COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Carefree Center has some new concerns. The Safeway in the center at the corner of Academy Boulevard and North Carefree Circle shut down June 9. Then just two weeks later, the property owners announced a $15.1 million foreclosure. That's the worst in El Paso County so far this year.
Officials with the Safeway corporation said they evaluated the store for more than a year before deciding it wasn't performing up to par.
The other stores still in business there have seen a significant loss in profits and describe the situation as "life or death" as to whether they will have a new anchor store move in soon. Wild Wings 'n Things started its national franchise right in the Carefree Center plaza, and now its first store is seeing a 25-30 percent decrease in profits. Owner Michael Morris said when he went to renew his lease just last summer, he asked the landlord whether the grocery giant was sticking around.
"I was reassured it was staying," Morris said.
That means while supermarket officials were trying to decide whether or not to stay, its neighboring businesses had no idea what was to come. Now the stores are struggling with communication. Morris said the only information they have is based on rumors among shop owners.
"The landlord has not been in contact with me. He's not even placed a phone call," he said.
Morris hopes to gather his peers in regular meetings to discuss the future of their shopping center. He said communicating is key, and hopefully the group can keep in touch and work to reinvent the center themselves.
The property is scheduled to be sold Sept. 26 at a Public Trustee’s auction.
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