 Wallingford QFC - Seattle, WA
Posted by: Hikenutty
N 47° 39.692 W 122° 20.160
10T E 549854 N 5278895
The Wallingford sign is an icon for this Seattle neighborhood and was the center of a controversy in the 1990's.
Waymark Code: WM2JCW
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 11/11/2007
Views: 112
From 1948 to the 1990's the Wallingford neighborhood's main grocery store was the Food Giant on 45th. Atop the grocer in huge letters were the words "FOOD GIANT." In the 90's the store was purchased by the local high end grocery chain, QFC and the plan was to remove the Food Giant neon, which by then had become part of the neighborhood's flavor. So neighbor's united to save the sign and Historylink.org, the online Washington State History encyclopedia, tells the story:
One test of neighborhood identity came in the late 1990s when the beloved landmark Food Giant and its big block-letter rooftop sign were converted into another QFC supermarket. A considerable number of Walllingfordians still miss the pop art of the Grandma’s Cookies sign that once reflected on Lake Union from a long factory rooftop on 34th Street. Protesting locals failed to convince the store’s new owners to keep the sign despite the change in corporate identity. QFC, however, did promise to write out “Wallingford” in place of “Food Giant” on the same supermarket roof and while doing it to recycle the “F,” “O,” “I,” “A,” and “D” of the old sign into the new one. The neon coloring was cooled from the Food Giant red to the QFC blue but inside the store, the service warmed up and the food selection grew.
Name of business: Wallingford QFC (Quality Food Center)
 Type of business: Retail
 Condition of Neon Sign: Hitsville - In good working order
 Physical Location: 1801 N 46th Street Seattle, WA USA 98109
 Web Address: [Web Link]

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Visit Instructions: One picture of sign will suffice. Additional shots - bonus.
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