Thanks to David Rosen from SlickPix Photography for sharing a shot of the line at Westwood Village Target before it opened at 5; we just drove past WWV Staples and noted about 15 people waiting for its doors to open at six. (Nothing like Southcenter, where we’d gone just to gawk at the enormity of the lines; for Best Buy, for example, the line stretched for blocks across neighboring storefronts before the store opened at 5; [added 1:04 pm] our video caught linecutting again this year, this time unnoticed.) If you haven’t already, please see our West Seattle BF update from last night, with some local deals for today – once you’ve gotten the early-morning malling out of your system, it should be a great day to wander around The Junction, the Admiral District, and other West Seattle spots dotted with shops.

Seriously now – do you really want to drive 15 miles in the middle of the night to stand out in the cold and the (possible) rain and go through this?

And after all that, it may turn out that there were only two of the “doorbuster” items in stock, and you were beaten to them by a couple of fellow line-waiters with jet packs and/or rocket-powered wheelies. No worries. Sleep in and shop West Seattle instead – or, if you insist on getting up and doorbuster-hunting (there ARE a few chances to do that in WS, at some of the chains in WW Village – Bed Bath Beyond opens at 5 with 20% off entire purchase before 10; Target opens at 5 for a two-day sale; Staples opens at 6, though its site is down till 3), shop your local small businesses afterward. Here are a couple highlights from around West Seattle’s business districts:

*From Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District:

We’ll be giving away one free mercury glass ornament with any purchase of any other holiday decorations, while supplies last. Note that we will NOT be opening early… we aren’t morning people on any day of the year and certainly not the day after Thanksgiving! We are open noon to 7 pm. Our extended holiday hours begin Monday.

*Grand opening day for Mountain to Sound Outfitters, the new enterprise by the Alki Kayak Tours entrepreneurs, 3602 SW Alaska (map). They’re planning a free barbecue noon-2 pm.

*In The Junction, Edie’s Shoes has a 20 percent coupon (get it here). And Cherry Consignment (open 10 am-6 pm) is offering 10 percent off today and tomorrow to shoppers who bring a friend to the store with them.

*Also in The Junction, you can get your entries in for the $6500 giveaway – details on the Junction Association website, including list of participating businesses.

(added Friday morning) *On Alki, from Coastal Boutique‘s newsletter:

This Friday, November 27th, shoppers who spend $80 or more at Coastal will receive a
FREE $20 Coastal Gift Card as a thank you for shopping at Coastal!

(added Friday morning) *Another Junction note just in from Lisa at CAPERS:

CAPERS celebrates the kickoff to the holidays with a BLAFRITHWECYMON SALE [Black Friday Thanksgiving Weekend Cyber Monday Sale]. No camping necessary to save. Dining tables are 25% off, selected chairs are up for adoption & customers will receive a $10 gift card for every $50 they spend through Monday. Additional details at 932-0371.

(Reminder to businesses – any time of the year, you can post Freebies, Deals, Sales *free* in the WSB Forums section by that name – start here.)

(back to original report) And one more note for weekend shoppers:

*If you’re shopping for books, note that West Seattle High School Grad Night 2010 has a Bookfair going at Barnes & Noble through Sunday (any store, but you need to tell them you’re using Voucher #10001303, and if you show a receipt with that # on it, you get a free slice of pizza at Giannoni’s Pizza in Westwood Village).

Good crowd tonight at Alki Mail and Dispatch (WSB sponsor), which invited friends and neighbors to come help celebrate its 20th anniversary during a three-hour open house. The celebration actually continues all the way through Saturday – but the gift’s for you: 20 percent off everything – see the coupon on Alki Mail’s newly remodeled website (where you’ll find other cool links, including Alki Mail’s latest tweets – pretty sure they’re the only mailbox business in West Seattle where you can check via Twitter to see if the day’s mail is in!). Alki Mail’s at 47th & Admiral (map).

Story and photo by Mary Sheely
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

A little bit of heaven is coming to Admiral Junction.

Heavenly Pastry and Cake will be taking over the storefront at 2604 California SW (formerly the West Seattle Herald offices). But while the bakery location will be new, the business isn’t — Heavenly Pastry and Cake owner Allison Barnes and husband Michael Stein, along with various nieces and nephews, are more than familiar to visitors at farmers’ markets around town.

“If we ever miss one, we hear about it next week, like, “Where were you guys?’” says Barnes.

It’s no wonder — the selection of “sweeties and savories” made by Barnes and her “partner in crime” Clove Burt include the Raspberry-Hazelnut Yum fruit bar (“Our niece named it, because that’s what it makes you say,” says Stein) scones made with heavy cream, and the signature Oma Stein’s Pretzel, from a recipe by Michael’s German grandmother.

Read More

This afternoon we welcome a new WSB sponsor that’s about to celebrate a milestone: Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of Alki Mail and Dispatch, and they’re throwing a party tomorrow evening to celebrate. More on that shortly – first, here’s what Alki Mail and Dispatch wants you to know about their business: Proprietor Don Wahl (second from right) says it’s not just the convenience of all their services – get your mail, send a package, grab some coffee, use a computer – in one place, he also believes his business has thrived for 20 years because people want somewhere to connect with others – even in our world of so much screen time, you need face time too and that’s what happens at Alki Mail and Dispatch. Don says that’s what keeps people coming back – the fact that people know you, and know what you need. He describes Alki Mail and Dispatch as being like “Cheers” – where everybody knows your name, only with caffeine instead of alcohol. Recalling his business’s beginnings, Don says fax machines and computers and copiers cost a lot 20 years ago, so he saw a real opportunity, and his late partner Don Cavanaugh had owned a similar business, so they thought they could make a go of it. Indeed they did – on the beach for 15 years, and now for 5 years at a location Wahl owns. You’ll find Alki Mail and Dispatch at 4701 SW Admiral Way (map) – online at www.alkimail.com – and on Twitter, where customers can find out when the mail’s in, at @alkimail. Tomorrow night’s party, by the way, is 5-8 pm – stop in and say hi! We thank Alki Mail and Dispatch for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.

In a weekend roundup of West Seattle business notes (biznotes if we can’t fit both words in the headline!), we shared Diane‘s report of BECU sending a letter to say its Admiral Safeway branch is closing because of the upcoming store-reconstruction project; then in the first comment, “angelescrest” reported that Alki’s BECU ATM (Google Street View above) is gone. We followed up on both with Todd Pietzsch in BECU media relations, particularly to find out why the Admiral Safeway branch is closing now, though construction is not expected before the middle of next summer. Read on to see his reply:Read More

ADMIRAL SAFEWAY BECU BRANCH CLOSING: Thanks to Diane for the tip – she got a letter saying the Admiral Safeway BECU branch is closing as of 1 pm December 5. The letter says, “The Safeway building is being reconstructed so we must close this location.” The most recent estimate given by Safeway for when they hope to start construction is next summer (and late summer at that), so we’ll be checking with BECU regarding why they’re closing this far in advance. The letter does say the BECU ATM at the store will remain open as long as the store does.

PILATES NAME CHANGE: Thanks to Mike for the tip – Pilates Westside in Morgan Junction, which opened 6 months ago, is changing its name to Pilates al Dente. Mike spotted the notice posted on the storefront that also mentions a change in ownership. Online records show that name registered to one of the original owners we interviewed last spring. No website for Pilates al Dente yet.

THERAPEUTIC ASSOCIATES/WEST SEATTLE PHYSICAL THERAPY: Earlier this week, we briefly mentioned this firm’s new digs in Capco Plaza, the building with the new QFC, on the 41st SW side. We’ve since received an official announcement from them, including the benefits of their new location: “designed with their patient’s needs in mind and includes free parking, an easily accessible elevator and upgrades to state of the art equipment.”

ALMOST OPEN: The remodeled Angelina’s in the Admiral District is almost ready to open. (Thanks to Krista for the shot of the new sign.) After “friends and family” previews this week, they’re just awaiting the final go-ahead (inspections, etc.) to open to the public; here’s our preview story from the midst of the major work. Meantime, we’ve got the opening date for another business-in-progress:

DATE SET: Greg Whittaker from Alki Kayak Tours says November 27 is set as the date for opening their new ski, paddlesports and rack shop in the Triangle, Mountain to Sound Outfitters. He sent the above photo “to get the ski bums excited!” now that inventory-stocking is under way – that’s Jon Steel, ski technician and kayaking guide, with some of the inventory. (As first reported here, the shop’s at 3602 SW Alaska [map].)

CYCLE U OPEN HOUSE/GRAND OPENING: Also in the Triangle, the new Cycle U at 4550 Fauntleroy SW is having its official grand-opening open house on Saturday, with giveaways and refreshments; full details online; here’s our Cycle U story from last month.

COFFEE CHANGE: “Rockergirl” first noted this in the WSB Forums and now Paul from PB&J Textiles confirms it: They’ve sold their 6-month-old shop Coffee at the Heights (WSB sponsor) to barista Andrea. Paul says, “She has always wanted to own her own coffee shop. We are very grateful to our customers and had a blast running the shop! We are not going far, we still have our other 2 businesses here in West Seattle. Soon we will be doing upgrades to the Olympic Heights Laundry.” That’s next door to the coffee shop (7349 35th SW).

Thanks to Diane for the photos and information: The Heavenly Wholesale/Leslie’s storefront in The Junction, east side of California SW south of Alaska, where Funky Jane’s was before moving to California/Oregon, opens this week, 10 am-6 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 am-5 pm Sundays. Here’s Jill, longtime Heavenly proprietor:

The former “Heavenly” storefront in The Triangle is the building where Greg Whittaker of Alki Kayak Tours recently announced they plan to open a storefront. Here’s Leslie, indeed the same Leslie who formerly operated Leslie’s Country Store in the California SW location that is now home to The Bohemian:

Another business note:

First reported in the WSB Forums by “hammerhead” – All the Best Pet Care on Alki is closing. They will have a sale next weekend, and then the last day is currently scheduled as one week from today. All the Best also recently closed its Aurora location, but has others around the city. The Alki shop opened two years ago.

Today we welcome West Seattle Design Build as a new WSB sponsor – here’s what they’d like you to know about their business: West Seattle Design Build has the experience and attention to detail that we believe sets us apart from the rest. We have worked hard at developing a reputation for exceptional customer service and customer satisfaction. West Seattle Design Build‘s personnel offer more than 25 years of experience in both residential and commercial construction; it is a BBB-accredited company. We manage a wide range of home remodeling and new construction projects, from bathroom additions and remodels to an entire home renovation and new construction. West Seattle Design Build also specializes in tenant improvements, including restaurant, office and specialty store buildouts. West Seattle Design Build believes in partnering with our clients to create special spaces that will accommodate individual needs. West Seattle Design Build understands the construction process can be disruptive to everyday living, and we work with our customers to minimize impact. The majority of our clients are either repeat customers or come from referrals of satisfied clients. We feel that our quality of work, cleanliness and attention to detail is the primary reason we have such a large repeat customer base. West Seattle Design Build and its owners have a strong commitment to the community. The owners of the company were born and raised in West Seattle and have long standing connections to the local community. The company and its owners believe in active involvement in the community to create a healthier, cohesive and more viable community. West Seattle Design Build and its owners actively volunteer time as coaches in the local West Seattle baseball and soccer leagues, as well as volunteering time and services at a local elementary school. West Seattle Design Build is proud of its work and you will be too! West Seattle Design Build is online at wsdesignbuild.com; call (206) 938-0174, or e-mail jon@wsdesignbuild.com. We thank West Seattle Design Build for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; the sponsor team, with info on joining, is all here.

At Westwood Village, Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) sends word its move to a new, more visible storefront is complete, right on schedule, done in time for the new location’s debut yesterday. They’re now open Tuesdays-Saturdays 10 am-6 pm in the spot you see above, next to Chico’s, which is in turn just north of Barnes and Noble, in the heart of WV. Meantime, in The Junction, KeyBank is done with its remodeling work:

Kevin McClintic took that photo back in August, as crews did late-night work on the bank’s big remodel. Now we have word that the months of work are over, and the branch plans a “grand opening” celebration next week, with refreshments and snacks for those who stop in. Here’s what changed, according to a KeyBank news release:

Inside the updated branch is a new teller line, a pair of flat TV screens featuring information of interest to clients and a community wall of photos depicting local scenes and landmarks. New offices and conference rooms accommodate client meetings requiring privacy, and a new, comfortable waiting area is complete with a coffee cart.

Key’s new “Teller 21” technology places better information in the hands of tellers quickly, freeing up time for them to advise and interact with clients. Behind the scenes, processing and handling time is significantly reduced: for example, a check brought to the branch would once have been handled up to 12 times by tellers, proof operators and others involved in the processing function. With Teller 21, that check is handled only once.

(added 1:08 pm) One more note – we checked with Allison Rich, new co-owner of Angelina’s, regarding their progress toward reopening after the remodel (here’s our last “sneak peek” story). She says they’re now hoping to be ready around the middle of next week.