The city has announced this year’s list of Mayor’s Small Business Award winners — with Alki Kayak Tours and Cupcake Royale among them! Read on for the full announcement:Read More

Two business notes from Admiral for today/tonight, before the West Seattle Weekend Lineup emerges later:

CHEESY AFTERNOON (AND EVENING) AT METROPOLITAN MARKET: A two-week celebration of cheese hits its high point this afternoon/evening with demos by cheese-world luminaries 3-7 pm at the Admiral store. According to MM’s Brad Halverson, Beecher’s cheesemaker Brad Sinko and Boat Street Pickles owner-chef Renee Erickson will be on hand, while the store’s own cheesemakers will make their unique hand-stretched mozzarella. (Full list/lineup here.) They’ll also be showcasing an early release of Rogue River Blue, the American Cheese Society‘s 2009 Best of Show Winner, which Halverson says is “the first raw milk American cheese to ever be shipped out of the USA.” The cheese event continues tomorrow – more here.

CLICK! CELEBRATES #5: A few blocks north, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) invites you to its 5th birthday bash tonight, previewed in this WSB feature. 6-9 pm, cupcakes, bubbly and discounts. More here.

Story and photos by Mary Sheely
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Frances and John Smersh are the owners of contemporary gift and home goods store Click! Design That Fits (2210 California SW; WSB sponsor). But you could say they have a silent partner: their neighborhood.

“A necessary part of our store concept is West Seattle,” Frances says. “We would not have opened a store had we not been able to do it here.”

Obviously, it was a smart decision: Click! will mark five years in business with an anniversary party this Friday, October 2, 6-9 p.m., featuring catering by West Seattle-based Splendid Cupcake, a free etched glass from Roost for each guest — with purchase — while supplies last, and weekend sales including 25% off Smersh Design, the gold vermeil and silver jewelry that Frances designs, through October 4.

Both the retail store and the jewelry business have proven staying power, despite the fact that neither John nor Frances had a background in retail or even art.

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The latest edition of Costco Connection features an article on the book whose author Robert Spector spoke in The Junction this past week, “The Mom and Pop Store.” And the big photo that goes with the article shows one of the West Seattle entrepreneurs mentioned in the book, Lora Lewis from Hotwire Coffee (WSB’s 1st-ever sponsor), who says it’s her first-ever national spotlight! See the story here.

This morning we’re welcoming one of our newest sponsors, Potter Construction. New sponsors are offered the chance to tell you about their business (at right, that’s Gary Potter), and here’s what they would like you to know: Potter Construction has been West Seattle’s trusted source for design/build and home remodeling since 1979. Our long list of satisfied Westside customers can vouch that we live up to our motto of “building peace of mind into every project.” We also have a strong connection to the local community and are involved in a number of local organizations from West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and Rotary to the West Seattle Club and the West Seattle YMCA. We’re all about working, living and giving locally! A lot of our clients first hear about Potter through word of mouth from our past clients or meet us at home and remodeling shows. They like the fact that we are local, we do great work and we have been doing business in West Seattle for 30 years. They also appreciate the importance we place on communication and follow-up — for every major project, we set up a recurring weekly meeting so everything is on the table and any questions can be answered. We hold their hands and walk them through the process so they can set realistic expectations and be educated from the start. One of the most common comments we hear from clients is that our attention to detail, thoroughness and finished work are top notch. We always show up when we say we will, and clean up well before we leave each night. Potter Construction is online at potterconstruction.com; call 206-935-9696, or e-mail here. Thanks to Potter Construction for sponsoring 24/7 independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news here on WSB – the full sponsor team is here, with info on how to join!

(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli, added 1:16 pm)
Photojournalist Christopher Boffoli is on the scene for WSB and reports, “Swinery just opened its doors. People already inside shopping. They have plenty of bacon. Bacon dogs too!” 3207 California SW (map). Website here; photos to come. 1:18 PM: Adding Christopher’s photos, including this one of the “bacon dogs,” which he reports are “selling briskly”:

Christopher also reports: “As soon as they opened the doors (at noon on the nose) there was a steady stream of people coming in the door. I left around 12:30 and it hadn’t let up. Sandwiches, cheeses, deli meats are in the front cases. Butcher case is in the back of the store as is where you take your items to pay. They also have a small fridge with drinks and some other house made specialties like fig jam, etc.”

Hours are on their main website. If you haven’t been following the Swinery saga, there’s a lot of background in Christopher’s detailed preview feature, published here two months ago. 5:17 PM UPDATE: Christopher adds that their credit-card machine wasn’t up and running as of early this afternoon – so be forewarned. He shot some video too – here’s the clip:

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 11:29 pm; opening-night-eve activity at Swinery tonight)
ORIGINAL 11:31 PM NOTE: Posted moments ago on Facebook by Swinery proprietor Gabriel Claycamp (backstory here):

the swinery will open tomorrow in an extremely limited capacity. Our compressors blew on 2 of our cases, so we only have the baby case…. will still have lots of goodness, stop by after 12 pm.

The new deli/meat shop (3207 California SW; map) has its full website up at swinerymeats.com. 12:40 AM MONDAY: And just an hour later, a problem. We’ll just wait till they actually open before the next update.

Scratch that. We are NOT OPENING tomorrow. why doesn’t Home Depot stay open when you need them? Tuesday. Plumbing mishap. compressors breaking in the middle of the night… clearly the universe doesn’t like the autumnal equinox for us.

(Photo via Twitter and yfrog, by @driftcafe)
That photo and several other reports indicate a major crowd at Easy Street Records in The Junction (and overflow at West 5) for the new Pearl Jam “Backspacer” release at midnight – just one day before the first of two Pearl Jam shows at KeyArena downtown. Tonight’s party collected donations for West Seattle Food Bank; also via Twitter, @Java_Colleen reported a long line for that. How many “Backspacer” copies left after tonight? Check with Easy Street when you’re in The Junction for the Car Show 8 am-4 pm today.

The headline is in quotes because it’s one of the first lines in an e-mail we received today from Craig Undem of Cycle University. As he notes, Cycle U has been offering “spin-type classes the last 2 winters at the Senior Center in The Junction” (here’s a 9/07 WSB item) and now they’re moving into the old Huling (and briefly Gee) Chrysler showroom at 4550 Fauntleroy (Google Street View above; map). He adds, “We will be having fitness classes and selling bikes and offering bicycle repair.” We’re working to find out more about their plans, and will bring you details in a followup.

We’re welcoming one of our newest sponsors today: Kay Rood, Framer. Kay Rood is dedicated to making every frame aesthetically exceptional and structurally sound. Now in West Seattle, her shop, KR,F Custom Picture Framing, has provided quality design and personal service in Seattle since 1979. Kay’s professional fine-arts background as well as her skill as an artisan contributes to her trustworthiness as a designer/consultant. Each piece comes to the shop with a story or special memory to share and keep — whether it’s an old family photograph, a contemporary oil painting, an etching, a textile, a diploma, or a drawing for a gallery exhibition. At KR,F the challenge and enjoyment of designing each art work is met with creative energy and care, as designer and client work together to find the right design solution in a personable, informal shop ambience. Because protection is as important as presentation, only conservation-quality neutral-pH mat board is used. A wide range of quality mouldings is offered, as well as ultraviolet-filtering and reflection-free glass. A handsome selection of linens and silks is available for wrapped mats or backings. KR,F collaborates with specialized art conservators for referral when restoration or conservation is needed. Kay comes to West Seattle from Capitol Hill, where her community activism led her to become deeply involved in the creation of Cal Anderson Park. She’s excited to live and work in the new High Point community, and looks forward to contributing as it grows and evolves. Experience, imagination and sound advice have kept a loyal clientele returning to KR,F Custom Picture Framing for thirty years. Learn more online at www.kayroodframer.com. The shop is open by appointment at your convenience. Phone 206-324-9118.

Thanks to Kay Rood, Framer for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news, information and discussion at WSB! Our sponsors are listed here, with info on how to join them!

ORIGINAL 6:50 AM REPORT: That’s QFC president Donna Giordano, one of many executives in the Bellevue-headquartered chain (owned by national chain Kroger) here at the new Junction QFC, which opens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7 am. We just finished a preview tour with QFC media liaison Kristin Maas taking us around as workers bustled to finish the last-minute touches. Got to see some items we didn’t know they were offering – like gelato:

Here’s the sandwich menu:

The main parking for the store is on a deck you enter from 42nd, with elevators and a staircase leading down.

The street entrance at 42nd/Alaska has a seating area, as does a corner right inside the store, close to its Starbucks kiosk. The store is managed by Jeff Brown, who used to run the Westwood Village QFC:

We’ll add video and info after the ribbon-cutting – just as we finish this (writing from inside the store), someone announced over the loudspeaking, “Ten minutes till ribbon-cutting! Everyone start clearing the store. Have a good time, and remember, customer first.” The store’s open 24 hours a day and is the chain’s 75th store, first one they’ve opened in two years, since the Uptown store near Seattle Center in Lower Queen Anne. It has 110 employees, and a QFC news release says “60 of them are new to QFC – net new jobs.” ADDED 7:51 AM: Here’s the ribboncutting less than an hour ago:

Dozens of early-bird shoppers poured into the store afterward; we’ll have another report coming up with more video, including what Capco Plaza owner/developer Leon Capelouto – a longtime Junction entrepreneur – told us right after he went inside. (If you’re on Facebook, be sure to “friend” us at WS Blog – we’ve just added an “album” with all 20-plus stills we took inside the store before it opened.)

We asked QFC media liaison Kristin Maas if she’d share photos from inside the new Junction QFC, which opens with a 7 am ribbon-cutting tomorrow (public invited if you’re up that early and interested); she offered a few from the past week-plus of setup:

And here are the “gourmet cheese” and sushi areas:

What else is in the store (in Capco Plaza at 42nd/Alaska; map? Here’s the fact sheet listing it all – pizza, bakery, flowers – and noting that it’s about the same size as Westwood Village QFC. She also says there will be valet parking on the store’s “exclusive customer-parking deck” over the store (entrance is midblock on 42nd SW) 10 am-8 pm tomorrow through Sunday. We’ll be up bright and early tomorrow for a tour of the store before the ribboncutting so watch WSB, Twitter and Facebook for updates after 6 am.

ADDED 7:07 PM: A little more information about parking, from QFC’s Kristin Maas:

There are several areas to park for the complex (residential and retail), so there are signs around the building. Here’s the layout:

* QFC Customers Only Parking on the deck above the store – with easy access mid-block on 42nd. This will be the easiest access for our QFC customers, both for parking and for access to the store.

** And tomorrow, our Valet Parking will be available beginning at 7am for the ribbon cutting and then the rest of the week through Sunday it will be from 10am to 8pm.

* Two levels of underground parking located mid-block on 41st is for the loading dock, other retail customer parking, QFC customer overflow parking and residential parking.

Two days before the grand opening of the Junction QFC supermarket in Capco Plaza at 42nd/Alaska (map), the sign on its west side has just gone up – thanks to Brian from TouchTech Systems in The Junction for the photo. As noted here last week, the ribboncutting is set for 7 am Wednesday. We also have a footnote on our story about Westside Pharmacy closing as its owner and staff move to the new QFC store’s pharmacy – Westside (California/Brandon; map) has posted a sign saying its doors will close for good at 6:30 pm Tuesday, as they work to transition the prescriptions in time for the new pharmacy to open the next morning.

Today we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, AmazonFresh, the new grocery home-delivery service from Amazon.com. We offer new sponsors the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what AmazonFresh would like you to know: Since November 2007, 2,000 of your West Seattle neighbors have experienced the convenience of having all their perishable and non-perishable groceries delivered to their doorstep by AmazonFresh. Unlike other grocery delivery services, AmazonFresh was designed from scratch to take your busy life into account. Same day and next day delivery is standard. They can deliver before you wake up and you don’t need to be home to get delivery. If you want to be home (or your order contains alcohol), you can choose from dozens of 1-hour time slots. Delivery is available 7 days a week including Sundays. For doorstep deliveries, AmazonFresh leaves your groceries in secured, temperature-controlled totes. In addition to these convenience benefits, AmazonFresh has a great selection of local products including produce and dairy. You can even get many of your favorite Amazon.com books, video, baby, toy, and kitchen products delivered with your groceries. Need popcorn, movie, and popcorn maker for a Friday night? No problem. Last but not least, AmazonFresh has multiple ways to save including daily deals, bulk purchases, and automatic delivery discounts. Best of all, these discounts can be “nested” so that customers can take advantage of not 1 but 3 different discounts on the same item! By combining discounts, customers can save up to 70% on certain products. Give AmazonFresh a try today.

Thanks to AmazonFresh for sponsoring 24/7 independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news here on WSB – the full sponsor team is here, with info on how to become part of it! (Photo credit: JetCityOrange)

Till 6 pm, you’re invited to help PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) celebrate the 20th anniversary of their West Seattle store (California/Stevens; map). Outside, the Kid Picks van at left with fun stuff for the little ones, and free burgers getting grilled in the tent under the sign; inside, birthday cake and lemonade:

Free samples and cooking demos are happening inside the store too. Event schedule here (chocolate samples at 3 pm!).

In case you check in tonight but not in the morning: 1st, tomorrow’s the PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) West Seattle 20th anniversary party, 11 am-6 pm at the store (2749 California SW), food and fun, full lineup here (including specific times for cooking demonstrations and samples). 2nd, tomorrow’s the day announced for the annual “World Naked Bike Ride” through West Seattle – nothing new has been posted via Twitter or the WNBR site since the announcement that led to our report here, but we’ll see if anyone shows up at the Morgan Junction meetup point at noon, and will report whatever happens.

A few days ago, WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, who’s been chronicling the saga of The Swinery setting up shop in West Seattle, reported that its projected opening date has slid a bit (to September 21). The establishment itself (moving into 3207 California SW; map) continues to chronicle its progress at theswinery.blogspot.com, but one thing you won’t find there is the menu it’s planning to offer when it opens – for its meats and sandwiches. Here it is – note that it’s a draft, provided to us as a roughed-out Excel form which we’ve converted into a PDF. But it’ll give you a better idea of what they’re planning.