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Don’t toss your dull knife – sharpen it! West Seattle pop-up Tuesday
April 22, 2024 8:22 pm
|      0 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

That’s Genevieve, who rejuvenates knives by “traditional hand-sharpening on whetstones.” As listed in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, she’s having a pop-up tomorrow (Tuesday, April 23) at Hotwire Coffee (4410 California SW), 9 am-4 pm. $10 per knife. Here’s the FAQ on her Kneighborhood Knives website, in case you have a question before just showing up.

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WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND SCENE: Record Store Day crowd at Easy Street
April 20, 2024 1:26 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Thanks to Eddie for the photo. That’s the crowd outside Easy Street Records in The Junction in the early going of Record Store Day this morning. We just checked the California/Alaska traffic camera and there’s still a crowd, more than six hours after the shop’s 7 am opening for the occasion. If you’re wondering what they’re all lined up for – special releases, as shown on this list!

P.S. As we mentioned in this morning’s daily-preview lineup, Thunder Road Guitars (6400 California SW; WSB sponsor) is riffing off RSD – bring your Easy Street receipt in to get 10 percent off in-store purchases at TRG!

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BIZNOTE: West Seattle Arcade taking over a second Alki space to open Gary’s Place
April 19, 2024 6:43 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(December photo courtesy Outer Space Seattle)

That’s part of the space at 2820 Alki Avenue SW that held Outer Space Seattle until just under four months ago. Now we know who’s moving in – here’s the announcement we received today from the proprietors of West Seattle Arcade:

West Seattle Arcade is expanding into a second space one block up the beach. We will be opening our sister location, Gary’s Place, (named for Matt Cichy’s dad, who owned and operated arcades around Seattle in the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s). Gary’s Place will afford us the opportunity to offer even more to our customers. We will be serving beer and snacks, along with an offering of some more classic arcade machines, more rhythm games, and a slightly more-grown-up atmosphere. As an extension of the West Seattle Arcade, Gary’s Place will be all ages, and accept the same Play Cards that we currently use.

We are working hard to get Gary’s Place up and running as soon as possible, but a lot of the timing will depend on how smoothly the permitting process goes.

This news comes nine months after Elyssa and Matt Cichy opened West Seattle Arcade at 2758 Alki Avenue SW.

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FOLLOWUP: Final three days you can shop at Delridge Grocery Co-op, starting this afternoon
April 19, 2024 1:12 pm
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 |   Delridge | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

As announced two weeks ago, the volunteer-run Delridge Grocery Co-op is ending its storefront retail operations – but first, three more days during which you can shop at the 5444 Delridge Way SW store and get discounts – here’s the DGC reminder:

This is the last weekend the Delridge Grocery Co-op will be offering store hours as we wind down our operations. We’ll be open during our regular weekend hours — Friday 3-7, Saturday 9-3, and Sunday 11-3 — and will be offering great deals on our remaining inventory. April 21 will be our last day of store hours.

Everything in the store is discounted by 15% for EVERYONE, along with additional savings on select items — including 50% off all home, kitchen, and personal care items plus gifts and greeting cards.

Our volunteers will be working hard this weekend to start getting the store in shape for the upcoming Cascadia Produce pop-up (scheduled to start May 8), so we will have more to share with you in the next week.

Some information about the “pop-up” – which will actually be a 7-day-a-week shop – is in our April 5 report.

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BIZNOTE: 2 new businesses on the way to ex-beauty school space on West Seattle Junction’s south end
April 17, 2024 3:04 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS beverages

You might have noticed renovations underway in the former beauty-school space at 4811 California SW. Two new food-and-drink businesses are moving in – you might even say they’re three businesses. We talked with co-owner Rosanne Zhu, who’s opening Upwell Wine and Coffee, sharing the space with Walter’s Wine Shop, operated by co-owner Chris Tanghe, who holds the rare and prestigious title Master Sommelier. Both are longtime West Seattle residents. Walter is their mascot, shown in the photo below with Rosanne, Chris, and the future Walter’s delivery (in West Seattle) van:

(Photo courtesy Upwell Coffee & Wine/Walter’s Wine Shop)

Rosanne and Chris have more than two decades each in the hospitality industry, she notes. (She too is a certified sommelier, and attended culinary school at South Seattle College [WSB sponsor].)

She says Upwell will be a “coffee shop by day, wine bar afternoons and evenings.” She’s the chef and explains the food plan: “The all-day menu at Upwell coffee shop will include pastries, sandwiches, salads, composed cheese plates, fruit cups and the like. For the Upwell wine bar three nights a week, we will serve a mainly seafood-based menu with charcuterie and snacks. I grew up in a ‘hunting family’ so there will be pheasant confit, lamb’s tongue, and other oddball meat choices as well.” As for the coffee, the official house roaster will be Herkimer, and Upwell will have other coffees in rotation.

Walter’s will be a full-service wine shop and “a community space to learn about wine, with educational classes taught each month … we want to make wine fun, free from pretense, and accessible to all,” Rosanne says. In addition to operating Walter’s Wine Shop, Chris plans to continue his “day job,” which also involves wine, with the educational nonprofit GuildSomm.

Upwell and Walter’s will have slightly different hours, though Rosanne promises that if you want to buy a bottle of wine before or after the 11 am-7 pm hours that Walter’s will be open, Upwell will be able to ring it up. Upwell will serve “food and coffee seven days a week from 7-3, and wine and snacks three nights a week from 4-10.” It will be an all-ages space.

So, the big question: When will they open? Their contractor has been running ahead of schedule, according to Rosanne, so now it’s mostly a matter of liquor-license timing; they’re aiming for June 1.

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BIZNOTE FOLLOWUP: Here’s what’s happening at Morgan Junction’s ex-Sub Shop spot
April 16, 2024 7:02 pm
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 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Several questions today about the fence going up around the California/Graham building where Sub Shop #9 closed two and a half years ago. As we noted back then, the property is owned by the family who owns O’Neill Plumbing (WSB sponsor) next door. We asked them this afternoon about the fence; they say it’s going up so they can use the site and building for storage.

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With light rail ‘becoming a reality,’ Mode Music Studios has to build a new band – of backers to cover their move
April 15, 2024 7:12 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Sound Transit | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Imagine a band, orchestra, choir, mega-group of more than 500 musicians, stretching from the century-old brick building at the north end of Delridge onto the neighboring West Seattle Bridge, playing a song together. Maybe “Don’t Stop Believing.” Or “Let the Music Play.”

That would suit the determined mood of Erin Rubin, whose Mode Music Studios has that many students, something you might be surprised to hear, given how unassuming Mode’s building looks to passersby as they head to or from the bridge or the industrial zone below it.

Mode Music Studios (a WSB sponsor) is not the entirety of her tuneful 10-year-old enterprise, either. Erin also leads nonprofit Mode Music and Performing Arts – headquartered in the same building in the 3800 block of Delridge Way SW – which brings music and theater into schools, and into the lives of students whose families might not be able to afford it otherwise.

Not all small-business owners run nonprofits too. But most know the challenge of keeping a business not just surviving, but thriving. In the past four years or so, that’s been especially grueling. “When you’re trying to tread water, since the COVID shutdown and the bridge shutdown, it’s been one thing after another … you aren’t able to make the moves you want to, now it’s just kind of survival mode.”

“Moves” has a double meaning for Erin, Mode Music Studios, and Mode Music and Performing Arts. She is almost certainly going to have to move, with the likely location of Sound Transit‘s Delridge light-rail station spanning the location of her business and others, including music venue/restaurant/bar The Skylark next door, Ounces Taproom and Beer Garden just down the block, and other North Delridge businesses to their west, including Alki Beach Academy and others in the Frye Commerce Center.

Erin and her neighbors stress that they are not trying to stop the light-rail project. “I welcome public transportation but I’m concerned we’re gonna lose a lot of what we love.” Despite the near-certainty that her business will have to move, the building is not included in the recent “early acquisition” decision, meaning she’s in a unique kind of limbo. The circumstances are so difficult, Erin sent an open letter to the Mode community last week, as we noted here; we spoke with her the next day, just before Mode’s monthly all-ages open mic at The Skylark next door.

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BIZNOTE: Need to recycle a no-longer-needed car seat?
April 15, 2024 1:00 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Your neighbor Jon thought other parents of small children should know about this since, he says, “Finding someplace to recycle old child car seats is a struggle!”: Westwood Village Target is participating in the chain’s car-seat trade-in promotion for the next two weeks. You have to be a member of their loyalty program to get the reward, described as “Guests who trade in their old car seats will receive a 20% off bonus toward a new car seat, car seat base, travel system, stroller or select baby home gear.” This is happening through April 27; the dropoff box is near Guest Services in the front of the store.

P.S. If you just want to donate no-longer-needed car seat(s), White Center-based WestSide Baby accepts them – if they meet the parameters listed here.

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BIZNOTE FOLLOWUP: Snapdragon’s weekend West Seattle pop-ups
April 14, 2024 1:28 pm
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 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Stephanie sent that photo, writing, “We walked past this new place and stopped in for some massive pastries (savory and sweet)!! Wanted to share so others know about it too! We had the cinnamon roll and cherry pastry, both were amazing and huge!!” If you’ve already been there, you know it’s Snapdragon, the Vashon bakery that’s been slowly rolling out its West Seattle expansion on the ground floor California/Oregon corner space at the Senior Center of West Seattle. In our last update, they mentioned “pop-ups” while they work toward opening full-time in the space. We stopped in today after Stephanie’s note and confiremd that they’re now open Saturdays 9 am-3 pm and Sundays during “Farmers’ Market hours” (10 am-2 pm).

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BIZNOTE FOLLOWUP: Animated Café reopens today, just across the river
April 13, 2024 8:27 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Georgetown | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

A pot of … coffee at the end of the rainbow? Animated Café proprietor Melanie/”Ana” sent that photo with news that she’s reopening today in her new Georgetown spot, one month after leaving West Seattle. She’s not far, just off the north end of the 1st Avenue South Bridge:

We’re finally re-opening again at 303 S Michigan St in Georgetown. We’re the first exit into Georgetown when you’re going north over the 1st Ave Bridge. We’re also finally set up to be a true drive-thru, the original vision for Animated Cafe.

I have to also give a huge shout-out to The Reef recreational cannabis store, who has leased us a location in their parking lot and has been incredibly supportive in the relocation. I can’t wait to see everyone again, and I’m so excited to be back up and running.

We did a bit of a remodel, made some upgrades, and have a brand new panini press perfect for making the toastiest of sandwiches. Also take a look at this beautiful omen (above) right before opening!

This is Animated Café’s third location – it launched in the Tony’s Market lot at 35th/Barton and then moved to 4518 Fauntleroy Way SW.

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BIZNOTE: Clean Greens CSA coming to West Seattle
April 12, 2024 4:12 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Another option for organic produce in West Seattle this summer – here’s the announcement we received today:

Clean Greens Farm and Market, a Black-led CSA that provides affordable, organic produce from local Black farmers, is pleased to announce that they will be coming to West Seattle this summer.

Beginning with this growing season, West Seattle residents can sign up for a weekly share of produce from our farm and pick it up at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). Shares come in three different sizes to suit individuals, small families, and larger families.

Pickups will be on Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm and run from June 29th through the end of October.

Proceeds from the sale of CSA shares not only support the ongoing work of Clean Greens and Black Dollar Days Task Force, which promotes Black-led enterprises in Seattle, but they also support the provision of healthy, organic produce at low- or no-cost to low-income members of our community.

To join the CSA, please visit Clean Green’s website.

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Chipotle reaches $3 million settlement with city on alleged labor-law violations. Here’s how West Seattle factors into it
April 11, 2024 10:19 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

The city Office of Labor Standards announced today that it has settled with Chipotle over alleged labor-law violations at eight area restaurants. We confirmed with the city that the West Seattle location (opened nine years ago at 4730 California SW) is one of them. First, from the city announcement, here are the basics:

The Office of Labor Standards (OLS) investigated Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. for alleged violations of the Secure Scheduling and Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) Ordinances throughout Chipotle’s eight operations in Seattle.

Chipotle settled the allegations and agreed to pay a total financial remedy of $2,895,716.73 to 1,853 employees and $7,308.63 to the City of Seattle. Chipotle also agreed to develop and implement a written Secure Scheduling Ordinance (SSO) policy.

This is the largest SSO settlement since the ordinance’s creation and the fourth largest overall in the history of the office. …

Under the Secure Scheduling Ordinance, OLS alleged the employer:

-Failed to consistently provide premium pay for schedule changes when required;
-Retaliated against an employee for declining to work or consent to a shift change made with less than 14 days’ notice;
-Retaliated against an employee for requesting not to be scheduled at certain times in conflict with a second job; and
-Failed to maintain records of original work schedules, as required by the Secure Scheduling Ordinance.

Under the Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, OLS also alleged the employer:

-Failed to provide PSST accrual at the correct rate;
-Lacked a compliant written PSST policy; and
-Retaliated against an employee for calling out sick.

We asked the OLS how the West Seattle Chipotle factored into this. The response: “There were 99 employees who worked at that location during the relevant violation period, of whom 79 were aggrieved parties under the Agreement. 12 received civil penalties for Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance violations and 78 for Secure Scheduling Ordinance violations.” The OLS also provided the settlement document; it lists the workers but does not match them to which restaurant they worked at. Reviewing that list, we note the largest sum awarded to any one employee appears to be $23,083, which includes back wages, interest, damages, and civil penalties.

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Devonshire Landscapes: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor!
April 11, 2024 12:52 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Today we’re welcoming Devonshire Landscapes as a new WSB sponsor. When new sponsors join us to advertise their local businesses to you, they get the opportunity to tell you about who they are and what they do – here’s what Devonshire Landscapes would like you to know:

Devonshire Landscapes is a full-service landscape company located near White Center, exclusively serving our neighbors in West Seattle, Burien, Normandy Park, and Des Moines. Our local small business has earned a well-established reputation over 25 years. Please see our many 5-star reviews from your neighbors on Google!

We offer landscape design and installation including patios, decks, fences, and much more. We can help with ECA and steep-slope projects including permitting for retaining walls and native-plant restoration. We have a team dedicated specifically to irrigation, drainage, and lighting.

Devonshire Landscapes‘ maintenance services differ from others in that we send the same crew on the same day around the same time. We can even send them a text-message reminder the morning of service visit days. Clients pay the same amount each month and can pay online or set up automatic credit card payments, AND they can cancel anytime if they are not happy. We use Organic fertilizers and little/no pesticides to protect pets, children, and our environment/ wildlife/ Puget Sound. We use electric equipment to minimize disruption of our clients’ lives, and their neighbors, and to reduce emissions. We don’t just “mow, blow, and go.” We weed, rake, prune, fertilize, maintain irrigation and low voltage lighting systems, and can help with lawn renovations, mulching, gutter cleaning, and pressure washing.

We invite you to see why 350+ of your neighbors LOVE our service. Comments include “We see your trucks everywhere!”, “We never knew when the ‘other guys’ were gonna show up.”, “Your employees are so nice and professional.”

We treat people and the environment with respect and integrity. In community involvement, we are active partners with the PREP community garden in Puget Ridge. We have teamed up with West Seattle Nursery and Zenith Holland Nursery to create award-winning display gardens at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival. We are also active members of the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals, the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, and the Master Builders of King & Snohomish County. Our management team is Eco-Pro certified, which means we hold preserving the environment and soil health top of mind in what we do.

Devonshire Landscapes is online at devonshirelandscapes.com, and contact information is here!

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

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BIZNOTE: Return of Pegasus Pizza
April 10, 2024 5:28 pm
|      58 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Thanks for the tips. What’s going into the former Pizzeria Credo space at 4520 California SW has finally been revealed, with the new awning signage shown above: Pegasus Pizza. The owners are the same as the Pegasus Pizza that closed on Alki more than a year ago, according to the liquor-license application for this space (filed under the business name “Flying Horse”). Court files say the case related to the Alki closure was closed this past February with “full satisfaction of (the) judgment.”

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YOU CAN HELP: Dream Dinners benefit for co-op preschools
April 10, 2024 9:04 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Dream Dinners West Seattle (WSB sponsor) can help you get dinner on the table this month and next while lending a hand to the South Seattle College Cooperative Preschools around West Seattle!

Anyone can support the preschools – just place an order of at least 3 dinners. Can order either April or May. All orders must be placed by May 10th. Put the code word “CO-OP” in the special instructions so we can keep track of everyone that orders. Call/text 206-938-5999 for questions.

Here’s the link to the local store, which is on the north side of outer Jefferson Square (41st/Alaska).

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‘It just isn’t the same without him’: Five weeks after Full Tilt Ice Cream founder Justin Cline’s death, closure announced
April 8, 2024 3:36 pm
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | White Center

(WSB/WCN photo of Justin, Ann, and kids Moss and Ruby last year, when Full Tilt marked 15 years)

Five weeks after the death of Justin Cline, who founded Full Tilt Ice Cream in White Center in 2008 with wife Ann Magyar, she just sent us the announcement that their flagship store and wholesale operations will close:

Dear Full Tilt family,

Justin founded Full Tilt with the hope he could work for himself and be part of the neighborhood in a positive, fun way. He wanted a place for music and art and for families to play. We opened on June 20, 2008 and were floored from day one at how much the community embraced us. We met so many people and made so many friends that we still hold dear. We loved watching kids learn to play pinball and Pac-Man and beg to stay just a little longer. So many artists and musicians and chefs have shared our space and we’ve been honored to be part of those journeys. Full Tilt was never just about the ice cream. But now Justin is gone, and it just isn’t the same without him. It’s time for Full Tilt as we know it to end.

Our wholesale operations will stop at the end of April. The last day for the White Center shop will be May 26th. The Columbia City shop will remain open but they do not accept gift cards, coupons, or birthday party certificates from other locations. You can find more info about that shop at www.fulltiltcolumbiacity.com.

I’m beyond grateful for the love and friendship and support these past 16 years. It’s truly been the best years of my life. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this craziness. Thank you White Center.

With love,
Mrs. Full Tilt

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See who’s, and what’s, cooking inside West Seattle ‘virtual restaurants’ hub Distinguished Foods
April 7, 2024 6:35 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

From milk tea to soul food to vegan burgers, dozens of choices are on the menu at West Seattle’s Distinguished Foods.

Actually, that’s “menus” – this longtime commercial kitchen facility at 4611 36th SW is home to a dozen “virtual restaurants” and other food businesses, as Distinguished Foods owner Claiborne Bell describes them. (His own Seattle Sorbets is one of them.)

It’s not just a place where food is prepared – it’s also a place where you can order it and/or pick it up. We hadn’t visited in a long time, until Claiborne invited us recently to come tour and see who’s new.

He explains that Distinguished Foods is also an “incubator” helping tenants learn and grow – and that means some inevitably “graduate” to their own locations. When we were there a little over a week ago, he was about to say goodbye to the latest “graduates” – Aroy Mak Thai Food, opening a bricks-and-mortar restaurant in Greenwood after two years at Distinguished Foods.

“I’m very proud of them,” Claiborne smiled. He says the kitchens can be a place to learn how to sell food profitably, to get going with your business without “mortgaging your house” from the get-go. Another recent “graduate” is Taste of Mumbai, which now has a restaurant in The Admiral District.

The co-housing of multiple businesses also provides some synergy – maybe you came to pick up food from one, and while you’re waiting, you discover the menu of another, and order from them next time. It’s an eclectic lineup – also in house during our visit, Dada’s Plant-Based Burgers & Breakfast:

David’s business – there for about six months now – is the first vegan restaurant at Distinguished Foods, Claiborne notes. “Amazing food,” including a popular crispy “chik’n” sandwich.

Also among the newer tenants, Seattle Soul Kitchen, with fare including catfish, chicken, smoked stuffed turkey legs, jambalaya, sides including mac and cheese, yams, and greens.

They’re even serving “old-school Kool-Aid” if you’re thirsty.

Another beverage option – the teas (including boba) that Nhu makes at TAB (Take a Break):

“Authentic tea, no powders,” mind you. And TAB serves up authentic pho, too.

Winding our way through the building, we also drop in on Chef Michael Poole, who we mentioned a decade ago – he combined a Seattle Fire Department career with candymaking, and the result was Hot Chocolat.

He’s also leading team-building exercises these days – teaching classes.

Meantime, Distinguished Foods is also home to the growing business Papa Tony’s Hot Sauce, run by Tony Wilson (pictured below with Claiborne Bell).

Need a frosty treat after something savory? Claiborne’s Seattle Sorbets come in flavors such as mango sunset and raspberry merlot. He introduced us to Dora, who’s been making ice cream and sorbet for more than 20 years:

Dora’s roles are many, Claiborne notes, including helping manage the kitchen business. It’s been rebounding from the pandemic years – 17 companies operating in the kitchens pre-pandemic, down to five at the low point, “and things are just now coming back.” (The March 2020-September 2022 West Seattle Bridge took a toll too.) The “virtual restaurants” aren’t all open the same days and hours; most, Claiborne says, are open six days a week. But that’s part of the education he says they get from Distinguished Foods as an incubator – “be consistent with your hours and food. … Make money and do well.”

Haven’t tried any of the Distinguished Foods offerings? You can go to the north side of the building, peruse menus, press a button to alert the business, and place an order – or order online and go there for pickup. (Some work with delivery services too.) Here’s the directory by the door (but remember Aroy Mak has since moved – speaking of which, id you’re looking for a kitchen, Distinguished Foods has space):

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BIZNOTE: Molly Moon’s Ice Cream on the way to West Seattle Junction
April 5, 2024 7:38 pm
|      167 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Reader photo sent by Paul)

Thanks for the tips and photos! When we first got a reader photo of the Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream “coming soon” banner in the recently vacated spot at 4540 California SW earlier today, we couldn’t find confirmation anywhere (including from the company itself) – but now they’ve announced it:

After years of countless emails, DMs, comments, as well as solicited & unsolicited advice – we’re bringing our homemade ice cream to West Seattle!!

Woohoooo!!!!

Just like at our other scoop shops, we’ll be making all of the ice creams and toppings onsite in the shop’s kitchen! Keeping our ice cream locally made, right down to the neighborhood where it’s served, is what sets us apart. Churned and scooped by people in your community with lots of love and hometown pride!

As always, we’ll be sourcing our ingredients from local farms and producers, and making sure that we’re the absolute best employers for our team, the Mooncrew!

We can’t wait to join the other iconic Seattle businesses @easystreetrecords @maharaja.cuisine and @cupcakeroyale on the block!

Our new home will be at: 4540 California Ave SW

See you all sooooooon!!!

(No word yet HOW soon.) Molly Moon’s has 10 other locations around the region. It won’t be the first ice-cream chain to try its luck on that side of that block – if you’ve been here a while, you might remember a Ben and Jerry’s franchisee in the spot currently inhabited by Cupcake Royale.

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Delridge Grocery Co-op’s next chapter: ‘Winding down’ storefront but ‘new neighborhood business will take over’ the space
April 5, 2024 1:30 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

A shortage of help for the volunteer-run Delridge Grocery Co-op store has led to a change in plan for the longtime nonprofit, which has its roots – several generations of volunteer help ago – in an idea that sprouted in 2009. The DGC has announced that it will “end storefront operations by April 30” in the space at Cottage Grove Commons (5444 Delridge Way SW). But that space won’t be vacant – and will still be dedicated to affordable, healthy food. And the DGC isn’t entirely hanging up its collective apron. If you’re not on the DGC mailing list, you can read the full announcement here. In short, three years after DGC was finally able to start opening its storefront to the public, then steadily growing its inventory and opening hours to five days a week, the road grew bumpy, as explained in the announcement:

Unfortunately, over the course of the last year, the numbers of our board of directors and core volunteers has dwindled to a much smaller group, causing larger loads of work to be added to fewer shoulders. Additionally, we faced rising prices due to national inflation growth, changes in post-Covid shopping habits, and challenges in sourcing products from distributors — all of which contributed to declining sales.

During a board meeting in March, the Co-op’s core remaining group was faced with a dangerously diminishing cash reserve twinned with a declining level of time availability from the cohort. To ensure that all of our financial obligations are met (including paying back several member loans), it was decided that the Delridge Grocery Co-op would need to wind down its operations.

Starting this weekend, the DGC will work toward selling down our inventory at reduced prices with the goal of shutting down storefront operations by April 30.

But, we will also be making way for a new neighborhood business…

Scheduled to start on May 2, run by North Delridge neighbors – Cascadia Produce, run by the neighbors who brought you Carrot Man’s Carrot Stand (also owner-members of the Co-op) will be taking over the DGC space for a four-month experiment that will bring low-cost, fresh food to North Delridge.

Cascadia Produce has unique access to farm seconds and wholesale recovered produce (all vibrant and recently harvested) that will be offered to area residents at super low cost. Best of all, the space will be open daily for extended hours and stuffed with a wide variety of produce options (some of it even organic!). This pop-up will continue the goal of access to fresh, healthy food that the DGC has championed since inception and test a radical new model for fresh food access in urban food deserts.

The DGC is working out the final details with Cascadia Produce and will send them out soon, but we’re all estimating that this pilot produce pop-up will begin operating in May in the DGC storefront. May 2-3 will be a soft open for neighbors and area residents where all are invited to come see the changes and give feedback on what types of fruit, vegetables, healthy cooking staples, and treats (hey, life is short!) belong in in this market. If successful during the pop-up stage, the new model will be adopted long term.

We just talked to Jill from Cascadia by phone and there’s so much more to this than just a “pop-up” – she has big plans for ensuring that everybody in West Seattle knows how to get affordable produce – and plans to partner with a variety of organizations and groups. Shopping at the store will be convenient, at least eight hours a day seven days a week, with a longtime West Seattleite on board to be market manager. Stand by for lots more info about the plan.

In the short run, today through Sunday, the DGC is starting its inventory clearout with a 10 percent discount to all shoppers, co-op members or not, and some additional in-store discounts “including greeting cards, cleaning supplies, fancy cheeses, and more.” Meantime, DGC will continue its weekly Essentials Box program – including “gifted boxes to households in need” – during the Cascadia Produce pop-up time, so if you’re a subscriber, DGC hopes you’ll “stick with us during this time.” DGC has some other FAQ answers in its full announcement.

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BIZNOTE: Easy Street Café expands hours
April 4, 2024 8:50 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

(Image from SDOT traffic camera looking at Easy Street’s corner)

Big news from Easy Street! Here’s the announcement

After 25 years, Easy Street (Café) is extending its hours. Open until 6. 7 days a week.

“We have been testing a Happy Hour menu for about 6 months and with Spring in the air, we’ve decided to make it official,” says owner Matt Vaughan.

“We made some improvements to the kitchen over the last couple of years. We have more storage, refrigeration, and better equipment. We hired Ali Graham six months ago to manage the cafe. We’ve never had a General Manager, so that has us all working together more efficiently.”

Our chef Isidro Lucatero has been with us now for 21 years. He brought in Juan Navarro (originally from West 5) and we all worked together on a Happy Hour menu (see it here). All items are currently only $10 each. So far, we are getting great response on our Paul Westerburger (smash burger), the Fleetwood Mac n Cheese, and the Rick James Buffalo Wings. There are a few carry-overs from the main menu too.

The coffee bar is going back to pre-pandemic hours. It will stay open til 6:00 and sometimes longer on event nights. Two more specialty coffee drinks have been added, the Cardi B (Cardamom Latte) and the Starman (2bl Macchiato w starry sprinkles), to go along with longstanding favorites The Amazing Grace and The Mudhoney. 16-year Easy Street vet Rebecca Gifford says, “We got a new La Marzocco machine last year and the coffee is tasting so good. Now that the weather is brightening up and temperatures are rising, the garage door will go up and you’ll start hearing more clinks of iced coffee drinks going up and down the block. That’s when you know spring in The Junction has finally arrived !”

(Easy Street photo: Sunday bartender Kisha Vaughan and lead bartender Patrick Johnson)

The Easy Street cocktail/vinyl bar (in the mezzanine) is over 2 years old now. It’s open for additional dining as well (21+). “I think the word is finally out, but it’s really just a locals-secret loft bar for now. We have cocktail specials during happy hour from 3-6 and some draft beer specials too.” says Matt.

“With the bar, people were requesting food, so nice to be able to provide that now. Also, been great to offer our musicians and bands something to eat before their instore performances. It’s a sonic and sensory journey in here, merging nostalgia, music, coffee, drinks, and good food, it’s such a unique and unforgettable experience,” says GM Ali Graham.

“Easy Street has always been a safe place for our youngsters after school. Now they can at least get a plate of fries or grilled cheese sandwich with a Jones soda or whatever and hang out with their friends and/or meet their parents here,” says Matt.

The patio had its first opening of the year a few days ago. Patio is open (weather permitting).

If somehow you’ve never been to Easy Street … the café and store are on the northwest corner of California/Alaska in the heart of The Junction.

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BIZNOTE: Happy 14th anniversary, West Seattle Runner!
April 4, 2024 7:19 pm
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 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

For the next three days, our area’s only running-focused store, West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) is celebrating its 14th anniversary. Here’s what’s in store – a sale and more:

We are celebrating and thanking the wonderful community of West Seattle for all their generous support and encouragement over the past 14 years. This means we are offering 10% off footwear and 15% off apparel and accessories. For the folks already in our Customer Loyalty Program, you will enjoy 15% off footwear and 20% off apparel and accessories. We also have several events throughout the weekend:

Friday, April 5th, 6:15 pm – Brooks-sponsored Group Run: Come and run in a pair of Brooks shoes and run whatever distance you would like! Afterward, we will host The Potholes, who will play a live show back at the shop. We will have beverages and snacks for this social event.

Saturday, April 6th, 8 am – Group Run with donuts and chocolate milk afterward. Sponsored by Superfeet, and they will be giving away a pair of semi-custom inserts valued at $150.

Sunday, April 7th, 10 am – Runner Relay Event: Join in for fun, silly running-related tasks and come back to the shop afterward for beverages and snacks

Meet at West Seattle Runner for all events!

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Real-estate broker West Seattle Bike Dad: Welcome, new WSB sponsor!
April 2, 2024 2:11 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Today we’re welcoming Anthony Avery aka West Seattle Bike Dad, a real-estate broker with Ewing & Clark, as a new WSB sponsor. New sponsors get to tell you about themselves – here’s what West Seattle Bike Dad wants you to know:

No real-estate broker knows the city quite like I do. During the pandemic, to get outside and experience my community more intimately, I rode my bike on every street in West Seattle. When I was done with that I moved over to Rainier Valley, and now my goal is to bike every street in the city.

Before earning my real estate license, I worked as a professional city planner. When we evaluate all there is to evaluate with your potential new home, I’ll help you understand any restrictions or easements on your property, evaluate zoning and comprehensive plan implications, and we’ll track future transportation infrastructure (such as light rail construction) that may impact your property. Too many times people buy a home expecting things to never change, but change is the one constant in a city growing as fast as ours. Knowing *how* change will impact your home will help futureproof your investment.

My clients seek me out because they want a broker who experiences Seattle the way they want to. We are a one-car family of four and navigate the city by bus or bike mostly, but still utilize a car from time to time. We got rid of our second car in 2013 and thanks to saving $6k-$8k every year since then, we were able to afford a home in West Seattle when we were ready to buy here.

Finding the right neighborhood, a place with walkable access to grocery or coffee, and an easy bike or bus commute to work, school, and extracurriculars is my specialty. I also work to show different types of homes, with different layouts and amenities so my clients can explore what they want and find new things they never would’ve thought about. Especially first-time homebuyers, I always recommend visiting at least ten homes before making an offer. You learn as much about what you want in a home by walking through places you don’t want as you do looking at places you do want. Patient, kind, fun, a great listener are adjectives my clients use to describe me.

For community involvement, I participate regularly with West Seattle Bike Connections and in group rides with Cascade Bicycle Club. I have sent my twin daughters to Alki Co-Op Preschool for the last two years, which has been a great way to meet neighbors and new friends thanks to the volunteer and participation component built into the program. Here’s how to contact me!

We thank real-estate broker West Seattle Bike Dad for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here; email patrick@wsbsales.com for info on joining the team!

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BIZNOTE: Café Verde on the way to Sunrise Heights
April 1, 2024 11:11 am
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Sunrise Heights | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS beverages

“You wouldn’t buy specialty bread baked a month ago … we don’t think you should have to drink coffee roasted a month ago.”

That’s the philosophy behind Café Verde, a West Seattle couple’s enterprise, currently roasting coffee in Auburn and shipping the same day – and soon, if all goes well, roasting, brewing, and serving in Sunrise Heights.

We happened onto the early permit application for Café Verde to move into 7354 35th SW, most recently a pop-up clothing shop (and briefly proposed for a mini-mart, but that fell through). We subsequently connected via email with co-proprietor K.C.

As you can see on the Cafe Verde website, K.C. and spouse Tatiana have a rich background in coffee roasting – they did it for more than a decade in Peru. “We’ll be replicating what we did in Lima,” a combination roastery and coffee shop. But the former will remain the focus: “We’re a coffee roaster first, coffee shop second.”

So what’s different about the way they roast? K.C. explains that most of the industry applies the light-roasting style to a variety of beans, but they have more differentiation – for one. And there’s that freshness thing – as little time as possible between roasting and serving. “Fresh-roasted coffee always tastes better.”

They’re excited about the space, which KC happened to see posted as “For Lease” while on a family errand. They’re in the very early stages of the permit process, so he’s aware it may take “many months.” They’re still working out other details of the future operation, like hours and what else they’ll serve, but K.C. expects traditional coffee-shop fare – like pastries (made in-house) – will be part of it.

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