For a small independent business to last 40 months is a feat – let alone 40 years.
But that’s the milestone CAPERS in The Junction (WSB sponsor) is celebrating this weekend – the store’s 40th anniversary.
The party Saturday and Sunday coincides with the start of the annual CAPERS “everything in the store” sale. But CAPERS proprietor Lisa Myers has added a few touches – such as a private reunion party tonight for employees past and present. “We’ve probably had 1,000 employees over the years!” Lisa marveled when we talked this morning for a look ahead to the big weekend. Their tenures, anywhere from one month to 25 years. “They really make the business.”
Yes, but so does the proprietor. What’s her secret for keeping the doors open this long? “Just keep going! I think (some businesspeople) give up too soon, didn’t give it enough time. It takes a long time to get a customer!” You can’t assume everyone knows about you, 40 years or not. “People still come in and ask, ‘are you new?'”
Of course CAPERS offers online shopping, too, but it’s the bricks-and-mortar store that offers the full experience of the home items they sell – although the website also opens the door to people too far to walk through the physical door. Somebody thousands of miles away, for example, bought napkin rings. And it’s the mix of merchandise that keeps CAPERS thriving, Lisa believes; furniture might be atop the list of most-popular items, but barely: “All the departments hold their own .. it’s hard to get rid of a department, since they play off each other.”
After 40 years, what surprises her? Sometimes, it’s “the things that people like.” Sometimes, it’s the pleasant surprise of “the kindness of our community … people are so supportive and kind.” (CAPERS finds ways to enable that, too, such as the annual Giving Tree for the Hickman House shelter housing families who have survived domestic violence.)
You can support this independent local business, as it enters year 41, by joining this weekend’s celebration. Between 10 am and 4 pm both Saturday and Sunday, you can not only be among the first to shop the “20 percent off everything” sale, you can also enter raffle drawings for baskets with items from CAPERS vendors – “our vendors have given us so many gifts!” Lisa exclaims. “Some really good stuff.” They’ll have a “Wheel of Fortune”-style game, too, as well as treats for kids. And the sale lasts through the end of the month. CAPERS is at 4525 California SW.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Junction Association)
The union for grocery-store workers in the region, UFCW 3000, just sent early-early-morning word that thousands of its members – primarily working for Kroger and Albertsons stores – have voted to reject the latest contract offer and authorize a strike. That doesn’t mean they’re definitely striking; the union announcement says that this follows five months of contract talks, and that “Another round of negotiations is scheduled for June 12 and 13. The contract extension agreement can be unilaterally terminated with a 72-hour notice, and a strike could not begin until after the 72-hour notice has run out.” In West Seattle, this involves three Safeway (part of Albertsons) stores and two QFC (part of Kroger) stores; Saar’s, which has a White Center grocery store, is part of this too. It’s been six months since the plan for Kroger and Albertsons to merge was canceled. UFCW 3000 says you can look at the latest contract proposals on its website.
A longtime local business that recently closed hasn’t entirely gone away. West Seattle Brake Service has closed in The Triangle after 85 years, ending an amazing run for a local family, after proprietor John Thompson retired. But it’s living on in another way, as another family in the automotive business – West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsors) – is announcing:
West Seattle Brake Service, located at 4464 37th Ave SW, is now under the ownership of West Seattle Autoworks, located at 7501 35th Ave SW. When customers call the business number of West Seattle Brake Service (206-935-4350) they will be routed to West Seattle Autoworks, with the option of scheduling with us at our location. We were honored to be asked to continue serving their customer base and hope to obtain some memorabilia from West Seattle Brake Service, which has served West Seattle since 1940!
West Seattle Autoworks is at 35th/Webster and will celebrate its 15th anniversary later this year.
If you run, Wednesday is a day to celebrate – it’s Global Running Day. While West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) always has a free group run at 6:15 pm on Wednesdays, this one will be special:
-You can demo a pair of ASICS shoes
-S’mores, bubbles, cornhole after the run
-You can enter a raffle for cold-plunge sessios at Space Bar
-Even if you don’t win, Space Bar owner Andrew will open especially for runners at 7 pm – you can sign up now (info@spacebarwellness.com) for a half-hour contrast-therapy session post run ($25)
Just show up in time for the 6:15 pm run on Wednesday (June 4) and get the party started. If you’ve never been to WSR, it’s at 2743 California SW.
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The cafe formerly known as Till Dawn has rebranded itself as The Void. After several reader inquiries about the change, we talked with one of the new owners who took over at 5048 California SW a little more than half a year ago.
The rebrand follows other changes in the seven months since the ownership change. Previously a video game-themed bar and cafe, opened in 2022 in the former West Seattle Licensing space, it’s retained some of its original identity, albeit with a heavy metal twist.
(WSB photos from here down)
“We loved everything about it, but wanted to do something different. If you want white walls and wood-edged countertops, more power to you, but now we’re a place I’d like to hang out,” said Shadoe Leibelt, who co-owns The Void with his wife. The name is derived from their location, between the Alaska Junction and Morgan Junction. “We’re between two junctions, in an empty void of an area. Any other name just didn’t work,” Leibelt said.
Moving from St. Petersburg, Florida, roughly two years ago, Leibelt brings 13 years of bartending experience, as well as a background in horror filmmaking and cinematography to The Void. The grungy, punk aesthetic has molded his life, Leibelt says, and he’s taken that inspiration to heart with the new decorations.
With the aesthetic changes come schedule and service changes as well. The Void will continue to lean further into its identity as a dive bar. It will still serve as a place to get coffee and play games, including serving the old regulars, but they want to expand their offerings to cater to a wider audience.
The Void will also continue to run its bi-weekly movie nights, and while they’re taking it slow, Leibelt says one of their long-term goals is to push their hours later. “I plan to keep expanding hours until we can be open late every single night of the week,” said Leibelt.
“I couldn’t be happier with what I’ve seen the place grow into in the last six months,” he said, reflecting on how much The Void has changed since he started rebranding it. “This place isn’t for everyone, and that’s completely fine, but I want this to be a staple. I want it to be a standout spot for the neighborhood, to show that West Seattle doesn’t just stop at the end of The Junction.”
Current hours for The Void are 9 am-6 pm Mondays-Tuesdays, 9 am-10 pm Wednesdays-Thursdays, 9 am-11 pm Fridays-Saturdays, and 9 am-5 pm Sundays; check for updates here.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Yes, they’re open. (New photo added above.)
J. CREW ON THE MAP: We’ve been reporting on evidence that clothing retailer J. Crew is opening a “factory” store in the ex-GameStop and tanning-salon spaces. Now more evidence: The logo is officially on the WWV map (above), which is the only way the center has been “announcing” new tenants.
RITE AID’S FUTURE: When Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy again, we reported that the Westwood Village store’s lease was among those offered “for assignment” by a broker working with the company to offload dozens of stores. CVS is reported to be taking over more than 60 Rite Aid stores in the region, but no hint yet if WWV is among them – its leasing map now shows that space (above) as “available.”
2 PM: Thanks to Derek for the photo. The painting happening today on the southwest corner of California/Alaska gave us the opening to check back on a story we’ve been working on for a while: The Missing Piece Cafe and Game Lounge is finally confirming that it’s moving to The Junction – in the ex-Pharmaca space – from 35th/Roxbury. Last time we asked proprietor Alex about the plan, the lease wasn’t finalized yet and he wasn’t ready to comment, but today he tells WSB, “We are going to have an expanded cafe offering when we move as well as a wider game selection. We’re very excited to be moving to such a great spot in the heart of West Seattle!” Mindful that renovations and permits tend to take longer than businesspeople hope and plan for, we are nonetheless following up on their hoped-for timeframe for moving (update: by “the end of summer“). The Missing Piece opened in an ex-dispensary space on the northeast corner of 35th/Roxbury five years ago. In addition to simply being open for eating/drinking/playing, it also hosts various regular and special events.
3:23 PM: In comments, A points out that the painting is part of a mural for the business next door to the future new home of The Missing Piece, Emerald Water Anglers, which is chronicling the mural-painting here. You might recall that EWA is there because of a move too, shifting to the former Bin 41 space last year from its original spot at 42nd/Oregon. (We’re checking on what kind of signage TMP plans.)
Quick notes about three businesses with reason to celebrate:
4TH ANNIVERSARY: Tomorrow (Monday, May 26) the Clay Cauldron (5214 Delridge Way SW) is celebrating four years in business – stop by between 1-4 pm for “door prizes, wheel demos, pottery for sale, smash burgers, make a pinch pot.” Or just to congratulate proprietor Frances!
40TH ANNIVERSARY: Set your calendar for the weekend of June 7-8, when CAPERS in The Junction (4525 California SW; WSB sponsor) will celebrate 40 years in business! Treats, prizes, more, and a chance to congratulate proprietor Lisa. The weekend will be preceded by a special reunion for CAPERS employees past and present – if that includes you, and you’re not already set to go, the contact info is in our calendar listing.
FIRST ANNIVERSARY IN NEW HQ: Rambo Total Pest Control has an unusual anniversary story to tell – the longtime WSB sponsor is based in Puyallup but has generations of roots in West Seattle, and many customers. They just celebrated a year in their headquarters, a renovated Puyallup house dubbed “The Castle” – after working on it for more than three years – and wanted to share its story.
Four months have passed since we told you a J. Crew Factory store was penciled in for the former GameStop and Desert Sun spaces in Westwood Village. The company has yet to make a formal announcement, but that’s not unusual (for example, Total Wine & More has yet to “announce” its Westwood store, but it’s posted May 30 as the opening date). We have word of two developments with the space – the tanningsalon that followed Desert Sun, Bronz’d, now has a note on the door saying it had closed immediately and permanently. We went by to check (top photo) after Wyatt sent the photo below of the note:
Story and photos by Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Thanks for the tip about activity in the Fauntleroy retail space that was most recently Bel Gatto after many decades as The Original Bakery. We’ve learned it will open this summer as an expansion of a Pilates studio in the same building. Along with the same programming already happening around the corner at Lagom Studios, there will be new saunas and classes, all by appointment.
“Community building is the whole purpose,” says owner Melina Moore. She bought the studio in 2022, when it was called Innate Vitality. At 435sf, the studio, tucked into the north side of the Endolyne building, can only accommodate 4 clients at a time, so Moore had started to look for a larger space. Poised to sign a lease in the Admiral District earlier this year, she found the bakery space suddenly available. “It felt very kismet,” she says, and allowed her to keep the business in the Fauntleroy neighborhood, which she came to love a number of years ago while teaching at the Cottage School at Gatewood Elementary.
With 2,000 additional square feet, Moore says there is enough space to have private sessions and group classes, including Yin yoga, at the same time. She envisions a “community wellness space,” with saunas and shower in the back and a “cozy corner” with tea where the bakery had its pastry case.
She plans to keep the current studio for community events, including sound baths, women’s circles, reiki and breath work, and astrology workshops.
Clients at a Pilates class Tuesday morning were thrilled about the larger space. “I’m super excited that she is expanding,” said one. Another described the Lagom space as a sanctuary in the city — “a neighborhood healing space.”
Moore says the Swedish word Lagom is about moving your body in balance and appreciation, something that is a guiding principle of her studio, along with a requirement that clients practice kindness in the space, where, “everyone is welcome.” Moore has 5 instructors working out of the current studio and will be hiring more for the expansion. Likely hours when she expands in July will be 7 am to 7:30 pm, depending on appointments.
Mayor Bruce Harrell was so impressed by West Seattle Arcade during an Alki mini-tour today, he vowed to figure out how to better promote it and other beach businesses to the rest of the region – and even to tourists who visit Seattle from afar.
The arcade was one of four businesses Harrell visited during an invitation-only mini-tour that concluded with a Q&A gathering. We were invited to cover it, though the mayor’s staff set “no recording” as a requirement for sitting in on the gathering, so we don’t have video of that.
Harrell started his tour at Natalie’s on Alki, where Natalie’s son Vinny showed him how they make their popular drinks, including sugar-cane juice fresh-squeezed from cane grown, and imported from, a family farm in Vietnam.
Asked if they had any specific concerns with which the city could help, the Natalie’s team said no. But at the next stop, Fire Tacos, they expressed concerns about the bus stop/layover area right outside their restaurant’s front windows, blocking the view and leading to loitering.
While noting that Metro is a county, not city, system, Harrell promised to have his staff look into the stop-location situation. The restaurateurs also recalled a recent incident in which police had requested video from their security cameras’ outdoor views, and Harrell noted that the Real-Time Crime Center that’s about to launch will be able to utilize private cameras, with their owners’ consent: “We think that’s going to be a game-changer.”
Speaking of games, shortly thereafter, he was off to West Seattle Arcade, where the mayor talked with proprietors Elyssa and Matt Cichy and played two games, the Godzilla VR one shown above, and push-button basketball:
The Cichys asked the mayor to “keep Alki safe,” saying that crime/disorder is a major concern, while noting that their businesses – WS Arcade and Gary’s Place – were founded in no small part because they thought it important to give young people something to do. They also told him about working to keep their prices reasonable, after the mayor offered the unsolicited observation that an outside-the-city gaming business which shall go nameless seemed pretty pricey to him. He added that people should be coming to WS Arcade, and other Alki businesses, from all around the region, and cruise ships too. And he promised to return: “You’re going to see me back here with my posse.”
The mayor was then driven back eastward to the final stop, Christos on Alki, where invited business and community leaders were gathered, and City Councilmember Rob Saka sat with the mayor in the center of the room.
Unlike Saka’s High Point meeting on Wednesday night, this one was focused around giving attendees a chance to ask questions and make comments. Harrell declared that “supporting small businesses” was a priority. In addition to Alki businesspeople, those we recognized in the room included reps from Alki Community Council, Alki Beach Pride, A Cleaner Alki, Alki UCC, and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. City reps included deputy mayor Jessyn Farrell as well as reps from SPD and Seattle Parks.
The mayor opened by touting recent drops in crime stats. Those don’t tend to address street-disorder concerns, though, which were brought up by one businessperson, who asked Harrell if he would be willing to shut down Alki Avenue to vehicle traffic in the summer, to eliminate stunt driving. “Not really,” the mayor replied, then asking for a show of hands if anyone else favored the idea; we didn’t see any go up. Another crime/safety issue raised was the difficulty in getting through to the non-emergency line for reporting some situations; city reps said they’d look into that (though it’s been said elsewhere that they’re staffing up the call center after attrition problems), and the mayor suggested AI might be a solution. In another tech topic, Harrell was asked about gunshot detectors; he said he remains a supporter but the city’s budget woes are getting in the way.
Another major topic of concern was unlicensed vendors on Alki, blocking beach access and taking customers away from the year-round bricks-and-mortar businesses. It was pointed out that these are not small one-off cart operators, but rather well-organized multiple-tent entrepreneurs. Suggestions for making the area less attractive to them included landscaping the “grassy sand” areas of the beach and installing some accessible parking spaces.
Parks’ Jon Jainga(at right in photo above), whose portfolio includes the rangers, reminded everyone that summer changes, including Alki’s earlier closing time, start one week from tonight, and said the rangers would be working later too, with their days split into 9 am-7:30 pm and 2 pm-12:30 am shifts. He said the rangers will be empowered to give unpermitted vendors “cease and desist” letters telling them to move, and if they don’t, they’ll be able to call in police “for citations and removal.” If they simply move off Parks land and go onto right-of-way, SDOT will be contacted to deal with that, he added.
WHAT’S NEXT: We’ll be following up to see what happens with a couple of key things Harrell (who is running for re-election this year) promised that his staff would investigate – including promoting Alki businesses and possibly moving the bus stop/layover location at 61st/Alki.
Thanks for the tip! We’ve just gone over to Westwood Village to confirm it and get a photo – Total Wine & More, in the northeast corner of the center, has posted its opening date and time: 9 am Friday, May 30. We have been tracking the development of the store, in the former Staples space, since first discovering the plan in city permit files 13 months ago. More info to come …
(WSB photos by Oliver Hamlin. Above, West Seattle Runner’s Lori and Tim McConnell with emcee Brian Callanan)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We show up for each other.”
Wednesday morning, that was the sentiment about not only the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and its members, but also the entirety of West Seattle, as the Chamber presented its 2025 Westside Awards.
“Local business is about resilience, connection, and legacy,” declared Chamber executive director Rachel Porter in her opening remarks during the breakfast event at The Hall at Fauntleroy.
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Porter said the awards are emblematic of “rid(ing) the wave of business in our community” – and indeed, each was an artistic rendition of a breaking wave, blue “water” and white foam (created by Jen Austin of Green Fern Studios). Every year the Chamber takes community nominations for its four awards – Business of the Year, Not-for-Profit of the Year, Emerging Business of the Year, and the lone individual award, Westsider of the Year. The winners were announced last month; the breakfast gathering was a chance to celebrate them, as well as two community members honored with special posthumous Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Emcee Brian Callanan – who you might know as a veteran local broadcast journalist, but whose Chamber involvement is centered on his coordination of the annual Loop the ‘Lupe (coming up June 7!) – noted that 62 organizations and people were nominated for this year’s awards.
The big one, Business of the Year, went to a one-of-a-kind independent retail shop that just celebrated its 15th anniversary, West Seattle Runner.
Each honoree was the subject of a short video; in the one about WSR, proprietors Lori and Tim McConnell marveled at their customers – again, “for showing up.” They recalled the rapid-response group run after the Boston Marathon bombing. After the video, Tim took the microphone, recalling, “When we opened our store, we had no idea how much time it was going to take, the effort to keep a small business open … we also didn’t (anticipate) all the support we’d have.”
He closed with a favorite quote attributed to President John F. Kennedy, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”
The founder of the Emerging Business of the Year recipient, Deeds Health, said that today (May 15) would be the one-year anniversary at her last day of working for someone else. Dr. Stefie Deeds then opened her practice in The Junction, where she said her goal is to “remove barriers from giving care.”
Executive director Allie Lindsay Johnson accepted the Not for Profit of the Year award for WestSide Baby, founded in 2001 in West Seattle “in a new mom’s garage.” She too echoed the oft-heard, “This community shows up.”
She also reminded everyone that the items WestSide Baby distributes are “crucial for children’s mobility, development, and safety.”
Westsider of the Year, recognition for a community champion, went to Cleveland King, who leads the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA.
In his acceptance speech, King talked about arriving for his then-new assignment in West Seattle about a year ago and being expected to deliver the message – “not my message but I was the messenger” – that the Fauntleroy YMCA would be closed, after a century. The uproar – and collaboration – that ensued “let me know how important the Y was to that community … it felt like home.” King worked with the community to save the Fauntleroy Y, and today it is thriving, he said.
In closing, he said, “If you don’t have someone around you who believes in your dreams, find someone else to be around.”
The last presentations were tributes to the two posthumous recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards. First was Dawn Leverett, who died two weeks ago and was remembered by Porter as “a steady force in West Seattle”; she and Ms. Leverett’s friend Amy Lee Derenthal offered tributes:
Ms. Leverett served on the Chamber board and championed others during her two decades as a real-estate professional. She was described as holding the sentiment “there’s no challenge … that we can’t handle together.”
The other achievement award was presented in memory of WSB co-founder Patrick Sand, who died unexpectedly in October. Your editor and our son Torin Record-Sand offered a few words about him:
Chamber board chair Jovelyn Agbalog of Procura Mortgage wrapped up the event by remarking on community qualities: “Resilience, innovation, connection, and service … we must keep supporting each other … we must keep showing up … we must keep making waves.”
This week, Blue Moon Burgers on Alki is celebrating a milestone anniversary – 10 years at 2504 Alki SW. To celebrate, this Thursday (May 15), they’ll offer a special all day – any single-patty burger with fries, tots, onion rings, or garlic parmesan fries, with a soft drink or bottled water, for $10 (plus tax).
We first reported in 2014 that Blue Moon appeared to be on the way to what was then Alki Auto Repair (which moved to 2938 SW Avalon Way); the restaurant opened in 2015. Their hours are 11 am-9 pm.
As reported here Tuesday, West Seattle’s Nucor Steel mill by the west end of the bridge is dismantling three smokestacks that were decommissioned 40 years ago but have remained in place … until now. The company has shared some images of the early work, including drone views (above and below):
And a ground view too:
Nucor says the disassembly will take about five weeks – no explosives involved, just piece by piece – and the steel will be recycled on site.
Nine years ago, that was the scene as Nucor‘s old West Seattle water tower was being removed. Now, another big visual change is ahead: Today was the first day of about five weeks of work at the Nucor mill on a removal project that’s been four decades in the making. Nucor is removing three smokestacks that were decommissioned in 1985. They won’t be blown up or otherwise demolished – we’re told they’ll be removed in sections, to be scrapped and recycled, in keeping with the Nucor plant’s status as our state’s largest recycler. A spokesperson for Nucor tells us that two of the three smokestacks date back to 1957, when the mill was under different ownership (Nucor has owned it since 2002, 97 years after it started steelmaking). They were used to service “soaking pits” for reheating iron ingots; the third smokestack was moved from elsewhere on the property in 1967 to do the same thing. But in 1985, those “soaking pits” were decommissioned, and so were the stacks. The Nucor spokesperson says they’ve all been tested for hazardous waste, “with negative results.” Dickson Demolition will remove the smokestacks in sections; their steel will be recycled – where else? – onsite.. Nucor Seattle’s general manager Mark Davis said in a statement, ““The old smokestacks have been unused for 40 years and are from a bygone era of steelmaking that is disconnected from modern steelmaking.” Work is expected to continue for the next five weeks or so during regular operating hours.
Today, we welcome Better Than Robots as a new WSB sponsor. New sponsors get to tell you about themselves – here’s the Better Than Robots story:
Better Than Robots is Angie and Sandy: two Highland Park neighbors who first bonded over love of our small dogs before meeting properly as crew members of the West Seattle Mutual Aid Party. Once we learned that we shared a belief in our ability to learn any new skill along with a drive to build community, our friendship was cemented.
We realized we’re both the ones who friends and family call for help with the random and weird, with Sandy’s friends repeatedly suggesting they work as an organizer for folks with ADHD and Angie volunteering to complete chores that friends and neighbors found inaccessible. In 2024, while daydreaming about our ideal job, it occurred to us that we could be that business! Two friends with the skills to help people with the same struggles we have and one goal – to show up, get some things done, and leave you better off. Better Than Robots was born!
How does Better Than Robots work? We are here to help you finish the tasks at the bottom of your list that you never have time for. BTR is who you call when you want help but aren’t sure who to hire. Are you daunted by the idea of sorting and organizing your doom garage/closet/spare bedroom? We evaluate and we don’t judge. We’ll show up as your extra pair of hands, ready to help strategize and keep your momentum going, and then we’ll take the trash piles and donatable items away. We’ve also helped clients with random tasks like fixing weird tv issues or figuring out where to consign a great piece of furniture. Last year, we saved a client several hundred dollars returning online orders, a task they always struggled to complete. We’ll hang your art, catalog your books, weed your garden, help you learn how to meal prep, put together a starter kit for a new hobby such as hiking or knitting, even prep your monthly expense reports. And for work we don’t do, we can research and create a short list of professionals such as house cleaners, contractors, or even doctors.
Better Than Robots can save you time, money, and sanity. Check out our offerings at betterthanrobots.com. Mention that you saw us on West Seattle Blog for 10% off your first project with us, up to two hours!
We thank Better Than Robots for choosing to advertise their business by sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB. Interested in doing the same? Please email WSBAdvertising@wsbsales.com – thank you!
A property company working with Rite Aid has released a new list of properties and leases for sale/assignment in its new bankruptcy filing, and the list includes the Westwood Village Rite Aid location. The company’s new filing comes just eight months after it emerged from Chapter 11. After seeing this, we went over for a photo of the WWV Rite Aid, and discovered this posted at the entrance:
We’re checking to see if local Bartell Drugs have similar postings. (Update: We found one at the Jefferson Square store.) As for the WWV Rite Aid, one of the property company’s documents says the current lease is up in a year but there are 10 years worth of options; current base rent is $21/square foot (the building is just under 17,000 sf). We don’t yet know the plan for the California SW Rite Aid location – also leased – and the two West Seattle Bartell Drugs stores (Admiral and Jefferson Square), also leased. Rite Aid says it has financing to help it continue operations while it seeks a buyer for the company.
(WSB photo. L-R, Bob Carrasca, Michael Todd Smith, Ryan Ames, Keith Creighton)
By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
There’s nothing like a bonk on a toddler’s head to get a parent’s attention. So how do you turn that bonk into a preventive product you can market nationally or internationally? The answer lies in a couple of businesses along a single block of California Ave SW in Morgan Junction.
For the West Seattle family who precipitated this collaboration, it was an unfortunate meeting of a coaxial cable connector and their infant son, who ran into the metal piece sticking out of the wall. Some blood was shed along with tears. But after the BandAids were applied, the dad went online, hoping to find a cover of some kind so that the cable connector would no longer be a danger.
The advice online: Duct tape.
“Shocked,” said Ryan Ames, after discovering that the thing he wanted did not seem to exist, not just in the US, but even on baby-proofing sites in Australia, the UK, and Canada. That’s when he started to think that he stumbled across an unexpected void in the arguably very full market of baby-proofing. “I had folks who worked with the big child-safety companies and I sat in their office and they couldn’t figure out why this hadn’t been done. There seemed to be a need, a market for it, and I would certainly want this product in my home.”
As Ames talked with more people, he realized he had an idea good enough that it should be patented. It’s easy to think big at this point: Big-box stores, celebrity endorsements, manufacturing numbers in the 6 figures. But where to start, how to plan and design and manufacture something like this? Ames is a banker by day, with no background in manufacturing or marketing. He did talk with some larger companies, but the team that he credits with getting his product to market was one he found behind a few storefronts in the 6000 block of California. “Does someone believe … in this product? And Bob [Carrasca] did.”
Tucked in between hair salons, financial investment offices, and attorneys are Carrasca’s Pillar Product Design, and a few doors down, Collective Seven, a branding and marketing firm headed up by founder Michael Todd Smith. After interviewing multiple firms, Ames chose both of them to help bring a product he now calls OutletGuard Solutions from concept to consumer. “I needed both of them for hand-holding, says Ames. “I knew they could get this out.”
All of this started to come together in the early 2020s, which was fortuitous from a “necessity is the mother of invention” perspective. “The timing on it was really interesting,” says Carrasca. “In the pandemic, the spare room becomes office space and a place your infant might be.” The consensus among the team was that covering the outlet would not just prevent injuries, but also ensure that dust and things like peanut butter wouldn’t get in, along with fingers that could cause expensive damage to components, “The product protects your kids from danger, but also protects the outlet, says Keith Creighton, a copywriter with Collective Seven.
With Carrasca designing the outlet covers, making them cost-effective, attractive, and UL-rated (for electrical compatibility), and Smith putting together everything branding — from logo and colors to SEO and website — Ames was ready to make the leap to initial production, working with a factory in China. “When we were working early on with Ryan, there are a million plugs out there [that could need a cover]. How do we differentiate this product from others? We don’t want this product to be 20 unique pieces. We want it to be 5 pieces.” And that is where the product has landed, in its initial production/marketing phase. Each piece can be rotated to be used in different orientations, and “fit tightly, but also match fluctuating tolerances,” since every outlet from every manufacturer is just a little bit different.
Ames has benefitted from the broad knowledge of his team, which includes background in the logistical and manufacturing challenges of large-scale production while also having sensible advice about how to bring a product to market without getting in over one’s head. “I lean more toward the safe side,” says Smith with Collective Seven. “I’d rather spend a little more—pay more for smaller order, go through the ordering process, a soft rollout. Businesses can blow up out of the gate because they’re not set up.” Carrasca added, “If you’re not fulfilling orders in 1-2 months, you’re out of business. Groups like us mitigate that risk, allow time to prototype, do market research … find the right target demographic. Then you’re ready to invest.”
Speaking of financing, before you think this sounds an awful lot like Shark Tank, there is no Mr. Wonderful on the team. Ames is funding the entire venture himself. The first run of OutletGuard parts were manufactured last year and are available now only on the myoutletguard.com website. Since August, several hundred have sold, shipping to 30+ states. The biggest surprise has been that most orders are for at least 2 packages. So far the team is pleased and optimistic, and fulfilling each order with a hand-written thank-you note. “They are in stock and tariff-free,” says Creighton.
Once they take the first baby steps of confirming there’s market demand, the next step will be to sell OutletGuard to retailers. Ames is excited to have a product with multiple free patents and a whole world of baby-proofing need. Asked if he can envision a time in the future when this might be his full-time work, he didn’t skip a beat. “I would love for it to be.”
Though Nicole and Shaun Duff have been running West Seattle’s only comic-book store, Tails to Astonish, for almost four years, today brings a first – it’s the first nationwide Free Comic Book Day since they moved to 5633 California SW last June. They told us it’s going well – along with the freebies, they made dozens of sales in the first few hours!
Everybody who visits is welcome to one free comic book from the table shown in our photo above – and they have options for all ages. Spend at least $10 and you can get two more! If you’ve never been to Tails to Astonish, this is a great day to visit and see what they have to offer.
They also have a few classic video game and pinball machines! They’re open today until 5 pm.
Ready to get out on the water and go paddling or rowing? Your next watercraft awaits you at this weekend’s West Seattle Boat Swap, just under way at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (3602 SW Alaska; WSB sponsor), whose proprietor Greg Whittaker sent the photo. He says, “Lotta great boats to get people out on Puget Sound.” You can shop the Boat Swap until 4 pm today and again 11 am-4 pm Sunday.
You might know Lora Radford from her years running Hotwire Coffee (when she was one of WSB’s original sponsors), or her years as executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association. Tonight she celebrated the grand opening of her latest West Seattle business – Potterings, headquartered in a 117-square-foot studio in ActivSpace (3400 Harbor Avenue SW, just north of the West Seattle Bridge’s northwest end). It’s a place where beginners can explore pottery, which is increasingly popular here on the peninsula, including the reopening of the Alki Bathhouse studio (where Lora has been teaching classes too). Among other things, Potterings offers memberships, as explained here. If you missed tonight’s grand-opening open house, you can stop by tomorrow (Saturday, May 3) 12-5 pm for mini-workshops or even just fact-finding. It’s on the ground floor of the main building’s east side.
Tomorrow is grand opening day for four businesses that are now under roof: Alair, Dylan, Three Little Birds, and Kid Friendly Footwear, now co-housed as West Seattle Mercantile. Here’s what proprietor Jennifer Young is promising for the 10 am-5:30 pm party on Saturday:
Join us for:
Raffles
Gifts with Purchase
Treats from some beloved local companies
Face Painting
Giveaways
Tours of our event space + color wall
Bring the whole fam and help us kick off this exciting new chapter.
But that’s the milestone 
The union for grocery-store workers in the region, 
Join us for:
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