'Everyone else' who? You're the only one who has made that claim. Everyone else has simply said the prices were high or higher -- both reasonable statements. But you've gone out on a limb claiming they charged double and were gouging customers. You haven't backed it up with any examples, and it's pretty obvious that they would have closed doors much sooner if that was the case.
If you don't like how the article characterized the Ridge, that's your right. But let's try to keep it factual, shall we? The article simply said that Ridge residents didn't have loyalty to the store. It then went on to provide examples of those who stated they didn't patronize it due to price. It IS true that residents didn't have much loyalty toward the store, and that was due to limited inventory and high prices.
So that's a reasonably balanced article, I would say. You're the only one who's made the extreme claims and not backed them up.

The only thing 'notorious' about that is your claim. It's complete BS. The facts don't support it. It's been debunked over and over, but the small-minded keep repeating it.

Again, you're exaggerating. Their prices were not double. Some things were a bit more expensive than at Fred's Safeway or QFC. But by and large, I didn't find most of their prices to be unreasonable or way out of whack. There were a few oddities here and there, but it was not the norm.
What I did see and hear a lot of was people such as yourselves complaining and exaggerating ("DOUBLE"!) about the prices without having any data to back it up. There were a lot of people who wrote the store off early on, patronizing it only for the occasional item. In other words, they had no loyalty. That's all the story was saying. And it's a reasonably accurate portrayal.
I by no means did all my shopping there. But I did think it was important to keep a viable local grocer. I also patronize other local businesses (hardware stores, for example) even though I could drive to Issaquah and get it cheaper. But it's not all about price.
Tell me, do you ever frequent stores or restaurants in 'old' Snoqualmie or North Bend? I was surprised at how many SR residents never go further down the parkway than SR.
If you don't give the local guy a chance, you get what you ask for -- no local businesses.

I predict the IGA store will remain vacant for at least 6 months while they scramble to find someone who is willing to take the risk.

P.S. Just to clarify: Other than having shopped there, I have no involvement in Village foods. I don't know the owners personally.

That's not fair or accurate. They were doing no such thing. This is a perfect example of the kind of attitude the story is referring to. Have you ever met or spoken with either of the owners? They weren't attempting to gouge anybody.
They were decent ethical guys trying to do a good thing. It's my perception that they were genuinely trying to provide value and good service to the area. They were open to feedback and suggestion, and responded positively to both.
Perhaps they over-reached, or made mistakes; I don't know. But I did find them to be accommodating and professional. If you had any communication with them you might have found the same.

I think the story paints it reasonably well. Let's be honest: Many ridge residents (I was one for 7 years) are a difficult lot to satisfy. Many residents expect everything to come to them or be done for them -- and they're vocal about it, especially when it doesn't happen. Many people wrote the store off as soon as they began to have financial problems.

Here are a couple realities for folks in SR:
- Things are going to be more expensive there than in Issaquah or Bellevue. It's a small market, demographically speaking. The commercial/retail space is expensive there.
- If you don't support local businesses, who do you think will be foolish enough to come in when they close? You want a community center, pool, schools, parks ( and a dedicated dog park no less ), AND you expect the city and/or the ROA to do everything for you. But you're not willing to contribute to the local tax base that makes those things possible? What's going on there?
- Although the city is saying that there are potential buyers lined up, that smells like hyperbole. I wouldn't count on it. Anyone coming in now is going to evaluate the market and profitability very closely.
- Only a major chain has deep enough pockets to make it work until it's profitable. And both the space and the market aren't big enough to make it viable for them.

The ROA had nothing to do with the size, design or any other standards related to retail on the ridge. Those standards were established and codified by the city not the ROA.

Additionally, major chains were not interested in building there due to market demographics, not simply the store size. QFC initially considered building a store there, but chose not to largely because the numbers weren't there. They felt that the market was adequately served by the NB and Issaquah stores, and I suspect they didn't want to hurt those stores without getting a net gain.

( I've lived in the valley for more than 10 years & lived on the ridge for 7 )