Construction crews perched 30 feet off the ground have taken down the recognized Top Food and Drug sign. In its place is the name Haggen, an iconic moniker in the northern part of the state.

It’s not just the name that’s changing at Crossroads’ Top Foods, it’s the product, the prices and the style. Starting Wednesday, shoppers will be able to experience the airy, colorful signature of King County’s first Haggen Food and Pharmacy. The changeover is philosophical, not in ownership. It is meant to create a more personal, Northwest-friendly shopping experience for the customer.

“We’re very much trying to build a store that if you pick it up and put it anywhere else in the nation, it wouldn’t make sense,” said C.J. Gabriel Jr., Haggen president and CEO.

Bellevue’s Top Foods is the first of 15 stores in the area that will be rebranded as Haggen locations. Customers and employees preferred the look and philosophy of the Haggen stores, which were more successful financially, as well.

Gabriel said the change has been powered by a three-month long survey of customers, and studies of competition throughout the country and the region. Gabriel and his colleagues made numerous changes to the store based on these findings.

The new concepts hit the customers right when they walk in the door. Many said they didn’t like being forced to the right upon entrance, so the center of the store is more open, featuring a robust wine selection. If the customer does decide to head to the right, a brand new convenience store enclave has been carved out in the front of the store. There customers will find beverages, snacks and other items without having to scavenge through the store.

“The idea is they won’t have to go through the whole store to get the few items they need,” said Rick Haggen, second generation owner of the company.

Customers told store owners they want bigger, brighter signs and better organization of departments. They listened.

Gabriel said the entirety of the store is laid out in zones, so that people shopping for certain types of goods won’t have to dart from end to end. Produce naturally leads into spices and meat, which leads into dairy, and so forth. This way it keeps shoppers from feeling frustration and skipping over crucial items they can’t find. Shorter shelves and open aisles were built in response to customer complaints they felt trapped in the store, to a degree.

The look of the store has been improved to make the customer feel more at ease, Gabriel said. Murals full of warm colors populate the walls of the deli, produce and meat sections, while new floors and structures encourage customers to take a load off and enjoy a wine tasting or local guitarist. The center of the new attractions is the Discovery Bay, a hangout area in the center of the store that will feature everything from wine and cheese tastings to lessons from local chefs. This spot, as well as benches throughout the store are designed to make the place more cheer than chore.

“I’d say the store before was sterile and boring,” Haggen said. “And we want to make it fun and interesting. We want to make grocery shopping fun again.”

Above, Rick Haggen, second-generation owner and C.J. Gabriel Jr., president and CEO, at the newly rebranded and remodeled Top Foods, now a Haggen Food and Pharmacy, store in the Crossroads neighborhood of Bellevue on Tuesday. Photos by Chad Coleman/Bellevue Reporter