What’s on your list today? How about a bigger Totem Lake Fred Meyer with expanded photo electronics, apparel and food departments.

The 31-year-old store is currently gearing up for a nearly $10 million remodel, adding approximately 3,000 square feet, a Starbucks and drive-through pharmacy.

“Typically we remodel our stores every 10 years and this store went through one in 1989 and 2000,” said Fred Meyer spokesperson Melinda Merrill.

The remodel won’t technically begin until Feb. 28, but the preparation has been going on for months. All of the stores that occupied the front of the building have moved to other locations in Kirkland. Those businesses will not return to that location, as Fred Meyer will use that space for the expansion. All of the work on the expansion is expected to be completed by September.

Construction has already technically begun on the Home and Garden section of the 156,000-square-foot store, with the covered outdoor area demolished last week. A new indoor area of the store will be built during the next month. That new section of the building will be used to house merchandise while other areas of the store are worked on. Eventually, the Home and Garden department will have an expanded employee area.

“We remodel in sections,” said Merrill, adding that the store will remain open during the next eight months of construction. “We appreciate our customers’ patience during all of this.”

Merrill said that keeping the store open is a big priority for Fred Meyer.

“Beyond the obvious profit loss, we have a lot of employees,” said Merrill. “We do everything that we can to stay open and not transfer people or lay people off.”

Fred Meyer is expanding the photo electronics section so it will be more user-friendly.

“We want our customers to be able to use things like the Wii before they purchase them,” said Fred Meyer spokesperson Judy Swift. “Our expanded apparel section will be like no other.”

The company also plans to expand the grocery section of the Totem Lake store. Street improvements and landscaping work are also included in the project.