QFC on 24th is officially open for business

Before dawn this morning, a group of Ballardites, QFC employees and folks who worked on the building gathered for the official ribbon cutting ceremony on NW 24th St. QFC President Donna Giordano took the podium before the ribbon cutting and said, “Our mission is very simple and very straight forward. We want to be known as the neighborhood market where the highest quality foods are sold, in the cleanest store, by the friendliest people, at surprisingly affordable prices.”

Store manager Bob Goodman comes to Ballard from the Harbor Pointe QFC in Mukilteo. “He is probably the best store manager we have at QFC,” Giordano said, “and the reason why he is the best is because he is an incredible ambassador for customer service and for coaching and training a team.”

Once the doors were opened, customers grabbed baskets and shopping carts and headed into the brand new store.

Luke Marino, shown here with Goodman, was the very first customer, and that was his goal. “I work for Absher Construction so I’ve been over here for a year plus watching the whole structure come together,” he tells us, as he slips the pack of gum that he just purchased in his pocket.

The fresh-baked pizzas and pastas were out and ready to serve. This store employees 95 associates, half of whom are new to QFC. Goodman tells us that of the new employees, 80 percent are from the Ballard area.

There were several booths handing out free samples of goodies including sushi, donuts and gelato.

At 2:30 this morning, the glass water catchment system at the front of the store was installed. “That is beautiful,” people exclaimed as they watched the water run from one leaf to the next. Rodman Gilder Miller, the artist, says the installation isn’t quite complete. There will be a big blue bowl at the bottom and a few more pieces to complete the piece. One woman tells us, “When I first saw the roof like that, it didn’t make sense. Now it does.”