Landlord: Tenant set for Safeway site

Four months after the Safeway grocery store leaves its north Carson City location, a ranch and home-store chain plans to open up in its stead.

C-A-L Ranch Store aims to open in the Safeway building, at 2035 N. Carson St., in April, making it the second new C-A-L Ranch of the year and the second store in Nevada.

C-A-L Ranch, founded in 1959 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, operates stores in Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Elko. It sells ranch goods, Western gear, lawn and garden supplies, power equipment and more.

The company boasts in a press release of "continuing to grow despite the slow economy," and says, "The company has found that they have what people need when the economy is down and what people want when the economy is up."

Property manager Joanne M. Holmes, who manages the building, said she has been working with C-A-L Ranch for "a while," trying to find it a Carson City location, and the timing and location just worked out.

"Look at the gentleman ranches and the people who have just an acre," Holmes said, explaining why the store works for Carson City.

Holmes, of the Carrington Co., said she was happy to avoid creating another vacant retail space in Carson. She also manages the Carson Mall, which is dealing with an anchor store vacancy itself.

She said Safeway was an "excellent tenant" during its almost 40 years there.

Susan M. Houghton, director of public and government affairs for Safeway, announced in an email to city leaders Monday that it would leave its only Carson City location Nov. 23. According to former State Archivist Guy Rocha, a Safeway has operated in Carson City continuously since about 1930.

"We do not close a lot of stores - but consider doing so based on a variety of factors," Houghton wrote in an email. "In the case of Carson City, our lease is expiring at the end of November and we chose not to renew it."

Houghton said that Safeway will offer all of its approximately 50 employees, full- and part-time, jobs at other Safeway stores in Fallon, Reno and Lake Tahoe.