to hear the Crush Funk Brass Band at the Safeway celebration.

Photo by Vicky Moon