West Seattle, Washington
18 Saturday
(Our grand-opening coverage from earlier today is here and here)
The Admiral Safeway grand-opening celebration continues, with The Toucans playing till 7 pm – we went back to get them on video. The store is still crowded with shoppers/visitors. If you couldn’t make it to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30, we recorded it all on video, 19-plus minutes with a few speeches from Safeway officials and longtime Admiral neighborhood advocate Dennis Ross, who helped cut the ribbon:
Other Admiral community leaders we bumped into included Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum:
And Rev. Peter DeVeau from nearby St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church:
Rev. DeVeau told us he had toured the store earlier in the morning – and they accepted his offer of a pre-opening blessing.
Many more photos ahead, including perhaps the most famous Admiral-area resident we spotted:Read More
(12:15 PM UPDATE: The store’s now open. Ribboncutting video added to this story; separate full report later.)
10:57 AM: If you visit the new Admiral Safeway, which opens its doors to the public a little more than an hour from now (noon today, after an 11:30 am ribboncutting), take a moment and check out “Barb’s bench.” It’s on the landing of the stairway to/from the rooftop parking (which of course has an elevator nearby), and as noted on a it’s in honor of longtime Safeway employee Barb Fuda, a 41-year West Seattle Safeway employee who’d been looking forward to working in the new store – till cancer claimed her life two months ago. The store has other seating areas too:
This one is also on the west side of the store, to the right of the Starbucks kiosk, and includes a TV – Safeway’s Sara Osborne joked this morning (or maybe she wasn’t joking) that the Seahawks game would be on tonight. (Like other local Safeways, this one has wi-fi.) Then outside, as promised while the project went through an exhaustive series of design reviews, there’s a seating plaza at the southwest corner (California/Lander, across from Hiawatha):
We’re on our way back to the store right now – they’re offering a tour to show off the features of the store that Safeway says racked up enough points to potentially qualify for LEED silver status. Besides the 11:30 ceremony, special features today include a shopping-bag giveaway (limited quantities) and the Toucans steel-drum band playing 4-7 pm (that’s expected to be outdoors). More to come.
ADDED 12:16 PM: The ribboncutting, with longtime Admiral neighborhood leader Dennis Ross and City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen wielding the scissors:
We’ll have a separate report later with more video and photos, including the entirety of the grand-opening ceremony.
The formerly-76, once-to-be-converted-to-Arco gas station on the east side of Fauntleroy/Alaska is finally tidier tonight. We’d been looking into the site’s status for three weeks, as WSB’ers continued sending notes asking what we knew about it, as trash and junk continued to accumulate following its sudden closure months ago. We took this photo (and others showing trash/junk around the site) three weeks ago:
That was shortly after a complaint had been filed with the city. The city’s log shows that in the meantime, the site was inspected, found to be in violation, and a warning was issued – clean up by August 14th. Looks so far like they have met that deadline. But what about the station itself?
We had reported back in February that it was being converted to an Arco station. Then the work stalled – the station stopped pumping gas – and the store closed. When we inquired with Arco, a spokesperson told us that “for reasons we don’t know” the conversion never moved forward, and Arco doesn’t “anticipate it ever being converted.” However, the spokesperson made it clear that the site is not owned by Arco, but instead by an area entrepreneur, and even gave us his name and number. Took us a while to reach owner Brandon Kim, but WSB contributor Katie Meyer talked with him by phone yesterday. Asked if the station would reopen, he replied, “Not really,” and told her that he believed a bank would be taking it over. That’s all the comment he had; online records do not indicate any sort of a sale or foreclosure at this point, but we’ll keep an eye out.
SIDE NOTE: The gas station on the west side of the intersection is no longer on the market – we had reported the listing in February, and while the listing was active less than two weeks ago (here’s a cached version). So far, we can’t tell if it was sold, or just de-listed.
Today we’re welcoming one of our newest WSB sponsors, and per WSB tradition, here’s what the Community Acupuncture Project of West Sea would like you to know about who they are and what they do:
West Seattle finally has our very own full-time community acupuncture clinic. The Community Acupuncture Project of West Sea is now open 7 days a week, in the heart of the Junction. Acupuncture is now affordable in our neighborhood, every day, with no need to cross the bridge! Sonja Sivesind, a licensed acupuncturist and owner of the Project, is a Westwood resident who opened this second location after two years of running the Community Acupuncture Project of Columbia City. Sonja is also an acupuncturist at a methadone clinic downtown and loves offering acupuncture to so many members of the community. She is thrilled to be providing acupuncture to her neighbors and fellow West Seattleites while also offering jobs to Seattle acupuncturists.
The Community Acupuncture Project of West Sea, which opened for business on June 12, joins the ranks of 9 other community acupuncture clinics in Seattle and more than 200 sliding-scale clinics nationwide. “Community acupuncture surprises people. It is powerful to be treated with others and feel healing energy radiating off one another. Because acupuncture is most effective as a series of treatments, our sliding scale ($15-40) allows people to come in often and really get better,” explains Sivesind. “Patients come in for everything from back pain and allergies to insomnia and anxiety,” says Sivesind. “Most people feel more relaxed when they leave our clinic and are pleased with the calmness they feel as they re-emerge into their daily lives.” The Community Acupuncture Project of West Sea is located at 4545 44th Ave SW @ Alaska. You can reach us at 206.933.7891. To learn more about community acupuncture, check out: acupunctureforall.org
We thank Community Acupuncture Project of West Sea for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Village Green Perennial Nursery owner Vera Johnson is now awaiting her official answer from Bank of America, regarding a “loan modification” to prevent foreclosure, after a face-to-face meeting downtown today that she says took some twists and turns. Besides insisting on being told to her face where her case stands – after months of the runaround, as chronicled in our original story last month – she brought along more than 10,000 online petition signatures gathered through Change.org (now up past 11,000). And, a plant, as she explains in our video:
Inside the bank – where media wasn’t allowed into her meeting – Vera tells us tonight that first, she discovered the bank manager she met with last week, Michael Kuehner, suddenly doesn’t work for B of A any more, “no explanation, gone.” Instead, she found vice president/regional manager Dennis Day. “They reacted quite quickly to the camera that Joe from Change.org had with him, visibly annoyed, I gave Dennis the signatures, he barely looked at them, completely devoid from emotion, then telling me I cannot record the meeting, as it is against policy.” As for her case: “They expect to have an answer next week, and it’s entirely up to the servicer of the loan-FannieMae. No promises. They could not give me a date, they said the foreclosure is stopped as of now, and in the event that I get turned down, apparently there are other possible outcomes, and we will pursue them then…” And once the meeting was over, she says, “The security guards removed us from the building, then off the plaza, and to the sidewalk.” They even trailed her and a friend – also going through a similar process – to the restrooms, she says, “waiting outside and asking if we needed help finding something. We apparently were a threat, because they were all on high alert, it was creepy.” Also there downtown when Vera talked to the media before going in: KING 5 – their story’s here.
New information – plus that old photo – from Safeway, as its new Admiral store gets ready to open this Thursday. First: Though the doors officially open at noon, there will be an outdoor ribboncutting ceremony at 11:30, and the public’s welcome – enter the parking lot from California SW. Safeway’s Sara Osborne points out that this marks Safeway’s 50th anniversary in the Admiral District, and that’s why the photo is significant – it’s from 1962, showing the original store when it was about one year old an old Safeway in West Seattle. Historic photos will play a role inside the new store as well; Admiral and Alki scenes will be displayed. And Safeway promises some freebies: The first 500 customers will get reusable grocery bags with “Admiral Safeway” written on them; the first three weeks post-opening will include tastings of various items offered at the store. And if you look for a “Yellow School Bus” tag on items, note that purchasing them will send 10 percent of the sales price to a local school of your choice. Note that the big changes at the site (where a retail and residential building are still under construction) include parking – there’s still some ground-level parking, but there’s also a ramp on the east side of the store that will take you up to new parking on the roof. (added 5:14 pm – video showing you a bird’s-eye view of where the parking is, and more):
P.S. Still awaiting word on what band will be playing (after suggestions were solicited here)!
ADDED 3:23 PM: More of the new signage is up:
To recap if you’ve missed earlier coverage, Umpqua Bank and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt will open this fall in the retail building on the northwest side of the lot; the building on the southeast side is mostly apartments and scheduled to be available for leasing next year.
Got a band? Want to play for thousands? Safeway‘s Sara Osborne says they’re looking for a group to play at the Admiral Safeway grand opening one week from today, 4-7 pm. Yes, they’re expecting thousands to come see the store that day. If your band is interested – or if you want to make a suggestion! – please comment here and/or e-mail her at sara.osborne@safeway.com.
Two quick notes: First, “The Big Bonanza” is back this year in The Junction. The big Junction-wide sale is set for August 20th, and the list of more than 30 participants is already on The Junction’s website – see it here. Again this year, just look for the red balloons and checked tablecloths! Second, longtime WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits has announced a special event for tomorrow night’s edition of “Shop Late Thursdays” – West Seattle-based cookbook author Kim O’Donnel will be at Click! with tastings of dishes from her “Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook,” 6 pm tomorrow. (Any other “Shop Late” participants with something special tomorrow? Let us know!)
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Dr. Terrill Harrington was first in line as Damiana Merryweather‘s new Blue Truck Special made its West Seattle debut today in The Triangle – maybe no surprise, since the truck is in his parking lot at 3623 SW Alaska. She’s scheduled to be there till 2, serving “elevated comfort food” – as explained in our preview story by Christopher Boffoli, who says he tried the crispy mortadella “fried bologna” sandwich with orange marmalade, arugula, and dijon, pronouncing it “particularly good.”
In the two and a half weeks since we first told you about Village Green Perennial Nursery owner 
Vera Johnson‘s fight against potential foreclosure, she’s gathered thousands of electronic petition signatures, and rallied dozens of people in similar straits, so they can all learn about – and exercise – their legal rights. If you are facing default or foreclosure, the next support-group meeting is at 5 pm Sunday at Community School of West Seattle (9450 22nd SW). Vera says lawyer Edgar Hall will be in attendance to answer questions and offer “resources for pro-bono services,” among other things, and she invites attendees to “bring laptops, so we can look up our info and search for fraudulent docs – wi-fi available.” Then on Tuesday, she has an appointment with Bank of America; next Friday (one week from today), she’s planning to deliver to BofA the signatures from her petition on Change.org (not too late to sign – go here), which now total more than 8,300. A benefit is also in the works; you can follow the progress by “liking” this Facebook page.
Today, we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, Breathe Hot Yoga, which has now added a West Seattle studio in The Triangle, on the north side of Link (also a WSB sponsor). 
As is WSB tradition for new sponsors, Breathe Hot Yoga was invited to share what they would like you to know about their business:
Breathe Hot Yoga was founded by Amber Borgomainerio and Ross Yearsley. Amber is well known as an expert yoga teacher whose greatest passion is sharing the gift of a regular yoga practice with her students. It should be no surprise that Breathe‘s mission is to bring authentic, accessible and affordable yoga to Northwest urbanites hungry for healthy life challenges.
Breathe Hot Yoga opened its doors in South Lake Union in early 2009 and is now excited to announce the opening of our West Seattle location at 3750 SW Alaska (map). Amber is no stranger to West Seattle, having brought hot yoga to West Seattleites as the manager and lead teacher of the West Seattle Yoga Center from 2002-2008. Everyone at Breathe Hot Yoga is excited about being back in West Seattle, and we look forward to reconnecting with the community as well as making new friends! You will love practicing yoga with us at our beautiful new studio! Breathe Hot Yoga is online at breathehotyoga.com, and reachable by phone at 206-659-0092.
We thank Breathe Hot Yoga for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
As Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) continues its 40th anniversary celebration, it seems fitting that this afternoon, the Admiral store is hosting a celebrity guest who’s been going strong as long as they have (and then some) – Graham Kerr, who, if you are 45+ or so, you might remember from his frenetically personable “Galloping Gourmet” TV series long ago and far away – but he’s gone on to do a lot since then, and right now he’s promoting his new book – “Growing at the Speed of Life,” about growing a kitchen garden – which he’s signing at the store till 6 pm.
New driver? Or — even if you’ve been driving a while — never had, or took, the time to learn how to check your car’s oil level or tire pressure, or recognize when it needs service (BEFORE a breakdown)? Got other questions about your car West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) is the latest local business to offer a free educational event – co-owner Todd Ainsworth just sent word of a “car clinic” they are going to launch, once a month for starters, with the first one set for Tuesday, August 2, at 6 pm. RSVP ASAP to get one of the 10 spots (Todd wants to make sure everyone has room to park!) – call 206-257-5344 or send a note through the online form at wsautoworks.com. West Seattle Autoworks is at 35th/Webster (map).
4 PM: We’ve confirmed another business has signed up to move into the new retail building on the northwest side of the new Admiral Safeway site: Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, which sells self-serve fro-yo and toppings. They are Los Angeles-based and internationally franchised, with only one other location in the Seattle city limits right now, on Queen Anne, but another coming to University Village. We’re awaiting comment from company HQ for additional details (such as, estimated opening), but one point of note from the Menchie’s website — it appears the Western Washington shops they have right now are all open till fairly late at night, 10 or 11 pm. That’s the second tenant publicly confirmed for the new retail building; first one, as reported here in April, is Umpqua Bank.
5:10 PM: Just added a photo of the under-construction building where Menchie’s and Umpqua (and other/s) will be located. A Menchie’s spokesperson tells WSB they expect to be open in September.
The Admiral Neighborhood Association is asking local businesses to answer a quick survey to help gauge the priorities and state of the local business community – as first reported here Tuesday – and they’re looking forward to having responses in by 5 pm tomorrow. If you have a question about the survey or need the link, which they are not publishing publicly but will provide by e-mail (it was in a letter sent to 120+ local businesses), send a note to info@admiralneighborhood.org.
With a nod to the original WSB story, Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur tells the tale of Village Green Perennial Nursery owner Vera Johnson‘s bank battle to fight off foreclosure. (Note that when Brodeur contacted Bank of America, she got the same kind of conflicting answers Vera reported.) Our story from Tuesday is here; you can sign Vera’s online petition here.
If you had somehow missed our previous reports that Les Schwab Tires was moving into the former Huling/Gee used-cars site at 38th/Alaska in The Triangle, it’ll be hard to miss now – the big sign’s going up today. We first reported in January that Les Schwab was remodeling the site; last month, the company told us they’re expecting to open in September.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Just after celebrating its first anniversary, The Beer Junction is getting ready to move to a new location.
Though Year 1 has seen “faster than expected” growth, according to owner Morgan Herzog, that’s not why his store is moving.
It’s in one of the buildings that will be torn down for construction of the Conner Homes California/Alaska/42nd project – considered likely to start next year.
His lease wasn’t ending immediately, but Morgan says he was “excited to jump” at the chance when the perfect new location opened up:
The Admiral Neighborhood Association – which meets tonight at 7 at Admiral Congregational Church – has taken a big step forward in its attempt to bring together local business owners. This week, according to ANA president Katy Walum, ANA sent a letter to more than 120 businesses in the general Admiral area, including a link to an online survey that ANA hopes to use to “gauge the current characteristics and priorities of Admiral’s businesses” and “gather cohesive information about what is important to all in the Admiral business community.” If you received that survey, they’re asking for participation by this Saturday; Walum says it’ll only take you three minutes. Once they have the results, ANA will invite participants to a gathering at Porterhouse, date/time TBA, at which Safeway representatives also will be on hand to talk about the new store (still scheduled to open August 12th). The survey is not public, so we don’t have the link to share here, but Katy has one very important point:
ANA member David Whiting has worked tirelessly to put together this survey and to compile the business names and addresses for this mailing, but we know that some businesses may have been missed. If you are a business owner in the Admiral District (we are including all businesses north of SW Charlestown, east to the Admiral Viewpoint, and west to Alki Mail & Dispatch) and did not receive this letter, please contact us at info@admiralneighborhood.org so that we can verify that you are a business owner or leader in Admiral, and email you a link to the survey.
Hard to miss the flyers around The Junction, affixed to utility poles, touting “resurrecting the Redline,” the bar/restaurant that used to be in the 35th SW/almost-Avalon spot now inhabited by The Bridge. The flyers mention Twitter (here) and Facebook (here) accounts that so far are fairly devoid of details, so we dug up contact information for former Redline proprietor Scott Goerig, to ask if he’s involved: Scott’s reply: “I am part of a team who are in fact doing it, as I retained the brand. The twitter and facebook are brand new and will be updated as we progress construction and can let West Seattle know where, what, and when as we progress. Its gonna be a state-of-the-art electrifying spot that will appeal to every single person. Think of it as a popular board game, good for use; ages 2 – 102. Stay tuned.”
If you routinely drive along Fauntleroy near 35th, just west of the entrance to the West Seattle Bridge, you might have noticed a more-visible-than-usual burst of tagging vandalism earlier this week. Part of it is shown above (with the tags themselves blurred, as is WSB policy). Tagging is always a double crime – not only has someone’s property been vandalized, but the owner is usually expected to clean it up, and that can cost. Bob Heinemann knows this firsthand, since the vandalized building is the place where he’ll soon be moving his SIMA Martial Arts studio (it’s currently in the 42nd/Alaska building that will come down when the Conner Homes project starts going up). Just after we took the photo, we met him there, talking to someone about getting it painted over. (By the way, the city has a new paint-out program this summer – check it out here.)
(From left: Tom Henry, Patty Henry, Carol Middleton)
Today we welcome, as a WSB sponsor, J.F. Henry Kitchen, Tableware & Gifts, which since 1984 has been West Seattle’s only full-line kitchen store and fine dinnerware showroom. Today through West Seattle Summer Fest weekend, JF Henry is having its annual clearance sale. Tom Henry says this is where you can find “really cool, quality, can’t-live-without, you just gotta have, surprises.” During Summer Fest this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, you will be able to browse J.F. Henry‘s outdoor tables and save 50 percent or more on placemats, totes, Italian stainless steel, hand-painted table linen, and seasonal barbecue sets, to name a few things.
Tom and Patty say J.F. Henry Kitchen, Tableware & Gifts is one of the few places where you can still shop hands-on for fine dinnerware. Their showroom allows you to not only see, but also to touch and feel china that can be used for special occasions or everyday use. Tom also says they’re there to also help you find kitchen and tableware that fit your needs and budget. No need to go to a mall, says Tom – you can completely supply your kitchen, and have full dinner-table settings, without leaving downtown West Seattle, and you can make an “informed decision” about what to get for your home. J.F. Henry is at 4445 California SW, 206-935-5150; they’re open till 8 tonight for Shop Late Thursdays, and you can check out the sale throughout Summer Fest.
We thank J.F Henry Kitchen, Tableware & Gifts for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Two local businesses with new features:
That’s the back patio at Locöl (7902 35th SW), where Kyle Duce asked if we’d help get the word out about it, now that the sun is back. He says it’s open 7 days a week with full service, closing at 11 pm Fridays/Saturdays, 10 pm other nights. And while Locöl will be closed on the Fourth of July, Kyle says its new summer hours kick in Tuesday: 4 pm-2 am weekdays, noon-2 am Saturdays/Sundays, kitchen open till midnight 7 days a week, live music around 7:30 pm Sundays and Mondays. Data point: We believe Locöl is the southernmost bar-with-patio in West Seattle. Runner-up, Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor, 6451 California SW), with lots of sunshine on its west-facing deck out back.
Now, heading farther south, into White Center:
WSB/White Center Now contributor Deanie Schwarz snapped the photo during a recent visit to Zippy’s Giant Burgers (9614 14th SW), now the newest biz with a photo booth … something they certainly couldn’t have fit into their original, mega-cozy quarters in Highland Park.
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