First West Seattle April Fool’s sighting of the day…

No, it’s not Photoshopped, but yes, it’s a prank. We thought someone was just trying to be April Fool’s funny via Twitter when they tweeted at us this morning, “Uh, they’re putting a Wal-Mart in the hole at Fauntleroy and Alaska?” THEN came the note from a local resident reporting their spouse saw a sign about Wal-Mart and was therefore wondering when the LA Fitness plan changed. So of course we had to go take a picture. Sorry, Wal-Mart fans, it’s still going to be an LA Fitness with apartments on top … whenever construction gets going. (The last public review was three months ago.)

sam-c April 1, 2013 (9:16 am)

ha ha, that is an awesome April Fool’s. thanks for posting!

bj April 1, 2013 (9:24 am)

LOL good April Fools joke! Bet it gets lots of people since it looks like a real WalMart sign

Alice Hammer April 1, 2013 (9:31 am)

That sure will pull West Seattle’s chain! Excellent prank!

Marge Evans April 1, 2013 (9:33 am)

that is hilarious!! those banners aren’t cheap.

Tuesday April 1, 2013 (9:33 am)

That’s funny. Nothing would rile WS like a WALMARTS!

coffee April 1, 2013 (9:34 am)

That’s funny, but nobody should be a Wal-Mart Fan, never…ever!

CJ April 1, 2013 (9:47 am)

Haha, nice one!

thistle stairs April 1, 2013 (9:52 am)

Got the keys out to our Direct Action supply locker before I remembered what day it was. Good one.

MrB April 1, 2013 (9:54 am)

Brilliant.

DBP April 1, 2013 (9:55 am)

Oh my! What a terrible thing it would be to have a Wal-Mart there. I’d much prefer another view-blocking eyesore of an apartment tower.
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Or how about another gigantic hole?
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(A hole is a terrible thing to waste.)

Lura Ercolano April 1, 2013 (9:58 am)

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

But I think you should take the reveal out of the headline. The joke would be better if one has to read a few sentences of the article before getting the date.

ericak April 1, 2013 (10:00 am)

So I am the ‘local resident’ – you should have heard the conversation I had with my husband this morning. Something like – “you mean Whole Foods where the older Shell station is”, “No, across from that, not the newer Shell station, but the HOLE”, “No, a drug store is going to be with Whole Foods, do you mean WALGreens?”, “No, the HOLE – not WHOLE Foods or WALGreens, but the HOLE and WALMART” Kudos to the pranster – you really got us!

jissy April 1, 2013 (10:03 am)

What MrB said!

Kae April 1, 2013 (10:07 am)

Best April Fools prank ever! I saw the photo and cringed and then was so relieved it’s not true. Wouldn’t that be awful?!

Wendell April 1, 2013 (10:09 am)

Actually, it isn’t a prank.

Ronnie April 1, 2013 (10:11 am)

I’m with DBP on this one. A Wal-Mart there is only slightly less desirable than another one of those cube shaped art deco concrete and sheet-metal steam punk looking piece of crap apartment buildings like the monstrosity they put up at the corner of 35th and Avalon.

BrassyMomma April 1, 2013 (10:17 am)

I’m currently breathing in a paper bag – *whew!*

Ex-Westwood Resident April 1, 2013 (10:34 am)

Too bad.
Wal-Mart is a GREAT place. Think of the jobs they would provide around here.

sun*e April 1, 2013 (10:35 am)

LOL!!! That is hilarious!!! Someone went to great expense to create such a realistic looking sign and to upset a lot of hipsters in WS. Love it!!!

trickycoolj April 1, 2013 (10:37 am)

Considering QFC and Safeway are the cheapest (HA!) options in this part of town I would be excited for a cheaper grocery store to move in.

Oh well.

Adam April 1, 2013 (10:43 am)

Damn, this is an unbeatably good April fool’s joke.

Danny Del Rio April 1, 2013 (10:48 am)

If a Wal Mart did come to West Seattle, I bet at least one or two of our chain grocery stores would close in the area.

nomeato April 1, 2013 (10:56 am)

Sheesh, WSB, way to spoil the prank from the get-go by pointing it out right there in the headline! Best to lay low and let something like this play out, like seeing how the NIMBY crowd would react here in the comments section; maybe even see the story picked up by some unsuspecting news outlet and spread the joke further. That’s what makes April Fool’s jokes worthwhile.
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Sheesh again…

Mr. Green April 1, 2013 (11:07 am)

Good job ruining a great April Fools joke WSB! How about changing the headline and keeping it funny. Great Prank though!!!

westc April 1, 2013 (11:08 am)

flawless execution. laughed for a good 5 minutes while waiting for the C line

Anonymous April 1, 2013 (11:15 am)

I love the thought of how many locals are going to be spinning their wheels over this before realizing the date. This complaining neighborhood has earned it!

kellyreed April 1, 2013 (11:29 am)

The best joke ever! I can’t wait to fool more people with it!

AN April 1, 2013 (11:32 am)

A client of mine was going to put his house up for sale because of this!

Junction mom April 1, 2013 (11:32 am)

Well played to who ever put up the sign. Got to say, WSB, it would be better if you don’t tell until farther down! Hmmm, wonder if Dorpat’s back in the April Fools business…..

Tom Rasmussen April 1, 2013 (11:50 am)

Brilliant! If I had seen that while heading into the office I might have driven right into the ditch. Thanks for sharing WSB!

Tom Rasmussen
City Council

Laurie April 1, 2013 (11:53 am)

Well done, Sign Maker(s)!

P.S. If the WSB didn’t post that headline, their servers would crash due to all the comments/complaints. Not everyone gets a joke.

LivesInWS April 1, 2013 (12:10 pm)

Those “low prices” are a sham — Taxpayer money covers Medicaid for Wal-Mart employees getting paid poverty-scale wages.

Teri Ensley April 1, 2013 (12:27 pm)

I can’t share what I thought when I first saw this! Never have step foot in a Walmart. Never will.

CP April 1, 2013 (12:29 pm)

RAOFLMAO – Colleague and I driving back from lunch and he saw the color drain from my face as we passed “the hole”… Asked what was wrong and I said – “I gotta go check the blog, I just can’t imagine this and West Seattle is going to freak out!”

Joke on us… very well done, whomever you are!

JoB April 1, 2013 (1:13 pm)

thank goodness this is a joke

Rob April 1, 2013 (2:15 pm)

I nearly crapped myself when I saw this. I was about to obtain a bull horn, start making picket signs and and put my house on the market.

E. April 1, 2013 (2:15 pm)

Thank god it’s a joke! Walmart is for trailer trash. Their stuff is so cheap (not just in price but quality). Ick. But good one to the person that made the sign. Boo to WSB for giving it away in the title.

DTK April 1, 2013 (2:26 pm)

It would be ironic if the sign was made in China, too.

Kim Mulligan April 1, 2013 (2:26 pm)

Wow,that’s a good one. Made me wonder for a moment. It’s one of those “thank goodness it’s just a joke” sighs of relief!Props to the pranksters!

Mama2papa April 1, 2013 (2:36 pm)

Love it!

MARCIA April 1, 2013 (2:53 pm)

I THOUGHT THAT I READ SOMEWHERE RECENTLY THAT SEATTLE WHOLE FOODS WAS GOING TO BE COMING BACK INTO THE HOLE.

WSB April 1, 2013 (3:23 pm)

Marcia, Whole Foods pulled out of “The Hole” three years ago, because its lease terms – to have a store by 2010 – had not been fulfilled. It was announced last year that it will be part of the 4755 Fauntleroy Way development across the street.

Anna Eileen April 1, 2013 (2:55 pm)

If WSB didn’t give it away in the title, can you imagine how many people would have weighed in on it full of NIMBY? Servers would have been blown. I don’t think us West Seattleites could have handled that on a Monday.

OP April 1, 2013 (3:50 pm)

Well done! I agree with other posters: WSB should have played along with the joke!

WSB April 1, 2013 (4:02 pm)

Nope. There are too many news sites doing fake, unlabeled “April Fool’s” stories today and the practice horrifies me. The Seattle City Council even started the day with a fake news release. Oh look, another city department did one too.
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http://council.seattle.gov/2013/04/01/seven-remaining-councilmembers-announce-candidacy-for-mayor/
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http://bottomline.seattle.gov/2013/04/01/six-more-space-needles-add-to-skyline-views-will-not-be-tarnished
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For better or for worse, whatever you see here, whatever day of the year, you’ll know it’s for real unless very clearly labeled otherwise.
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There is a REASON nobody invites me to parties. I take everything incredibly seriously. I’d just be sitting in the corner typing anyway – TR

Rumbles April 1, 2013 (4:03 pm)

Hilarious!!!

West Seattle HIPster April 1, 2013 (4:05 pm)

From being a regular reader of the WSB for several years, I have concluded that West Seattlites are intolerant of Wal Mart and Gluten.

Celebrate diversity!

datamuse April 1, 2013 (4:17 pm)

Nice to know what you think of people who can’t afford to go elsewhere, E. I’ll make sure to tell my friends they aren’t welcome in West Seattle anymore. Good god.

Bunnyfer April 1, 2013 (4:20 pm)

Well said TR – the joke does not have to be reported as “news” in order for all of us to have a great laugh! Thanks for all you do WSB!!

Bunnyfer April 1, 2013 (4:22 pm)

oh, and FYI – if you’re planning ahead, a banner that size would only cost someone about $20 or $30 to make…let us see what the mischief-makers can do next! :)

Jim April 1, 2013 (6:12 pm)

When media gets into April Fools day jokes…. Bad things happen. April 1, 1989 KING TV’s Almost Live aired a special report about the space needle collapsing. As a result the 911 system in Seattle went down for a period of time as it was inundated with phone calls.

LongTimer WS April 1, 2013 (9:46 pm)

Love you, WS Blog!
Know I can always count on you! Your judgment is priceless, impeccable, and always impartial. You bring our community closer together because your reporting helps us understand each other. And occasionally we all get to laugh in unison. We all need to laugh. Thank you!

SPS Parent Also April 1, 2013 (10:36 pm)

On a serious note, anyone who considers themselves a “Wal-Mart Fan” should please watch THE MOVIE,

“Walmart: The High Cost Of Low Prices”

Everyone is entitled to their opinion but please be educated.

Whoa April 1, 2013 (11:19 pm)

I love living in a place where even the thought of Walmart sends people over the edge! Gives me hope for humanity!!!
Great prank!!

w.s. maverick April 2, 2013 (5:47 am)

lets get one, what do you think

Camera Man April 2, 2013 (7:43 am)

Good one!

DMS April 2, 2013 (11:59 am)

When all is said and done, it is still just a hole. 3 or 4 months ago I commented about that, and the WSB response was that the project would be starting “very soon”.

Alas, still just a hole.

WSB April 2, 2013 (12:06 pm)

Sorry, DMS, that’s what the project team said at the time of their Design Commission hearing we covered in late December. They’re still saying “soon.” As are a few other project teams around here. Some days I think it’s a race to see who will be LAST to start … at this point it looks like the 4724 California project might be first. – TR

datamuse April 2, 2013 (2:13 pm)

SPS, I’m no fan of Wal-Mart. But referring to people as trash because they shop there is mean spirited and unnecessary.

Ex-Westwood Resident April 2, 2013 (2:40 pm)

On a serious note, anyone who considers themselves a “Wal-Mart Fan” should please watch THE MOVIE,

“Walmart: The High Cost Of Low Prices”
Everyone is entitled to their opinion but please be educated
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Any store that is opposed to by MoveOn.org and Unions has my business!!!
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Let guess, you’re also a fan of Michael “Rotund mound of sound” Moore’s films “Bowling for Columbine”, “Fahrenheit 911” and the rest of his garbage films that he tries to pass off as documentries.

DMS April 2, 2013 (3:37 pm)

There seems to be something about West Seattle where projects either never get off the ground or stall indefinitely. The city needs to have rules in place for developers to prove they have the resources to finish a project before they dig holes or force a bunch of businesses to close way before they start their project.