After 38 years, Liberty Bell Printing is closed in The Junction, though the business itself will continue on. As first reported here two weeks ago, Liberty Bell is only closing its retail storefront, but it’s a momentous occasion just the same, since it’s one of the oldest businesses in The Junction. Christopher Boffoli was there for WSB when Michael Hoffman, who’s owned it for a decade, closed the doors tonight one last time. Michael will continue offering printing and design services without a storefront, via libertybellprinting.com.
Caveat, this is a work-in-progress: WSB contributor/researcher Katie Meyer has done a tremendous amount of work to gather the info, but she’s still tying up loose ends, and we’ve still got a lot of links to add. That said, since we’re getting a lot of requests, we’re publishing the first “who’s open in West Seattle on the holiday” take for your reference (the link will remain the same as we tweak). This year, it includes who’s open for groceries, coffee, and/or dining on Christmas Eve and/or Day, so read carefully! And if you have firsthand knowledge of anything different/missing, please comment or e-mail us – thanks.
In most communities, an announcement about renovations in the works for a motel would be greeted with a shrug, if that.
But when your community has only *one* motel, as is the case in West Seattle, it’s big news. So that’s why, after publishing the news release sent last week on behalf of the Seattle West Inn‘s new owners/management, we pursued more information about what’s in the works.
Read on to see what we found out from the two key players with whom we spoke:Read More
Two quick West Seattle new-business notes tonight:
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli) 35TH/BARTON 7-11 UPDATE: After a note inquiring how soon the new 7-11 (former Exxon station/minimart) would be open – serious remodeling’s been under way about a month and a half – we checked with parent corporation Southland. The reply from Margaret in media relations: “We expect the store to be open for business by December 31 … maybe earlier.” It’s been more than 13 months since WSB commenters broke the news a 7-11 was in the works for the site.
LOCOL UPDATE: The year-in-the-works neighborhood beer/wine bar (with some food) at 35th/Kenyon could open as soon as next week, according to this update on the Locöl Facebook page. (That’s in line with what co-owner Kyle Duce had told us a week ago — that he hoped to be open by month’s end.)
After a midday sojourn in The Junction, we wandered north to Admiral to check in on two of the shops open this afternoon. Above, looking up to dad Kent, is Quinn, one of the namesakes of Max and Quinn’s Atomic Boys Shop-O-Rama, open for a “bonus day” of shopping till 5 today. We asked what’s hot this holiday season – one answer, these robot bugs:
Atomic Boys is at 4311 SW Admiral Way, just around the corner (westbound) from Alki Bike and Board, which is also featured in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping Guide. They’re open till 5 today as well, and as proprietor Stu Hennessey notes, a lot bigger on the inside than you’d guess from the outside – plenty of room to chat as well as browse:
Alki Bike and Board is at 2606 California SW. To the south – if you’ve got presents to wrap and/or pets to buy gifts for – Beveridge Place Pub is the place:
Animal-advocacy volunteers from F3 and AARF are wrapping till 6 and also selling handmade pet beds and pre-filled dog stockings (6413 California SW). Back in The Junction, where we spent time earlier, Lisa from CAPERS shares a photo of one of her store’s annual holiday traditions, the Giving Tree for Hickman House. Still some cards on the tree; don’t let them go present-less:
Tomorrow’s the deadline for presents to be returned for the CAPERS tree. And one more reminder that Santa photos in The Junction and at Westwood Village are continuing till 4 this afternoon!
(12/5/10 WSB photo) IN THE JUNCTION: Today’s West Seattle Farmers’ Market promises not only its usual tastiness 10 am-2 pm, but also live music 10-11:30 am and a West Seattle Tool Library demonstration at noon, according to market management. Also at/around the Farmers’ Market, the blown-glass ornaments created by Brad Burzynski to raise money for Brian Teachout‘s family (explained here) will go on sale at 10 am – get ’em while they last. At 11 am, the Hometown Holidays festivities begin – Santa photos at Donna Ryan Photography, 4218 SW Alaska – this week’s $15 donation goes to the West Seattle Food Bank; mule-drawn carriage rides (line up at the KeyBank corner of California/Alaska); also at that corner, treats and more at the headquarters for Hometown Holidays, presented by the West Seattle Junction Association (with co-sponsors including WSB).
HOLIDAY SHOPPING ALL OVER WEST SEATTLE: Since this is the last weekend shopping day before Christmas, your local West Seattle merchants await you all over the peninsula! In the Admiral District, for example, the toy/novelty/retro shopAtomic Boys(4311 SW Admiral) is OPEN today for a “bonus day” of holiday shopping, 11 am-5 pm. Atomic Boys is part of WSB’s first-ever Holiday Shopping Guide; while you’re in the Admiral District, stop by nearby Alki Bike and Board (open noon-5 today). South of Admiral, Skin Care by Casey is also open 9-6 today (3272 California SW) especially for shoppers; further south at 3727 California SW, stop by Budget Cuts for a special prepaid-haircut deal. Also in the guide: Avalon Glassworks in the Luna Park district (bring food-bank donations for discounts – $1 for each item, up to a $10 discount!). And in The Junction, the 11 stores you’ll find in the guide include Funky Jane’s Consignment with a Sunday sale; Clementine with daily deals; Click! Design That Fits has gift suggestions you can check out online before stopping in; today’s the last day of the toy drive for Treehouse at Twilight Artist Collective; looking for cellular presents? Sound Advice is OPEN today with special holiday hours, noon-5 pm … In The Triangle, Mountain to Sound Outfitters (in the guide with its Seattle Ski Shuttle) is open 11 am-5 pm today … That’s just a sample; check out all the deals and other holiday info here – and if there’s anything you want to save for a reminder, each business’s listing can be shared individually via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc., using the Share This icon. … Also of note: If you’re shopping Westwood Village today, it’s Santa’s last day there too, noon-4 pm, bring a food bank or diaper donation for your photo!
With just one week till Christmas Eve, we checked out four West Seattle holiday events tonight. First: Bakery Nouveau‘s open house in The Junction – packed house, of course, but then again, that happens most regular days too. The renowned bakery’s two-hour event offered holiday-treat samples and the chance to place pre-orders (which they’re taking till next Tuesday, according to the BN Facebook page). Over in the Admiral District, the party’s still under way at Admiral Pub, where they’re playing poker, celebrating “ugly sweaters,” and most important of all, collecting diapers – Adele explained it for us on video:
As Adele mentioned, Admiral Pub is collecting diapers through the end of the month – about three-fourths of the way to the 6,000-diaper goal as the night began, but you can bet they’d love nothing more than to far exceed the goal, so drop off diapers there even if you can’t make it to tonight’s festivities.
(WSB photo from 2008) Seattle West Inn, the former TraveLodge in The Triangle, is about to get a makeover under its new ownership, according to a news release just out of the WSB inbox. Working on more details, but for starters, from the news release (which you can read in its entirety here):
Saddle Rock Hospitality has assumed management of the Seattle West Inn, West Seattle’s only motel. The motel was recently acquired by a local investment group committed to reinvestment in the property with a goal of repositioning the motel in the marketplace.
Seattle-based Seattle Rock Hospitality took over management of the property in early October. Hotel veteran Joey Disque will oversee the motel operations and renovation. The motel concept, once complete, will offer price/value-appropriate lodging with a unique guest service paradigm for today’s traveler. The facility, services, and environment will facilitate contemporary guest activity by offering ‘most-valued’ amenities and self-enabled services.
“With our 50 guest rooms and more than 1,000 square feet of meeting space, this property has immense potential to be a draw for business and leisure travelers as well as a convenient location to host meetings and local events,” said Joey. …
Renovation plans include updated guest rooms, the addition of food and beverage services, full-service meeting and banquet facilities and new landscaping including the addition of an outdoor patio. The facility offers a variety of length-of-stay accommodations including the standard overnight as well as a mix of extended stay rooms and suites. Renovation is expected to begin in early 2011, during which time the property will remain open for business.
At one point, Harbor Properties – which has almost finished building the mixed-use Link nearby – was considering buying this site, but the deal was never completed. County records show the site was sold in September for $3 million; its previous owners bought it almost 11 years ago for $2.4 million. Its new owner is SSLL, LLC, whose partners include one of the owners of two properties across 36th from the motel site; another owner of those properties’ is also owner of the commercial building immediately north of the motel.
Just moments after officially opening the doors at 11 this morning, West Seattle Fabric Company already had its first customers. It’s been less than 2 months since we brought you first word that Monica Skov would open the shop in the former home of Click! Design That Fits (longtime WSB sponsor that’s now in The Junction), but she is open and enthusiastically welcoming everyone who steps through the door:
That’s Monica and her proud husband and daughter. Today she also unveiled the shop’s official logo, which you’ll see on its window and A-board outside:
West Seattle Fabric Company is at 2210 California SW and will be open until 5 today, noon-4 pm tomorrow. There’s more information on its Facebook page. This is West Seattle’s first fabric store since Hancock Fabrics closed more than 2 years ago to make way for the long-stalled Fauntleroy Place development, where it was supposed to have a new store.
“It’s going to be hard,” acknowledged Liberty Bell Printing owner Michael Hoffman, talking with WSB this evening to announce the closure of his Junction storefront after December 22nd.
He wants to stress that he is NOT closing the business itself – Liberty Bell Printing and Design will continue serving customers, just not from a retail storefront.
Liberty Bell Printing is The Junction’s fourth-oldest business (after Husky Deli, Menashe and Sons Jewelers, and Terjung’s House of Gifts), says Hoffman, who has owned it for 10 years (out of the 38 total that have passed since it was founded). He says the decision to close is simply financial – “economic changes, technology changes; we don’t need to have a storefront any more.”
We don’t randomly check the commercial-real-estate listings as often as we used to – many multimillion-dollar listings have been up a long time, no surprise given the market – but we just found a new one of note: The “strip mall” at 6540 California SW in Morgan Junction is listed for sale. That’s the one with New Teriyaki and Wok, Domino’s Pizza, a freestanding BECU ATM, and the Shell station/minimart. Everything on the site but its billboard is one-story, but it’s zoned for up to 30 feet. Asking price: $2.5 million. See the listing here. (The most expensive public commercial listing for West Seattle right now: $8.1 million for the six-acre 4500 West Marginal Way SW site that includes Gray Line’s bus yard – which just signed a new 5-year lease, according to the listing.)
(WSB photo of Tony, from January 2010, as he prepared to reopen the market post-holidays)
We have just received word that Tony Genzale, longtime operator of Tony’s Market in Westwood, has died. He had fought a long battle against cancer. From his niece Renee Vacca:
As a former West Seattle resident myself, I know how many people loved to shop from him and have known of his battle with cancer this past couple of years. We are so sorry to inform them that he passed last night at his home of many years in Burien. I’m sure they would want to know that he passed peacefully with his wife in his arms and both of his children at his side. He was doing so well until the last couple of months and then his cancer took a dramatic turn and his condition worsened rapidly. Needless to say, we are still a bit in shock but please know that he was ready to go and his family had come to terms with this before he passed.
Arrangements are currently being made and the family will post service announcements on the website we set up for him with caringbridge.org. At their website, enter “anthonygenzale” in the “visiting” section of the homepage and read the updates. For anyone that would like to help, please post a comment for the family and share your feelings for uncle Tony as I know how loved he was. Don’t forget that his son Joey is running the tree lot and would love to hear your kind words about his dad. He has been there every day and even worked there all day today.
I know that he got up every day and put his work boots on to go see the customers that he loved so much! You all gave him a purpose and he told me many times, “Renee’, West Seattle is the best!! and he meant it with all his heart. I always said, “told ya so!” Please tell all your friends that this would be a great place to buy a tree in uncle Tony’s honor and display it proudly! He loved those selling Christmas trees every year!
(WSB photos by Ellen Cedergreen)
Kicking off a West Seattle weekend full of open houses, bazaars, and other holiday events – one celebration at a business rich in history, one celebration for a business that’s brand new. First one: Husky Deli, the West Seattle Junction icon. As WSB contributing photographer Ellen Cedergreen describes it, “Husky was packed in waves. Very high spirits, lots of West Seattle pride.”
Above, Husky proprietor Jack Miller; next, one of the vendors who were part of tonight’s open house, West Seattle beekeeper Krista Conner, who says she can barely keep her “West Seattle Honey” in stock at Husky:
Husky offered a discount on purchases made during the open house. And despite the chilly night, the ice-cream counter was as popular as ever:
Ice cream, of course, is what really put Husky on the map when the business was started 78 years ago. If you haven’t heard its full history, check out Lori Hinton‘s “West Seattle 101” chapter about Husky Deli, republished here on WSB. Meantime, while Husky bustled with open-house visitors, about a mile south on California SW, a brand-new business celebrated its debut:
Eco Beauty is a new Aveda salon and spa at 6040 California SW. A holiday open house marked its grand opening tonight. With the theme “Nature nurturing you,” owner Christine Darragh(above left) is showing support for environmental concerns; and raised money tonight for Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, whose Betsy Moyer(above right) joined her at the open house.
Monica Skov has made good on her promise to announce this week when her West Seattle Fabric Company store will open in the Admiral District (2210 California SW, formerly occupied by now-in-The-Junction Click! Design That Fits [WSB sponsor]) … just received this note:
We’re ready to announce our Grand Opening Date.
We’d like to welcome our West Seattle Community to come shop and explore our store Saturday, December 11th 11 am-5 pm and Sunday, December 12th 12 pm – 4 pm. We will have Hot Cider, Spiced Tea, Cookies and Candy Canes for the children. We look forward to opening our doors to our neighbors.
Read more about West Seattle Fabric Company in our previous stories here and here; they’re on Facebookhere.
Several holiday notes tonight: The photo’s from The Junction, as workers put up holiday greenery in the middle of the gray afternoon. When Junction decorating is done, you will see garlands and wreaths as well as the roof-outline lights that are new this year (if you haven’t seen them yet, be sure to go after dark and take a look!). It’ll all be complete in time for this first big Hometown Holidays (co-sponsored by WSB) weekend ahead — Saturday night brings the tree lighting in Junction Plaza Park (5 pm), Sunday brings Santa photos at Donna Ryan Photography ($15 donation goes to WestSide Baby), mule-carriage rides, and the West Seattle Volunteer Recognition Awards (1 pm at Hometown Holidays HQ outside KeyBank – we’re revealing the winners here tomorrow, but come cheer them in a brief ceremony Sunday at 1). Junction Hometown Holidays events are just part of what you’ll find on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page, which is one of two special pages we have this year – we’ve also just added three more listings to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping/Business Guide, a new advertising page for local businesses to let you know more about their special deals, hours, etc., this holiday. Take a look to find out about special late hours and more – for example, one of the new additions, Avalon Glassworks, is offering you a discount for every item you bring in for their food-bank drive (up to 10 items)!
In the spirit of Small Business Saturday (the new name for the day after Black Friday), we’re celebrating Small Business Everyday – as last Monday reminded us, our peninsula can be an island, so self-sufficiency via strong businesses (etc.) is vital! We learned recently about two West Seattleites co-owning an organic-baby-clothing company founded this year: Nathanial Duris of Arbor Heights is a co-owner of b(earth) – that’s his son Dash, modeling some of their creations. He explains, “We are a collection of eco-conscious friends who hope to reduce our impact on the planet – starting at birth – by making eco-thoughtful clothing and accessories for our children and the children of our friends.” According to Nathanial, they’re using “only 100% organic, sweatshop-free cotton, (and) water-based inks on our printed products,” plus they “also strive to work with local designers … and printing and embroidery shops whenever possible to help strengthen our local communities. We have also developed a philanthropic project called the Re-b(earth) project where when customers outgrow their clothing, we collect the garments, donate them to WestSide Baby, & give the customers a discount for future orders.” They’re doing most of their selling online right now, but they do have a few retail partners, including smallclothes in West Seattle.
On this “Small Business Saturday,” remember the smaller business districts of West Seattle too – like Luna Park, along Avalon Way just south of the West Seattle Bridge, where you will find Avalon Glassworks. Luckie shared photos from today’s glassblowing demonstration, featuring glass jellyfish created by guest artist Richard Lowrie.
You can go watch till 5 pm today – and Luckie also notes that Avalon Glassworks has a food drive under way; bring a donation and you’ll get $1 off a purchase.
On this first Small Business Saturday, one small business in West Seattle won’t be welcoming customers today.
But not because its proprietor doesn’t want to!
Monica Skov is beyond eager to get her West Seattle Fabric Company open for business at 2210 California SW, where would-be customers are sticking their heads in to ask the big question: When will it be open? Answer: First half of December – Monica’s expecting to announce her grand-opening date sometime next week.
In the meantime, she is stocking the store; many have asked us for a progress report since our original story appeared last month, so we stopped in for an update a few days before the wintry weather started dominating the news. The photo above shows the north wall that’s filled with notions; other shelves in the store were starting to fill with fabrics, from flannel to oilcloth and many types inbetween, including patterns specifically for creating kids’ items (one based on the popular board book “Very Hungry Caterpillar” caught our eye). She plans to carry a “small selection of simple patterns” too. And the step-up section with most of the fabric has a central shelf on which you’ll be able to leave your choices till you’re ready to check out and have them cut into the length you need.
“It’s like the walk-in closet of my dreams,” she smiled, showing us around.
Monica also showed off other spaces in the store – spaces you might not have seen even if you visited the space in its previous incarnations. She is hoping to host classes — and eventually group gatherings — in those back spaces, which even include kitchenette and bathroom access (left over from an earlier life as residential space), describing it as “a place for people to be creative.” Not just experts: “I want to inspire people of all ages that maybe don’t even know how to sew!”
But till opening day, the bolts of fabric are just part of the nuts and bolts of opening a business – inventory, database. Then sometime next month, it’ll be time to welcome those “creative” customers, who have been without a fabric store in West Seattle for two and a half years.
Three West Seattle businesses got a quick spotlight in that KING 5 story aired during last night’s newscast – all because they’re getting the word out that today is Small Business Saturday nationwide, meant to be a counterpoint to the bigbox-store emphasis during Black Friday. Watch the story and you’ll see Alki Bike and Board,CAPERS, and Sweetie. (Alki Bike and Board also is part of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping/Business Guide, which we’re offering as another advertising showcase for local businesses this holiday season. They’ve got special deals; so does Clementine, another participant, which also has a hat trunk show/artist reception today. Also among those in the midst of a sale: WSB sponsor Mountain to Sound Outfitters.) One thing to consider about small local businesses: As Monday’s snow and road/bus woes reminded us, our peninsula can sometimes be more like an island, and a thriving local business community means you can find what you need here, especially during those times when you can’t (or don’t want to) leave!
Toward that goal, we just launched Version 1.0 of the West Seattle Holiday Shopping/Business Guide – an extra advertising showcase for local businesses to invite you to stop in and explore gift possibilities this holiday season. It’ll be updated frequently, both with additions and with updates/new deals from participating businesses. Today, you’ll find some Black Friday deals (ones you didn’t have to wait in line pre-dawn to get!), among other things. Check it out here. Happy shopping! (Don’t forget to keep an eye on the Coupons page, too.)
Just received that photo from David Rosen of SlickPix Photography, who says he’s been in line at Westwood Village Target since 11 pm. David says the line’s still growing – despite the rain – and the first person in line has been there since 6 pm. According to the ads we’ve seen, Target’s opening at 4 am. (photo added – by the time Target opened, the line stretched all the way around the corner past Barnes and Noble and alongside Chico’s!)
IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE BIGBOXES: Many West Seattle independent stores are rolling the welcome mat out further than ever; we’re rolling out Version 1.0 of a special local holiday-shopping guide in the next few hours – stand by for details!
SEALTH BAND IN MACY’S PARADE: The big downtown parade later this morning is scheduled to feature the Chief Sealth International High School Marching Band again this year, according to the lineup in a news release from parade sponsor Macy’s (which also describes the parade route). The parade starts at 9 am; doesn’t appear anyone’s televising it.
Seattle Fire Department crews are busy at the Junction QFC, helping with a water cleanup. The photo above is from Mary, who says a pipe broke and gushed water onto part of the store’s floor. Mary says the store is doing a great job dealing with it, and the water is mostly just over by the meat cases.
ADDED 6:14 PM: Christopher Boffoli checked out the situation too, with the photo above and this update:
The QFC was mobbed with people who were shopping up a storm despite the fact that more than half the store was ankle deep in water. One of the employees told me they had a water pipe break. A bunch of people were frantically trying to mop up the water. Meanwhile, the physical therapy office and tanning salon on the lower level of the building were in even deeper water. The grocery store had a few aisles with the deepest water that appeared to be closed temporarily. But otherwise the store is open for business. But if anyone has appointments tomorrow at businesses downstairs they might want to call ahead.
By Tracy Record
Toward that goal, we just launched Version 1.0 of the 
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