By JANE LOTTER

So now the Northgate Theater has closed. Does anyone doubt the bulldozers will eventually follow?

Of course, prior to its closure, the Northgate Theater had been rundown for years. The marketing director for Northgate Mall was quoted in February in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as saying about the theater, ³It kind of got a reputation for broken equipment, broken seats, and for being poorly maintained. I donıt feel that it was a big draw for the public.²

Oh, really? You mean North Enders arenıt clamoring for trashy, broken-down buildings? What a shocker!

Once, long ago, the Northgate was a big, clean, inviting theater. I grew up in Shoreline where my neighborhood movie theater was the Crest, but every so often weıd go over to Northgate to see a film.

The earliest film I remember seeing at the Northgate was called ³Yellowstone Kelly.² Iıve forgotten the plot, but it had something to do with mountain men, Native Americans, and canoeing. This was 1959, I was 7 years old, and my mother drove my sisters and me to the Saturday matinee. She dropped us off into the longest line of children I have ever seen: it stretched all around the theater, into the back parking lot, and, as far as I know, eventually connected with a line of children waiting to board the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride in Disneyland.

Thatıs how the Northgate Theater was a few decades ago: it was a popular, well-run theater showing first-run films. It helped give the community a sense of itself, it gave local kids a place to spend their Saturday afternoons. But over the years, weıve lost not just the Northgate, but many of our neighborhood businesses. Chain stores have taken their place.

Which is why Iım happy to tell you ‹ in Maple Leaf at least ‹ weıve gained a small jewel. Itıs not a movie theater, but it is an asset to the community: itıs the San Marco Grocery, located at 8416 5th Ave. NE (corner of 5th Avenue NE and NE 85th).

For years, this corner was occupied by one of the seediest little retail establishments you can imagine; a market whose chief claim to fame, judging by the cheesy readerboard sign outside, was that it pedaled cheap cigarettes and cold beer. Mercifully, it closed a few months ago. In February, the San Marco bloomed in its place. The San Marco is a family-owned business, run by Maple Leaf residents Theresa Dzwonkowski, her husband Brian Short, and Theresaıs 12-year-old daughter, Alexandre Dzwonkowski ‹ with help from a couple of employees. The family has traveled in Europe and the grocery is named after one of their favorite spots: the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy.

Theresa and Brian wanted to bring to Maple Leaf the same sort of friendly, corner market theyıd so often seen in Europe.

³I feel extremely passionate about people being able to live in their community, shop in their community,² says Theresa. ³The market that was here before wasnıt a cheery place. We ‹ the neighborhood ‹ deserved better than that. So when this place became available we decided to open something that was well thought-out and neighborhood-oriented.²

The San Marco offers a selection of fresh and organic produce and baked goods, as well as imported products and a deli section. (The owners even plan on stocking some retro-style candy. Iım pleased to report the candy necklaces have arrived.)

I donıt want to overstate the San Marco. I mean, OK, itıs not Dean & Deluca. But it is independent and it is sincere. People are always saying theyıre sick of the chain stores. Well, here you go. At San Marco you donıt need a club card ‹ but on the other hand you wonıt find row after row of processed foods. You will find, as you would in Europe, just about everything you need to make yourself a healthy, great-tasting breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Iıll never be able to drop my kids off at a Saturday matinee at the Northgate Theater. Those days are gone. But I can let them skip down to the San Marco and buy candy or juice. I can let them have the experience of growing up with a friendly neighborhood grocery store. For this, Iım grateful.

A flower that appears unexpectedly in your garden is called a volunteer. The San Marco is a volunteer. I hope you will all visit it and nurture it. Because if we want delightful things to bloom in Maple Leaf, we have to encourage them to grow. Jane Lotter is a Maple Leaf resident.