After a months-long transition, the sale of Sitka’s family-owned grocery store has been finalized. On Tuesday (4-28-26) at 9 p.m., Sea Mart Quality Foods closed its doors under local ownership for the last time. When the store re-opened Wednesday morning, it was under the ownership of the national grocery chain Albertsons/Safeway.
Hames Corporation owners Roger and Mary Hames announced plans to sell the business last summer. In November they reached a tentative sale agreement with Albertsons/Safeway. In a letter published to the grocery store’s social media on Tuesday (4-28-26), the Hameses said over the past six months they’ve been working closely with the Albertsons team, and have been impressed with the national chain’s commitment to a smooth transition for customers, vendors and employees.
The sale includes Seamart’s liquor store, Watson Point, Market Center, and Cascade Convenience Center. The Hameses say the new owner has agreed to keep the stores’ names the same.
In the letter, the Hameses thanked Sitkans for their patronage over the last seven decades. “We’ll see you around town and in the Seamart parking lot, watching the whales swim by and the sun set,” they said.
