Fresh & Easy Not Giving Up on Loma Linda

Loma Linda is still in the plans for grocery chain Fresh & Easy.

But it might be a while before you can shop there.

Two weeks ago, people around Loma Linda questioned the store's future in the city after signage at the unopened location on Redlands Boulevard and Mountain View Avenue was covered up with plastic sheeting.

But Fresh & Easy spokesman Brendan Wonnacott said Thursday that the signs were covered to avoid confusion until the location does open.

"It's just one of those things with the signs out there, it creates expectations that the store may be open," Wonnacott said. "By covering them, people know that it's not open."

Konrad Bolowich, Loma Linda's director of information systems, says the company reassured him that the city was still in their plans when he contacted them after the signs were covered.

"They are still planning on opening the store," Bolowich said. "They said there were some problems with the signs, and had three to four windows broken or damaged, so they're just trying to protect the signs."

Bolowich said store officials had told him that the store was on target for opening "sometime after October." But no firm timeline or date has been set.

Which means residents will still have to wait.

"It's still getting opened," Wonnacott said. "Nothing has changed with that."