Safeway locked the set of sliding doors on Northwest 13th and Marshall recently, and posted red EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY signs in the windows. The signs are somewhat alarming, but as Safeway shoppers, we’ve all become accustomed to that little thrill of danger at the store. We don’t expect or even want to feel relaxed anymore. We’re high on high alert.
People entering and exiting the store now must use the Lovejoy Street doors on the store’s south end. You might already think of this as “Jehovah’s Corner” since there are always witnesses stationed there. Nonintrusive, just forever standing there til the end of time.
One Safeway employee said she felt better as a result of the doors being locked. And anyone on a casual Safeway run for half-and-half or a new bottle of Tapatío salsa picante can see that there are fewer people sinking down into the sidewalk, or circling around to walk out with free ice cream.
The architecture of discouragement seems to be working around here.
“They should have done it sooner,” she told me. “They did it at the Southwest Jefferson Street store awhile ago. Now if the city would just clean up the steps over there,” she said, gesturing to the old Bridgeport Brewing building.