It used to seem like the grocery store that time forgot. The ambiance was gloomy, the façade shabby. The interior was dark and the selection of items limited. The Hilltop Safeway was a relic of the past, especially in light of major renovations the chain made to other stores in town.

That has changed. Safeway just completed a renovation to the store at 1112 S. ‘M’ St. to the tune of $2 million.

The store opened in 1957. Store Manager Chris Smith said it had been 30 years since any significant renovation was done. He transferred to this location last August from a store in Sammamish.

All of the flooring was replaced. A pharmacy was added. Shelf space was expanded to accommodate more products. The produce area has organic fruits and vegetables now, along with an increased selection of bagged salads. There is a small floral section. The dairy section was expanded. There are higher grades of meat in the meat section. Smith said there are 1,100 more items available now.

“When people come in to shop they will notice a better selection.” There was an emphasis to offer better quality items in every section, he noted.

The operating hours were expanded, with the store opening an hour earlier at 6 a.m. and closing an hour later at midnight. This was done in part to get workers at the nearby hospitals to shop when the shift change occurs.

The store still does not have a bakery, but its selection of baked goods was increased. A bakery in another Safeway makes some of the items, which are trucked over each morning.

“We have almost all of the items you would see in a traditional bakery,” Smith said.

It does not have a full-service deli, but there is a grab-and-go case with pre-made sandwiches and other deli items. The store is close to three hospitals, the County/City Building, city hall and a number of large office buildings downtown. Smith thinks this new section will draw in people on their lunch breaks. “I would like to see our lunch crowd grow.”

The store used to seem dark and dingy. That has changed with the installation of track lighting.

The exterior of the building was redone, providing a more welcoming atmosphere to customers.

“We are committed to this community,” Smith said. It is still a 15,000-square-foot building, much smaller than many Safeway stores. Smith said a new, larger store could come to Hilltop at some point, or the existing one could be expanded, as was done at the one in Proctor District.

Longtime Hilltop resident Skip Young has always appreciated the customer service she receives. Now the building itself has a level of brightness that matches the staff. “We have the friendliest employees at our store,” she said. “They spoil me rotten at our Safeway.”

Tacoma City Councilmember Lauren Walker, who lives a block away from the store, pushed for the remodel. She met with a Safeway executive at the regional office in Bellevue about 18 months ago. Staff from the city’s Community and Economic Development Department compiled information on Hilltop’s demographics. They put together information showing planned improvements to the area, such as a streetcar line.

She, city staff and neighborhood leaders toured a remodeled store at Renton Highlands. Safeway executives took input from Hilltop Action Coalition and other stakeholders in the neighborhood.

“They took note of the concerns of our residents,” Walker observed.

Walker has lived on Hilltop and does 90 percent of her shopping at this store. The other 10 percent is when she wants an item it did not carry. “The selection of items is much better now,” she said. “They have really given the community something to be proud of. Now it is up to the community to make sure this is a success.”