3 changes on 35th SW: Red Star Pizza; JC’s Deli; Hallows Church

Changes ahead at three locations along a one-mile stretch of 35th SW:

‘NEW BEGINNING’ AT RED STAR PIZZA: Fans of the Sunrise Heights pizzeria have noted an inconsistent schedule for a while, and as first noted here back in May, the location’s future has been up in the air, with plans for the site to be redeveloped as the new home of Clearview Eye Clinic. Last week, the Red Star Twitter account announced closure until further notice, but possibly a “new beginning” ahead. Then today, co-proprietor Shannon Cross e-mailed WSB to say she now owns Red Star along with her West Seattle-native uncle Bill Bent, and that they plan to “rock 7514 35th until 5/31/2015, then we will move location to another part of West Seattle. Red Star is here to stay… Go, Hawks!” (Added: They expect next Wednesday to be their “grand re-opening,” with hours Wed-Fri 4 pm-10 pm, Sat. 2-10 pm, Sun. 12-9 for starters.)

JC’S DELI TO CLOSE: Jeanette Cummings says she’s closing her sandwich shop/deli at 35th/Henderson after this month. It’s been there for 2 years and 2 months. She cites slow business, but we note that this building also is up for sale, offered for $675,000 in a listing that touts “three well-established tenants” as well as redevelopment possibilities (it’s zoned for development up to four stories).

HALLOWS CHURCH: The church at 35th/Cloverdale – formerly Calvary Lutheran, then Gatewood Baptist, then Life Church, but idle the past two years – is now launching as Hallows Church, according to a postal-mail postcard that points to a website which shows that it’s branching off from a church of that name in Fremont. (Side note: Property records show the building’s ownership is still in the name of Gatewood Baptist, as it has been since 2006; court records show a lawsuit between people associated with GB, regarding the future of the property, was dismissed earlier this fall.)

20 Replies to "3 changes on 35th SW: Red Star Pizza; JC's Deli; Hallows Church"

  • Lee December 14, 2014 (3:15 pm)

    Was it a formal group of people associated with GB or just a few indivduals? (I’m trying to find the records online and can’t locate them).

    • WSB December 14, 2014 (3:20 pm)

      I had heard about it months ago and never got around to writing a story. Writing this item today, I decided to check, and that’s when I discovered it had been dismissed. Anyway, if you search Washington Court Search for Gatewood Baptist, you’ll find the case. Filed in 2013.

  • CM December 14, 2014 (3:18 pm)

    So sad to see JC’s deli go. Our family has really enjoyed going there since we discovered it earlier this year. Jeanette makes a great Reuben and has always treated us like family. Best of luck on your new adventures!

  • JeffK December 14, 2014 (5:55 pm)

    Re: Red Star – does this mean that completely new ownership with Shannon Cross and her uncle Bill Bent? Or was Shannon a co-owner and bought out the other previous partner?

    I love their pizza but the inconsistent hours were annoying at times when I had my pizza crave on.

  • KM December 14, 2014 (5:59 pm)

    Excited about Red Star coming back! Thanks for the update WSB!

  • West Seattle Hipster December 14, 2014 (6:12 pm)

    Sorry to see JC’s go, Jeanette is a great sandwich maker and is great with customers.

  • ca December 15, 2014 (6:25 am)

    we just went into JCs yesterday she told us she is closing, so sad to see a local business go out of business. Food was great, she is always awesome and give a big hunk of meat for our pup. How will the sale of building affect the fish and chips places and stuffed cakes??

    • WSB December 15, 2014 (7:26 am)

      CA, hard to say without knowing lease details of the businesses. The listing mentions the tenants as an asset for potential purchasers; on the other hand, so did the listing for, for example, the building in The Triangle that sold last year and months later gave walking papers to Diva, Maestro, and A-1 (the latter two found new quarters nearby, Diva has to date not announced a new south-end location). Sales, however, can take a long time, and we’ve seen some buildings be on the market for many months. All you can do right now is keep supporting your favorite independent local businesses – strong businesses are more able to find new homes if they need to! – TR

  • JeffK December 15, 2014 (7:42 am)

    Just got an update from a former employee. Previously Mike and Shannon owned Red Star, apparently Mike is out now.

    • WSB December 15, 2014 (8:19 am)

      I identified Shannon as the co-proprietor. And Bill (her uncle) as the new co-proprietor. We don’t often report on ownership changes – they happen with businesses more often than you’d think – but in this case since they contacted us with the info (and news that it will lead to more-stable business hours), we did.

  • DJ December 15, 2014 (8:06 am)

    I’m also having trouble finding the court case – any way you can pass along the case #?

    • WSB December 15, 2014 (8:21 am)

      Google for Washington Court Search Case Search. There’s an option where you can choose which court (King County Superior Court), civil or criminal, year (2013), and then choose a “business name” option – by putting Gatewood Baptist in that box, the case number and docket came up. Sorry I don’t have the docs handy, I read them while writing this yesterday and my main browser won’t let me keep 30 tabs open any more without crashing the whole system.

  • HelperMonkey December 15, 2014 (8:36 am)

    was willing to give Red Star another try under new ownership until someone in the comments pointed out it’s not new owners. boo. oh well. never been treated so rudely by a pizza place before and it drove my business away last November.

    • WSB December 15, 2014 (8:45 am)

      As reported accurately in the story above, it’s *one* of the original owners plus a new partner. We did not represent it as “new ownership.”

  • zackpanic December 15, 2014 (9:40 am)

    Red Star is the best pizza in Seattle, no contest

  • JeffK December 15, 2014 (11:31 am)

    The former employee said Mike, who is out, was the “high-strung one”. I’m hopeful Shannon running Red Star will make for a stable schedule.

  • Dan December 15, 2014 (5:18 pm)

    I am glad to hear that Red Star will be finding a new home! As a local restaurant owner I will tell you that nothing scares me more than the possibility of my building being sold. I would encourage everyone to give Red Star a try if you had a bad experience in the past. A shake up in ownership can really change a business for the better!

  • Jan December 15, 2014 (5:52 pm)

    I realize I’m just one opinion, however Red Star fooled me once and I haven’t given them the chance to fool me twice with their bad pizza (and the wings were even worse!).

  • Ms. Picky December 16, 2014 (10:32 am)

    So sorry to see JC’s close. Really good sandwiches and Jeanette is always warm and welcoming.

  • Beth W December 21, 2014 (6:07 pm)

    Thank goodness Red Star is back on schedule! I just ordered from them (FYI, they’ll be closed this week for the holiday) and I can’t wait. I’ve been craving them for 3 months but had difficulty with the dwindling hours. I really hope they’re able to find a good location in May, because they are HANDS DOWN our favorite pizza place in West Seattle (and Burien, White Center, etc).

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