The legacy of Marlene’s Market and Deli will continue under new ownership starting on Nov. 13.

The family-owned natural grocer has been acquired by Lassens Natural Foods and Vitamins from California. They won’t be changing the name or staffing of the Federal Way location, 2565 S. Gateway Center Place, or the second location in Tacoma.

“The reason we feel really good about this transition and the Lassens directing things going forward is because of the parallels,” said Lisa Gebhart, owner and previous general manager of Marlene’s. She is the daughter of founder and namesake Marlene Beadle, who died in 2019.

Gebhart and the family are looking forward to retirement and shared how happy they are to have found the Lassens as the company’s new owners. Gebhart said that the founder of Lassens and the founder of Marlene’s “were two women owning their own businesses in the ’70s … being pioneers in a fledgling industry, and each in their own state and own community who really helped it to grow.” She added that in addition to the parallels in stories of the two businesses, their product parameters also align, like offering 100% organically grown produce.

Marlene’s Market and Deli has maintained a strong connection to the local community throughout the decades, through founder Marlene’s actions and the company as a whole.

“Growing up here, it’s enabled us to see it from all sides and to feel a real part of helping Federal Way grow and also having the people in Federal Way help us grow as well. The word community is very, very accurate. It’s truly a community,” Gebhart said, using their involvement in the creation of the West Hylebos Wetland Park as just one of many examples.

Longtime customer Charmian Wilcox said she’s been shopping at Marlene’s for decades and is the second generation in her family to do so. Wilcox said her mother “was so happy that there was a health food store that was going in, and then she wouldn’t have to drive to Seattle to get her natural produce.”

As previously reported in the Mirror, Beadle worked for a natural foods store in Federal Way before purchasing it from the original owner on April 1, 1976.

Before Marlene’s opened, Wilcox said her mother would call local farmers and natural food producers all over the region to track down the fresh and healthy food she was looking for.

Wilcox also reminisced on previous locations of Marlene’s in the past, like the first location that was a “long, deep, narrow store,” where customers could find Marlene herself in the very back, presiding over “crock pots with soup that she would make.”

Now Wilcox lives outside of Federal Way, but still starts her frequent trips to the city with a stop at the Marlene’s salad bar and with picking up some groceries there before heading to other shops in town.

Wilcox was one of the longtime customers that Gebhart said the leadership at Marlene’s has connected with directly to make sure they know that the spirit of Marlene’s will continue through the ownership change.

Marlene’s Market and Deli in Federal way offers 100% organic produce and focuses on offering healthy food options to the community. File photo