Last Saturday, the lights went out for good at the Anderson Island General Store, taking the island’s only grocery shelves and gas pumps with them. The shutdown leaves roughly 1,500 year-round residents, plus thousands more summer visitors, relying on a ferry trip to the mainland for fuel, fresh produce and everyday basics.
Owner Barbara Lake broke the news in a Facebook post, thanking customers for their loyalty and saying she was “incredibly grateful” for the community’s support over the years. As reported by KIRO 7, Lake cited dwindling revenues, rising costs and failing equipment as the reasons she ultimately decided to close.
According to the store’s own website, the general store had long been a small but mighty hub for island life, with a deli and bakery, USPS post-office hours and on-site fuel pumps for unleaded, premium, diesel and propane. That mix of services meant it functioned as much more than a convenience stop, doubling as a go-to spot for mail, quick meals, hardware items and last-minute groceries.
The News Tribune reports that the Anderson Island General Store served the community for nearly 50 years. Lake operated it for about 17 of those, following former owner Jeff Gillette, who ran the shop for roughly three decades and now says the property is for sale. Residents told the paper the loss is “devastating,” and the outlet noted that without the store, the island no longer has an on-island gas station, cafe, hardware shop, deli, post office or a dependable source of fresh produce. All of that now means a ferry ride to Steilacoom.
The News Tribune also reported that Pierce County ferries currently do not allow passengers to bring gasoline containers on board. The paper quoted Pierce County Councilmember Jani Hitchen saying county planning and public works staff are looking into whether permits could be obtained so passengers would be allowed to carry gasoline on the ferry. The Anderson Island Citizens Advisory Board has scheduled a special meeting on Feb. 5 to talk through the fallout from the closure, according to the paper.
What leaders and neighbors are doing
Neighbors have already started patching together short-term workarounds, from picking up orders on the mainland for people who cannot make the trip to coordinating more deliveries to local drop-off points, which have seen traffic spike since the shutdown. The building that housed the general store is listed for sale, and the real-estate listing plays up its existing commercial footprint and fuel infrastructure, which could appeal to a buyer interested in reviving a full-service operation.
County and community leaders say they plan to weigh short-term fixes and long-term strategies at upcoming meetings and in talks with ferry officials.
For now, Anderson Island residents are mapping out extra runs to Steilacoom and coordinating shared deliveries while county staff and the advisory board sort through possible solutions. We will update this story as officials and community leaders outline their next steps.
