Flagship Bartell Drugs in University Village set to close

Another Bartell Drugs bites the dust, potentially impacting pharmaceutical needs for hundreds of nearby students.

The Seattle Times and The Puget Sound Business Journal, citing confirmation from Rite Aid, reported the Bartells in Seattle’s University Village (2700 Northeast University Village Street) is closing its doors.

The Seattle Times stated the U-Village location is considered Bartells Drugs’ flagship store. A Rite Aid spokesperson told the media outlet the store will officially close on January 23, 2025. Rite Aid acquired Bartell Drugs in 2020 for $95 million.

“Rite Aid regularly assesses its retail footprint to ensure we are operating efficiently while meeting the needs of our customers, communities, associates and overall business,” Rite Aid wrote in a statement to MyNorthwest. “While we have had to make difficult business decisions over the past several months to improve our business and optimize our retail footprint, we are committed to becoming financially and operationally healthy.”

The U-Village Bartells, situated about a mile from the University of Washington (UW), serves a plethora of students. Many of them rely on the pharmacy to get necessary prescriptions.

Tara Darrow, a 2020 UW graduate, frequently used the Bartells in the U-Village throughout her four years at the university.

“I’m sad to hear about the Bartells closing down in the U-Village,” Darrow told MyNorthwest Monday. “It was a great pharmacy with nice staff and was extremely helpful to have a pharmacy walking distance to the university and the dorms.”

Rite Aid said it considers factors such as business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions, viability and performance when deciding to close a store.

“For our customers, we make every effort to ensure they have access to pharmacy-based health services, whether at another Rite Aid/Bartell Drugs or other nearby pharmacy and we work to seamlessly transfer their prescriptions to ensure there is no disruption of service,” the company stated. “For our associates, we strive to transfer them to other Rite Aid/Bartell Drugs locations where possible.”

The Bartells at 18420 Aurora Avenue North in Shoreline closed on August 20, according to The Seattle Times.

More details: Another local Bartell Drugs will close its doors

In December 2023, the final remaining Bartell Drugs location in downtown Seattle at 5th Avenue and Olive Way closed permanently.

With the closure of the 5th Avenue location, it’s believed the “Bartell Drugs” name is gone from the streets of downtown Seattle for the first time since 1890.

Rite Aid stated “the decision to close a store is not one we take lightly.”

Learn more: Bartell Drugs name now gone from downtown Seattle

Rite Aid Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2023 amid pressure from lawsuits alleging the drugstore chain helped fuel the opioid crisis in the United States.

The Philadelphia-based drug chain operates 1,259 retail stores across 15 states in the U.S., according to the company’s website. It is much smaller than its rivals Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS Health.

Contributing: Feliks Banel, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.