New grocery store opening at Ken’s Korner

Published 1:30 am Friday, July 10, 2026

While the sight of a corporate supermarket on the South End may come as a surprise to some residents, the owners of Whidbey’s second and newest Grocery Outlet want everyone to know ahead of its grand opening on July 16 that assimilating to island life is a priority.

“We’re not just a local business,” Jonathan Crisp said. “We’re a part of the community.”

Grocery Outlet, located in Clinton, newly inhabits the space left behind by Ken’s Korner Red Apple Market, which closed last year after litigation. Owners Crisp and Marc Pendell explained that while the corporation covered construction and opening costs and will take a percentage of profits, the store enjoys quite a bit of independence compared to other grocery store franchises.

It is called an independent operator model which, according to Grocery Outlet’s website, offers to store owners greater autonomy, more income, flexible schedules and plentiful opportunities to give back to the community.

“We pick the food that we want to carry, we hire the staff, we decide the uniform, we decide the hours and all that good stuff,” Pendell said.

Product does not make it to the store’s shelves unless vendors can sell it to Grocery Outlet at a price lower than that offered to other retailers. That means some brands may not be available at the store, but Pendell and Crisp are open to feedback about which ones should be offered.

“We want to make this the best store for the community that we can, within our Grocery Outlet guidelines,” Pendell said. “Which is going to be value first, because it’s important that people save money.”

Saving money is among the reasons why the owners feel residents will benefit from shopping at Grocery Outlet.

Pendell noted that some residents made the long haul up to Oak Harbor just to shop at its Grocery Outlet. The new store’s location in Clinton means it will serve the South End at large. He believes this convenience will save people time, money and gas.

Admittedly, the owners worried initially about whether the store could hire the people it needed, what with a rather limited population on the South End. But over 100 people attended a hiring fair hosted by the store in early June; Grocery Outlet only needed to hire 35.

About eight of those new hires previously worked at the Red Apple Market.

Charity is important to the owners, so Grocery Outlet is partnering with South Whidbey High School, Ballydídean Farm Sanctuary and Queen Bee Pantry to give back to kids, animals and the hungry.

The school and the food pantry will benefit from fundraisers hosted by the store and will be recipients of funds at the grand opening. Further, each of the blue T-shirts worn by employees will bear either the high school’s falcon or the food pantry’s logo on the back.

Leftover or spoiled produce will be given to the sanctuary for its animals to eat.

Despite being fairly new to the island, the owners recognize these efforts’ importance given the socioeconomic diversity on Whidbey.

“As you drive through, it’s very nice, it’s very pretty, you think a lot of people are very well off. That’s not the case,” Pendell said.

Pendell, a New York native, and Crisp, hailing from New Jersey, have found a new home with the opening of their new store.

They could have opted to open it in Graham, but opted for Clinton after falling in love with the island while visiting in April. Since then, they have moved to Whidbey.

“It was this great opportunity, and we work very well together because we worked in a store together before,” Pendell said. “I knew that we would be a good team, and here we are.”

Previously, Pendell and Crisp spent much of their careers in retail and property management, respectively. While running a grocery store is quite different from those industries, one key similarity exists: the importance of quality customer service, something they hope to bring to the new Grocery Outlet.

“Because my whole career has been in retail, it’s all about the customer,” Pendell said. “So it doesn’t really matter what you sell, whether you’re selling jeans or food, it’s all about customer service.”