Recognize the lettering on that sign – the first sign ever to be displayed in the windows at Martin’s Way, the recently opened shop at Delridge and Findlay? If you do, you’re likely a customer of Tony’s Market, the produce stand at 35th and Barton. Three months after opening (here’s our January story), Martin’s Way is stocking fresh produce from Tony’s – right now, 8 kinds of vegetables and 17 kinds of fruit (a few of which are in this photo):

And with Penny’s chips in stock, you can even buy the makings for chips and guacamole, as the Memorial Day weekend approaches:

MW proprietors Vik and Nikhi also are stocking the items with which they started operations – an extensive selection of bulk spices, specialty salts and sugars, and some grains. Meantime, back to the Tony’s partnership – Vik says he first met Tony’s founder/namesake Tony Genzale in 2004 and was impressed with him as an entrepreneur and community member; since Tony’s death a year and a half ago, his son Joey Genzale has been running the business, so Vik says he spoke with Joey and his mom and they liked the idea of Vik stocking some of their produce – which he hopes to dub “Tony’s Market at Martin’s Way,” with a portrait of Tony hanging in the store. (Stand by for updates on that.) Martin’s Way is open noon till 7 Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon till 3 on Sundays (northeast corner of Delridge/Findlay).

Yard makeovers can be very intimidating for homeowners. People usually have an idea of what they want their yard to look like but don’t know how to get started.

That’s why hiring a Garden Coach is such a great idea! In just one visit, you get a landscape designer to look at your yard and help you see not just what it CAN be, but also help you make a plan for how to get there.

You may want to do the work yourself but you need a designer’s eye to help you see your yard’s potential. Or, you just don’t like your yard and you want someone to help you create a whole, new design. Some people need motivation to start, some need a vision, and others just need a list of priorities of what to do next. That’s where a garden coach can be a perfect fit. A 2-hour walk-through of your yard is really all it takes to get started.

After their yard makeovers, My Garden Coach customers can’t believe how little it took to transform their dull or overgrown yard into an impressive garden. They also say they spend more time in their yards, take more pride in showing it and know their investment has improved their property’s value. Let’s take a walk, talk about your goals and create a design that transforms your plain old yard into a beautiful garden!

Find My Garden Coach online at mygardencoach.net, or call 206-550-5501.

We thank My Garden Coach for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

Till 7 pm, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly ‘After-Hours’ mixer is happening at Dream Dinners (longtime WSB sponsor), on 41st just south of Alaska (east side of Jefferson Square‘s main building, fronting on 41st). From left, we photographed Nancy Woodland from WestSide Baby – which has its big Shake, Rattle & Roll cocktail-party event this Friday night (ticket info here) and the Stuff the Bus diaper drive on July 22nd – with Dream Dinners proprietor Leslie Thomson and Rob Shiras from PC Mobile Help. Dream Dinners facilitates home cooking while taking away some of the time-consuming tasks like shopping and prepping – they have monthly menus, you choose what sounds good and assemble dinners in three- or six-serving sizes to take home and keep till you’re ready to cook them. After-Hours events rotate among various locations, offering Chamber members a chance to learn more about one of their fellow local businesses – in recent months, hosts have included Easy Street Records and Global Diving and Salvage.

The mission of BNI is to help members increase their business through a structured, positive, and professional “word-of-mouth” program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals. The philosophy of this organization is built upon the idea of “Givers Gain®”: By giving business to others, you will get business in return. This is predicated on the age-old idea of “What goes around, comes
around.” Our Chapter passed $243,368 in the past 12 months!

Join us this Thursday (May 17th) at 12 pm for our Membership Extravaganza, and be prepared to network!

Come to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center at 4408 Delridge Way SW in West Seattle with 50 business cards, $10, and a desire to grow your referrals. Discover how BNI business networking groups work, and meet the members of the West Seattle Nooners chapter. Everyone will have the opportunity to network as well as to present their business for 30 seconds during the meeting. Lunch is included.

After the meeting, members will be on hand to answer questions and help you if you choose to apply to become a member of our chapter. We are looking for new members to give referrals to in many professions still available! BNI is non-competitive, so only one member per profession is allowed, so grab yours before it’s gone.

We have openings for key professions including electrician, plumber, credit card processor, graphic artist, event planner, caterer, business coach, moving company, interior designer, locksmith, florist, landscape designer, property manager, computer repair, housecleaning, and many others. New members would be joining our current network which includes real estate, mortgage brokerage, photography, banking, web design and social media management, supplemental insurance, pet daycare, financial planning, personal training, general contracting and much more. To see a complete list of our members, go here.

If you can’t attend our extravaganza, we meet each Thursday at 12 pm at Youngstown and visitors are welcome. You can contact President Rick Beaubelle (206-957-9097; info@seattlecanineclub.net) or Vice-President Cami MacNamara (206-550-7720; cami@webcami.com) if you have any questions about the West Seattle Nooners.

We thank West Seattle Nooners for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

The Bikram Yoga Seattle studio in West Seattle is very excited to serve such a great neighborhood! The inviting studio has bright natural light, original timber ceilings and soft lighting. In the past year, the studio has had many updates including all new antifungal and antimicrobial flooring, bigger changing rooms and beautiful tiled showers! BYS also offers free filtered water. Owners and longtime practitioners/teachers Kevin Cooke and Kathy Allen, along with the rest of the staff invite you to visit the studio to see for yourself!

There are a lot of hot yoga studios. BYS stands out in that each of their 19 teachers have gone through a rigorous 9-week residential teacher training led by Bikram Choudhury himself. In addition to the training, they all have a dedicated personal practice and you’ll often find them taking class alongside you. They truly practice what they preach! The teachers have practiced for between 6 and 14 years, while owners Kevin and Kathy have been practicing for well over 25 years and teaching for more than 15 years! All of our teachers teach and empathize equally with beginning students as well as longtime practitioners. Each teacher has a personal style and brings something unique and valuable for their students. If you have never practiced Bikram yoga and we’ve piqued your interest, visit About Bikram Yoga, Preparing for Class and the FAQ’s and come try a class soon!

You can get started today with Bikram Yoga Seattle’s new student special: 10 classes for $20 in 14 days (get the coupon here), for students who have never been to their newly remodeled studio. Find them online at Bikram Yoga Seattle, check out the class schedule, find them on Facebook, visit them in person at 4747 California SW, or call them at 206-937-3900.

We thank Bikram Yoga Seattle for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

(Photo courtesy Stroller Strides)
Good thing the forecast says the sunshine is sticking around – tomorrow morning, a crowd is expected for Stroller Strides‘ 3-year anniversary class on Alki. It’s been a bigger-than-ever year for franchisee Athena Frederick, who received the company’s Franchise of the Year award last December. The program is a workout for moms that allows them to bring their little ones along (dads are welcome too); if you want to participate tomorrow, Athena says the first class is always free and they’re offering free classes all week as part of the celebration. They’re also offering “numerous raffle prizes for moms; free running shoes, baby items, and many more from our numerous sponsors” – goodie bags for all, too. The celebratory class is planned for 9:30 am tomorrow (Monday) by the Alki Bathhouse.

ADMIRAL DISTRICT’S EX-BLOCKBUSTER … is about to be surrounded by paid parking on all three sides. Thanks to Eric for the tip on this one – he e-mailed last night to say he and his wife noticed orange striping delineating spaces around the building, and WELCOME painted on the pavement at each entrance. Public records showed no sign of a new owner/tenant at the building, so we went by this morning to look for clues, and found a man doing more painting around the lot. “All I know is, it’s going to be paid parking,” he told us – which had been our guess once we saw the freshly painted numbers on each of 33 parking spots around the building (our photo was taken at the northeast corner, by the alley). No pricing sign or pay station as of our stop; we’ll check back.

MORGAN JUNCTION’S EX-BLOCKBUSTER … is tentatively scheduled to open as Super Supplements‘ new home on July 13th, according to a company spokesperson. We first reported back in January that it would be the new home of the store that has to move out of The Junction since it’s on the future Equity Residential development site; banners went up on the Fauntleroy site last month. Super Supplements tells us the Junction store isn’t scheduled to close till July 7th, 6 days before the new one opens. Note that those are tentative dates; watch the store’s official webpage for updates.

Maybe “cash flow” would be a better term for what happened at Village Green Perennial Nursery (WSB sponsor) this afternoon, more than “cash mob.” When the appointed hour for the latter event arrived, around 2 pm, certainly there were a lot of shoppers. We counted about 20, between a few who came early because 2 pm didn’t work for them, and some who said they were definitely there for the “mob,” which, as reported here 3 weeks ago, was the idea of social marketer Michael B. Maine of Menrva Labs, after meeting VG’s Vera Johnson at a conference:

So in all it was a good day for the rambling nursery in the unincorporated area between West Seattle and White Center. An afterparty was planned at Company in WC, and Vera was scheduled to head to Vashon Island, invited to speak about her consumer-rights activism tonight at Michelle Shocked‘s “Roccupy!” performance.

O’Neill Plumbing was founded here in West Seattle in 1917, adjacent to Husky Deli in The Junction.

95 years later, 4th-generation owner Tim O’Neill has 28 years of experience and employs 25 hard-working, talented people and a fleet of trucks to serve not only West Seattle but also the Greater Seattle area as well as the Eastside. O’Neill Plumbing serves residential and commercial properties, including “Emergency 24-Hour Service,” drain/rooter cleaning, water-heater repairs and replacement, whole-house re-pipes, and state-of-the-art “Trenchless” underground pipe repairs and replacement.

We are proud to be longtime members of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Master Builders Association, Better Business Bureau, and are “Top Of Class” on Angie’s List with more than 450 positive customer referrals.

O’Neill Plumbing customers can visit us @ www.oneillplumbing.com and take advantage of our online coupons. To reach O’Neill Plumbing by phone, call 206-932-5283.

We thank O’Neill Plumbing for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

(WSDOT photo from March 29th keel-laying event for 1st 144-car-ferry project at Vigor)
Less than four weeks after that ceremony at Vigor Shipyards marking the start of work on a new 144-car state ferry, WSDOT and Vigor just formalized paperwork for the next one, with construction set to start in December. Total costs for the two ferries are expected to total $277 million, according to WSDOT’s announcement today. The first one is due to start service in early 2014, the second one, a year after that. Up to two more may follow. They’ll be replacing Evergreen State-class ferries (two of which are often on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run – Klahowya and Tillikum).

Just look for the balloons to see who’s participating in Tax-Free Sale Day in The Junction – continuing till 6 tonight! Above, co-proprietor John Smersh outside Click! Design That Fits, a WSB sponsor as is Fleurt, now open in its new location further up the same block:

Other WSB sponsors participating: Brunette Mix and Hotwire Online Coffeehouse. On the other side of the 4500 block of California, CAPERS‘ Lisa Myers shared photos of recycled pillows they’re showcasing:

The full list of participants is here. And while they’re not on the Tax-Free Day list, it is a special occasion at Easy Street Records – “Record Store Day”!

Easy Street has live music coming up this evening – The Young Evils at 7:30 pm and Reignwolf at 9 pm. Back to Tax-Free Day, restaurants are offering specials too – also on the list.

You know their faces and you know their names, and it’s most likely because the staff members at West Seattle Thriftway have been working there for more than a decade, if not two. “A passion for what they do” doesn’t even begin to describe how they feel about their workplace. A building is merely an empty shell until you give it a soul – and something we believe strongly in is that it’s the people who work somewhere that make a place special.

At West Seattle Thriftway, the goals are simple and straightforward: To offer exceptional quality and diversity of products, even more exceptional customer service, and to create strong ties to the community through non-profit support, events, and fundraising. “In a way, we feel like we have grown up with our community and have been woven into the fabric of what makes West Seattle so special, which is strong community connections.”

More importantly, in a world of “big box” stores, we feel extremely proud to be considered one of the little guys. Aside from being totally awesome, being an independent grocer and being locally owned and operated gives us the power to be able to bend over backward for our customers. Please come visit us April 20th – 22nd (4201 SW Morgan, at California/Fauntleroy) for a community appreciation event that includes a free grilled sausage lunch as a thank you for all of your support!

We thank West Seattle Thriftway for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

Story by Tracy Record
Photos by Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers

“Are we out of the recession? Yes, we are,” declared local economic Matthew Gardner in his keynote speech at this morning’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce annual awards breakfast.

Emceeing the event, Chamber board chair Dave Montoure, owner of West 5, declared that to be “a good message for us to hear today,” on behalf of the 120 people gathered at Salty’s on Alki to hear.

More on Gardner’s economic insights later – but first, the awardees!

(From left, WS Garden Tour’s Jim Reid, The Grove’s Lynn Sweeney Pedersen, Pete Spalding, Dave Montoure, AmericanWest Bank’s David Kim)
They were announced back in February (WSB coverage here), but the breakfast celebration is always an occasion for the business community to gather and not only give the awardees well-earned applause, but also to celebrate the community’s ongoing growth.

BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
AmericanWest Bank

Junction branch manager David Kim – who also chairs the Chamber’s Ambassador Committee – accepted the award, noting that AWB (a new name for what had been Viking Bank, before last year’s merger) is a “business-focused community bank.”

EMERGING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
The Grove/West Seattle Inn

Montoure introduced owner Lynn Sweeney Pedersen after recalling that when the Chamber polled members in 2010 about what West Seattle needs most, there were two answers – a hospital and a hotel. The Sweeney family made the latter dream come true last year.

Sweeney Pedersen recounted the property’s makeover last year, from rundown motel to “comfortable, friendly, affordable lodging,” saying their work isn’t over yet – they’re working on “continuous improvement.” She also mentioned that this weekend they will celebrate the complex’s “50th birthday,” since it was built for the Seattle World’s Fair half a century ago (as the Mar-Lyn, after original owners Martin and Evelyn).

NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR
West Seattle Garden Tour

President Jim Reid accepted the award, talking about the WSGT’s roots in the mid-1990s, founded by community advocate Irene Stewart. Since then, he said, it was raised and donated nearly a quarter-million dollars to causes in the community, facilitating the community’s “stepping up to make up for the decline in government funding” of some of those services. It’s an all-volunteer organization, and its planning is in high gear for this year’s tour, July 15th (more info here), and Reid said, you have one more week to sign up as a sponsor (WSB is among them again this year).

WESTSIDER OF THE YEAR
Pete Spalding

Montoure quipped that when he asked Spalding for his bio, it was a page and a half long. Just a few toplines of what he’s up to currently – West Seattle Food Bank board, Southwest Precinct Advisory Council, Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council, Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee … Spalding, no stranger to awards but clearly moved by this one, said with his trademark Southern-accent humility and humor, “I think there are a lot of people who do a lot more in the community and are more deserving, but I’m not going to give (the award) back!” He closed his remarks by quoting the exhortation he features in his e-mail signature, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Ahead – toplines from the keynote, what’s next for the Chamber, and our video from this morning’s event:

Though Matthew Gardner describes himself as a “land-use economist,” his insights were not limited to that field. Our video includes his entire speech (as well as the award presentations) – note, it might work better if you just listened to it in the background, since there’s only so much we could do to compensate for the lighting challenges in the Salty’s room (big bright windows as backdrops, washing out the people in front of them), and during Gardner’s speech, we finally just focused the camera on his PowerPoint, interesting in its own right. Here’s the video, followed by text toplines:

*Yes, we’re out of the recession, Gardner says, “but the expansion is not as robust as we’d like to see.”

*Yes, jobs are coming back – but “it’s going to take a long time to get back to where we were. … Uncertainty is keeping us from hiring more, faster.” He says the U.S. is still “more than five million jobs short of previous peak employment.” And he thinks it’ll be no sooner than late 2014 before we are back to “stable employment.” However, he insists “we are through the worst of it.”

*One sign, he says, while not sure if it’s good or bad news – credit-card companies are starting to aggressively solicit again. (His slide accompanying this information bore the warning, “Beware Student Loans!”)

*When he focused on the Puget Sound economy, he declared, “We’re coming back rather well” – with employment improving faster than the rest of the country, “all driven by the private sector.” Local unemployment is at about 7.4 percent, below the national rate of 8.2 percent.

*The leading employment categories in the region in terms of growth, according to Gardner, are education, aerospace, leisure, and hospitality. Though you might suspect otherwise, he says the “information” category – including technology – is static, rather than growing (though the software subcategory is on the upswing).

*Local economy drivers are the “five B’s,” according to Gardner – Boeing, biotech, bytes (software/technology), batteries (needed for electronics/electric cars/etc.), and benefactors – he said the local philanthropic community (led by billionaire families such as the Allens and the Gates) is “horribly” underestimated, but not only hires and spends, it also “creates satellite businesses.”

*Compared to other West Coast metro areas, Seattle and Phoenix are tied for “strongest.”

*Since he focuses on land use, you won’t be surprised to hear his most detailed insights were regarding construction. It’s all about apartments, he said – that’s what lenders are giving money for. He doesn’t believe that anyone will build condos “for years and years and years … it just doesn’t make financial sense right now.” When he opened the floor to Q/A, City Councilmember Nick Licata asked why the condo market was so weak; Gardner’s view is that young buyers can’t get mortgages – 20 percent of young adults, according to a stat he quoted – are either still or back at home with their parents – and don’t believe that ownership makes sense right now anyway – particularly not when it comes to condos. Banks won’t even lend money to build them, he said.

However, Gardner didn’t think it would be wise to build too many apartments; he said Belltown and West Seattle, to name two, might be on the verge of overbuilt.

*One more trend from the construction industry: He observed that “smaller builders” are being “priced out” of the home-building market, since “the nationals” have finally arrived in the area – “they have tons and buckets of money and can afford to build stuff.”

Those were the key points of Gardner’s speech. Also at this morning’s event, outgoing Chamber board member Amy Lee Derenthal was honored; Nucor‘s general manager Matt Lyons - the event sponsor – spoke, including a mention that proposed Seattle City Light rate increases will be “a challenge” for the steel facility; and two upcoming Chamber events were mentioned – the next edition of the Lunch and Learn program, April 24th, with the topic “leveraging Linked In for networking,” and the next After Hours mixer, April 26th, 5:30 pm, at Cycle University‘s new Harbor Avenue location.