A new year often brings new opportunities. At the West Seattle Junction Association, the door is opening for a new full-time staff member. Until now, executive director Chris Mackay has had only a part-time assistant – but Jill Maio is leaving that job for new focuses in her life, and WSJA will hire a full-time replacement to serve as Marketing and Events Manager. The full job listing is on WSJA’s website – here are the toplines:

Organization: West Seattle Junction Association (WSJA) aka “The Junction”
Open Position: Marketing & Events Manager
Salary: $60-$65K, DOE
Location: mainly on-site at the WSJA office in the West Seattle Junction
Starting Date: February 1, 2024

About the organization

The mission of the non-profit West Seattle Junction Association is to develop and promote activities that enhance a healthy economic and social climate for the West Seattle Junction. We support the businesses within our city-designated boundaries, clean and beautify the neighborhood, and produce a range of events for the community.

About the position

The WSJA is seeking applications for a newly-created full-time staff position: Marketing & Events Manager. The M&EM will divide their time between marketing (with a heavy focus on social media) for the Junction itself and the businesses within its boundaries, and overseeing the Junction’s events, which include Summer Fest, Wine Walks, GLOWS and more. The M&EM will hold one of only two full-time positions at the Junction, so should enjoy a lively but small, all-hands-on-deck kind of environment.

More information on qualifications and duties, and how to apply, can be found in the full listing. WSJA’s office is at 4210 SW Oregon.

P.S. Is your business/nonprofit hiring? Post the job for free in the West Seattle Jobs Offered section of our community forums (where the WSJA job will appear soon too)!

After Bakery Nouveau posted on social media that it’s closed in West Seattle until January 3rd, we got a couple questions about why, so we went to The Junction in hopes of finding someone there to ask. The sign on the door attributes the closure to “oven issues,” and that’s what an employee on site told us, saying the holiday posed a bit of difficulty in getting parts.

(King County Assessor website photo)

1:08 PM: Thanks to the reader who texted us after receiving a letter from Wells Fargo Bank saying that it’s planning to close its Admiral Junction location. We’ve since confirmed the closure with a Wells Fargo spokesperson, who responded to our inquiry:

Yes, we’ll be closing the Admiral Junction branch at California and Admiral on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Until then, customers can use this branch and bank with us as they always have. After that, they can visit us at our West Seattle branch, approximately 1.39 miles away.

That will leave two of the four corners at California/Admiral vacant unless a buyer/tenant emerges for the southwest corner, where Quality Cleaners closed 3 1/2 years ago. Wells Fargo owns the Admiral building, so we have a followup inquiry out as to whether they plan to sell it or to lease out this space.

2:20 PM: According to WF spokesperson Tony Timmons, “No decisions have been made yet” regarding the future of the 2358 California Avenue SW building.

(WSB photo – Good Sister’s new home at 6959 California SW)

After two years at California/Juneau, Good Sister is moving from north Morgan Junction to south Morgan Junction, according to the announcement we received from proprietor Ennjoili Fleck:

We will be relocating our business to a new and improved location. After careful consideration, we have decided to close our current location at 5902 California Ave SW. However, we are thrilled to announce that we will be taking over a similar brick building just 5 blocks away, previously occupied by NW Floors and Three Little Birds. The new address is 6959 California Ave SW. The new space is significantly larger, allowing us to expand our services and offerings. We will now have three spa treatment rooms and more retail space. Additionally, our staff is growing, and we are excited to provide more community classes. We aim to fill the gap in spa services and retail in the area.

As part of this transition, Nicole Leitner of West Coast Willow will be taking over our current space starting January 2024. West Coast Willow is an all-natural, organic skin care and health care brand that promotes a healthy lifestyle. Nicole also offers spa services, making her an excellent replacement for Good Sister. We are confident that the community will be pleased with her offerings, and we kindly ask you to welcome her to the neighborhood.

Good Sister is still working on the buildout so they plan to start offering spa appointments at the new location January 4th and are hoping to have the retail grand opening in early February. Their last day in the current location is this Saturday (December 23) and they’re having a storewide sale that day – info and hours here.

No new owner yet for Outer Space Seattle, so proprietor Caitlin Huertas says this is its last week – last chance to enjoy the space-themed indoor playground:

This is Outer Space Seattle’s last week unless a new owner steps in.

Open all week for Open Play, 10 am – 8 pm, Monday 12/18 – Friday 12/22.

Last day: Friday 12/22.

Caitlin announced the closure plan and sale listing last month. She opened Outer Space Seattle at 2820 Alki Avenue SW for four years.

Key, Sean, and Yesenia took a moment for that photo just before cutting the ribbon to open the new West Seattle Junction location of their shop Rush Hour, less than a block south of the storefront where they’d been since June.

The move to 4517 California SW was already in motion even before the two crash-and-grab burglaries at their former storefront, which is awaiting demolition and redevelopment. The new space was Seattle E-Bike for a little while and Jan’s Beauty Supply for a long while. It’s bigger than Rush Hour’s previous spot, and a new mural by @TheyDrift spans the entire south wall:

Most of what Rush Hour carries is wearable, including shoes:

They also have unique shirts, jackets, and other apparel. A line was waiting to get in once they opened today:

In addition to shopping, you’ll also be able to visit Rush Hour during Art Walk – Yesenia told us they’re excited to participate, and very grateful for all the community support. Store hours are noon-8 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 am-6 pm Sundays, closed Mondays.

Today we’re welcoming a new sponsor to the team of local businesses and organizations advertising on WSB: Moon Room Shop and Wellness in north Morgan Junction. When new sponsors join us, they get the opportunity to tell you about themselves – here’s what Moon Room would like you to know:

Moon Room Shop and Wellness is inspired by and created from imagination! We are a unique and eclectic retail gift shop that sells crystals, rocks, jewelry, 100% pure and natural essential oil body products and sprays, high-vibration art prints, and custom original T-shirts such as our popular Lincoln Park shirt. We also carry natural incense and sustainable smudge, intention candles, chimes, sun catchers, lamps, and so many other fun treasures that uplift and inspire joy in our daily living. We are always adding new fun items to our store while continually striving to offer our customers an affordably vibrant shopping experience.

Our crystal, rock, and mineral selection is selectively curated to appeal to the beginning and casual rock hound all the way to the collector looking for that nice specimen. We carry a great variety of tumbled and polished stones, crystal towers, spheres, free forms, and also some really cool fossils. Our jewelry section is filled with a beautiful and varied selection of gemstone rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. Whether you are treating yourself or buying a gift for someone special, there is a lot to explore and enjoy at Moon Room.

To show our gratitude to everyone who has supported Moon Room and to all those we look forward to meeting, we are running a “West Seattle Rocks!” sale today (Friday, December 1) through Sunday, December 3, where everything in the store and online is 15% off! Come see us in person at 5902 ½ California Ave. SW in Morgan Junction or order online for pick up or delivery at www.moonroomshop.com. Use special code WSROCKS for online discount.

And to accommodate busy schedules for this holiday season, we are offering in-store private shopping bookings from 9-11 AM for the month of December. Book your own half-hour slot to browse and shop. Minimum $50 purchase required. Gift cards are available too! Book your private shopping excursion at calendar.app.google/3dwq2bQc9mKkqRHT9

We look forward to seeing you!

Much love,
Moon Room

We thank Moon Room Shop and Wellness for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here; email patrick@wsbsales.com for info on joining the team!

HomeStreet Bank in the West Seattle Junction (4022 SW Alaska; WSB sponsor) is continuing its tradition of showcasing another local business/nonprofit every month, and this month, the spotlight has been on Meeples Games, with a special display in the branch and a drawing at month’s end. That’s why Meeples Games proprietor Laura Schneider visited HomeStreet (whose Joyce Leslie is at right in our photo with Laura) on Tuesday – to draw the winner of a $100 gift card. (Just in time for holiday shopping!) If you haven’t been to Meeples, the shop is upstairs at 3727 California SW, with numerous weekly gaming events as well as retail offerings. The December spotlight at HomeStreet will be on ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), where “Snowed In” opens tomorrow night.