West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
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.
Two and a half months after we first reported a medical-marijuana business was taking over the 35th/Roxbury ex-Payday Loans space, Northwest Patient Resource Center is open. WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz, who broke the original story, confirmed tonight that NPRC opened on Monday. It’s one of at least three medical-marijuana businesses in West Seattle (we get periodic reports there are a few other that keep a low-profile, but have yet to confirm any of those reports). Deanie talked with NPRC co-owner John Davis at the newly opened business; he says they are open 9-8 Mondays-Saturdays and 1-6 pm Sundays, and she reports that the proprietors “are quite thrilled they have been approved for credit cards.” As for the legal status of medical-marijuana businesses, they remains in that so-called “gray area” – examined by Deanie in this report earlier this month – with new state legislation looming next month that some say will make them clearly illegal – though a court challenge seeks to prevent that.
Till 7 pm, you can drop by the open house for The Grove/West Seattle Inn (36th/Alaska) and see the results – so far – of their makeover, firsthand. We’ve been chronicling it since it was announced in January by the new owners of what was Seattle West Inn and Suites, and before that, TraveLodge. They’re expecting their first guests this week, and showing off rooms for the first time, though they’re not all done yet.
The Grove will have 46 rooms, and ownership spokesperson Lynn Sweeney had told us during this sneak-peek tour last week that about half would be done for their reopening this week. Also on hand for tonight’s open house, manager Joey Disque:
The redo is all the way down to the rooms’ shell – new carpeting, window coverings, beds and other furniture, bathroom fixtures, kitchen fixtures (in the half dozen or so with kitchenettes), art, paint, even metal railings replacing what was plastic. More info’s on their website at grovewestseattle.com.
This afternoon, we welcome The West Seattle Fabric Company in the Admiral District as a new WSB sponsor. As per WSB tradition, new sponsors get to share information about what they do: The West Seattle Fabric Company is a shop with a fresh approach to sewing. We see ourselves as a creative sewing center where people of all skill levels and interests can find inspiration for any project. We carry cheerful, vibrant fabrics that are sometimes hard to find. Because we are a fabric boutique, we are constantly bringing in new fabrics, so there is always a reason to pop in and see us. Since opening the store 6 months ago, we have already expanded our space and significantly increased our inventory to better serve our community. We’ve created classes that help teach pattern reading, sewing projects, and we’ve just launched our first quilting series for beginners. 
Looking to the future, we want to bring in rotating craft supplies and projects for all ages and offer children’s sewing parties that would be perfect for birthday celebrations.
The West Seattle Fabric Company‘s Monica and Greg Skov were both raised in Spokane, but met in West Seattle where they now live with their daughter Olivia. In addition to being part of the community as business owners, they have become actively involved in melanoma and skin-cancer awareness. Greg and his twin brother Chris coordinate the annual Steve Casey Memorial Golf Tournament every August to raise money for melanoma awareness and research. In the future, Greg and Monica hope to establish the program “Casey’s Quilts,” which would donate quilts to people fighting melanoma in the Seattle area.
The West Seattle Fabric Company is at 2210 California SW, phone (206) 257-1083, online at westseattlefabriccompany.com and on Facebook here.
We thank The West Seattle Fabric Company 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.
MOLLY MOON TRUCK COMING TO ALKI: Another ice-cream truck is heading this way, according to a note from Diana @ Coastal Boutique – she e-mailed to announce that the Molly Moon’s truck will be outside their store 3-5 pm tomorrow, and varying times “every Friday in July.” (West Seattle is already being visited by the Parfait ice-cream truck on Saturdays, 11 am-2 pm, next to Marination Mobile at 35th/Graham.) Diana also says Coastal is having a trunk show tonight, 6-8 pm, with jewelry, drinks, and snacks.
SPEAKING OF SHOPPING: As evening draws closer, a reminder about the first West Seattle Junction “Shop Late Thursdays” night TONIGHT. The 19 participating stores are listed here; many are having specials/sales to celebrate, including longtime WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits, with a sale on Queen Bee handbags/wallets ONLY during the 6-9 pm “Shop Late” event tonight.
(4:55 pm view from the “live” construction-site webcam looking south at front of store)
As the new Admiral Safeway gets closer to completion, we have been checking with Sara Osborne from the project team to ask about any changes. August 12th remains the scheduled store-opening date, she tells WSB. The new commercial building on the northwest side of the site still has only one officially signed tenant, Umpqua Bank, but Osborne says, “There is considerable interest.”
Safeway also has a few community initiatives coming up: More than 20 West Seattle-area employees will join the playground-building party this Saturday (June 25) at Lafayette Elementary across the street from the new store. Osborne says, “Safeway will be providing refreshments and is also going to purchase a bench for the school’s Play It Forward fund.”
Safeway also plans to attend the West Seattle High School freshman orientation on August 31st, to “provide taste samples of nutritious lunch offerings for the students, as well as have an eScrip information booth.”
Last but not least, Osborne says, “We plan to host LEED tours right before the store opens. This means we will provide tours for interested groups who want to learn how a grocery store obtains LEED designation. If there are organized groups interested, please contact me at sara.osborne@safeway.com.”
The longest days of the year are here, and summer officially starts with the solstice on Tuesday. (Warmth is bound to follow.) So the West Seattle Junction Association is ready to launch Shop Late Thursdays this coming week, with participating stores staying open till 9 pm on Thursday nights, all summer long (not just the Thursday nights with extra fun like West Seattle Art Walk or Summer Fest Eve). Nineteen merchants are on the list already (and remember there’s a growing number of restaurants/lounges to enjoy while you’re there too). More info’s on The Junction’s website.
With center director Laurie Paul and regional manager Mahira Aleem beaming, and State Sen. Sharon Nelson helping, a handmade “ribbon” was cut this morning to officially dedicate West Seattle’s first Bright Horizons child-care center, the largest of three businesses on the ground floor of the new Link Apartments at 38th/Alaska in The Triangle. (BH and Link are WSB sponsors.) The center opened last month (here’s their photo gallery) and has been ramping up to get ready for this community celebration. One high-profile visitor, seen in our photo below with Sen. Nelson and center director Paul (who is a longtime West Seattleite, though till now she’d worked for BH in Bellevue), was West Seattle Chamber of Commerce CEO Patti Mullen:
Special guest stars today: The Not-Its, performing their bouncy “kindie rock” for some very enthusiastic young fans:
The Not-Its have a new album coming out in a little more than a week – Tuesday, June 28th – titled “Tag, You’re It.” Bright Horizons, meantime, is open Mondays-Fridays, and if you would like to find out more about their center, contact info can be found here. In addition to its extensive space on the north side of Link’s ground floor, it has outdoor playspace nearby, too.
About a block from where one former Huling Brothers Auto site is being transformed into West Seattle Trader Joe’s at 4545 Fauntleroy Way, another, as we’ve been reporting since January, is being remodeled to house Les Schwab Tires, at 38th/Alaska. We’ve long had a request out to the company for some information that city files didn’t reveal – such as, when are they expecting to open? Les Schwab had declined comment till all the permits were in, but today we have a few official details, directly from the company for the first time:
1. The new store will open in September. The final date is not yet determined.
2. The store will employ 10-12 people and additional employees will be hired based on the volume of business.
3. The store manager will be selected from an existing pool of Les Schwab employees, based on the company’s promote-from-within policy.
4. The retail space is 12,000 square feet with six service bays and there
will be an additional 4000 square foot basement that will be used for warehousing product inventories for customer tires, wheels, brakes, shocks and alignments.
As is the case with the TJ’s project, this one is neither demolishing nor constructing a building – an existing structure on the site is being remodeled.
(From left, photographed at Tram’s Salon, are Lan, Tram, and Mary)
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Tram’s Salon, which recently opened at 4110 California, just north of The Junction. New sponsors are offered a chance to tell you about themselves, and here’s what salon owner Tram wants you to know: She has been styling hair in West Seattle for about eight years. She says she opened her own salon because she believes being able to both work and live in West Seattle is a joy.
Tram’s Salon offers men’s, women’s, and children’s cuts, as well as coloring and perms. She also has a line of products that includes Paul Mitchell, Nioxin, and American Crew. Tram says that at her salon, she strives for perfection and believes everyone should get a great cut at a reasonable price.
Tram’s Salon welcomes walk-ins – here’s a map to the location – but you can also call in advance, 206-935-2970. The salon is open 9 am-9 pm, Mondays through Fridays, and 9 am-7 pm on the weekends.
We thank Tram’s Salon 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.
After months of extensive renovation work, West Seattle’s only motel – now known as The Grove, West Seattle Inn – is about to unveil its new look. Its owners have just announced an open house for 4 pm Monday, June 27th. They’re already taking reservations, too, for dates in July and beyond. We’ve been chronicling the transformation since the new ownership was announced in December; the motel has been closed since early April.
Today we welcome a new sponsor, HHL Insulation, owned by Humberto Hernandez-Lopez. New sponsors get the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what HHL wants you to know: They are West Seattle’s green insulation contractor. At HHL Insulation, Humberto stresses the importance of having a positive impact on the immediate environment. He says, 
“We get a lot of clients from just word of mouth around the street here. People here like to support local businesses and know the value in doing so. It supports our local economy and also has a positive impact on the environment. HHL Insulation also likes to give back to our community by offering superior customer service and also offering eco-friendly insulation materials. We are aware of the importance of our impact on the community and the environment. Choosing our company means you will get the service you deserve. We pay attention to every detail and make sure the customer is happy during the entire process. We know that we are coming into your home, and we respect your living space. We do our best to be efficient and get the job done on a timely matter so you can get back to your life and enjoy your newly insulated home.”
He also adds that he works to make sure the client stays informed before work has even begun: “From the first meeting where we give you the estimate to the end of the job, the customer is always informed as to what is going on. They appreciate that we take the time to show them the process and give them the different insulation options to choose from. All this is done to inform the customer and let them choose. We don’t push anything on them. Or try and sell something they don’t need, which is common practice in this business. We don’t believe in this way of doing business. We would rather have a company that is honest and takes pride in honesty and integrity. Customers usually seek us out because they know someone who has had a great experience with our company.” Humberto is also a member of a local soccer club, and he enjoys dining out in West Seattle. HHL Insulation offers online scheduling at hhl-insulation.com, or you can call 206-510-8800.
We thank HHL Insulation 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 West Seattle supermarkets with outdoor events this afternoon: Above, Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) is celebrating its 40th anniversary with special offerings all month, and today the Admiral store had a Cupcake Royale cupcake-sprinkling party. Checking it out while we were there, that’s Kent Sadow from Admiral toys/candy/retro store Max and Quinn’s Atomic Boys Shop-O-Rama, and the shop’s co-namesake, son Quinn. What else is on the MM anniversary calendar? Check out the Admiral schedule here.
Meantime, on to Morgan Junction:
West Seattle Thriftway is well into benefit-barbecue season, and Michele was grilling and grinning today as the store raised money for Pencil Me In For Kids. Miss today’s benefit-b-q? No worries, they’re doing it again (also for PMIFK, which helps students who need school supplies) NEXT Saturday, 11 am.
Today we welcome a new sponsor, Douglas Sutherland, who owns Sutherland Creative Landscape Design. Here’s what he wants you to know about his business: Douglas brings his skills as a graphic designer to each landscape project he takes on, as he says, “Unlike many designers today — I can actually draw, and I will create a custom, hand-drawn landscape design for you. I prefer to work with the contours of your yard and its existing trees and shrubs. 
As much as possible, I like to use what already exists on the property. By designing in this manner, I can keep the installation costs down. I find it amazing how the aesthetics of your yard can be improved just by manipulating what you already have.”
He adds that Sutherland Creative Landscape Design clients trust him and the passion he brings to his work: “My last client told me ‘I just love what you did with my ‘Plain Jane’ yard, I like coming home and just looking at it!’ I have seen it happen many times — once people see their ‘yards’ turned into gardens, they take more pride in them. They want to be in their garden more and tend to spend more time outdoors enjoying it. It gives them a good feeling when they see it from their windows, when they walk through it or relax in it. That investment is something they can enjoy now and something more tangible when they decide to sell their home, because a nice yard is the first thing a potential buyer sees.”
Douglas is a West Seattle resident and a student at South Seattle Community College. He’s a member of Plant Amnesty and the APLD, Association of Professional Landscape Designers. You can reach him through sutherlandcreative.net or at 206-550-5501.
We thank Sutherland Creative Landscape Design 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.
Five months after we first reported that Westwood Village Target would remodel and add a full in-store supermarket, the work is done and the shelves are stocked. Assistant store manager Shelby Palmer invited us over to take a look; she says this is the second day since the new fresh offerings – produce, meat, etc. – arrived, and stocking is continuing to ramp up, but it’ll all be complete by Sunday, which is the day they’ll celebrate the official grand opening. Produce is sold “by the unit” – notice the 24-cent bananas in the top photo. They’re carrying some local brands (Tim’s chips, for example) in both fresh and processed food, as well as Target house lines and other national brands. The dairy and other cooler cases now line almost the entire west end of the store, where electronics and hardware used to be, among other things.
This is one of hundreds of stores the company is remodeling to add supermarket sections. Shelby explained that Target has two levels of supermarket – this is the smaller, urban-style “P Fresh” model, not the “Super Target” you’d recognize from other regions, such as the Midwest. Meantime, Sunday’s grocery “grand opening” is fairly low key – no ribbon-cutting or other ceremony, but some giveaways are planned.
Two notes for West Seattle baked-goods fans:
BAKED. IN ADMIRAL: The custom-cake creators of Baked. are now “all moved in” at their new HQ, 2604 California SW, which they are sharing with Heavenly Pastry. (Neither business plans a retail storefront – Baked. makes custom-ordered cakes; Heavenly bakes wholesale.) We stopped by Wednesday afternoon to meet the Baked. proprietors; above, that’s Baked.’s Kristina Serfass, working on a batch of cake filling; below, that’s Natalie Vorpahl, working on the Mercer Island High School logo for a cake to celebrate that school’s state lacrosse championship:
Their website includes a “menu” link, where you’ll find a long list of potential flavors and ingredients, as well as a “seasonal menu” (one of the current options: mango coconut). Next bakery note:
ORIGINAL BAKERY TO CELEBRATE ‘DOUGHNUT DAY’: Tomorrow, Anna Alonzo tells us, is National Doughnut Day. And since she is with one of West Seattle’s most celebrated doughnut (and more) shops – The Original Bakery in Fauntleroy (9253 45th SW) – she ought to know. Anna tells WSB she’s planning to visit Southwest Community Center at 1 pm on Friday, “giving applesauce doughnuts and coffee to folks to celebrate.” A website update is in the works for the bakery – which has been building a following on Facebook (check out the onesies!) – and it might debut on Doughnut Day too.
Story and photos by Stephanie Chacharon
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Lora Clothier is getting ready to open her own business; but first, she has a championship to win.
She’s come a long way since taking up the game of volleyball at age 12. After playing ball for Eastern Washington University’s Division I program, Lora has continued to build her skills both on the court and in the sand. During the indoor season, she plays through USA Volleyball (USAV), one of the world’s leading organizations for the sport.
Today, Lora is flying to Dallas, where she’ll join other elite players for the 2011 USAV Open Championships. The tournament marks the end to her indoor-season involvement — when she returns home, she’ll switch focus to her beach game, which she says is her new favorite.
But it won’t be just beach volleyball that’s on her mind when she’s back home in West Seattle. Come mid-summer, Lora’s first entrepreneurial venture, BioJunction Sports Therapy, will open for business at Charlestown Center (on the NW corner of SW Charlestown and California SW).
The clinic will occupy the long-vacant ground-floor corner unit of the building, directly below West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor). Lora, an experienced physical therapist who specializes in outpatient orthopedic physical therapy, has big plans for the clinic. “I want to do it right,” she told WSB. “I love working with people, and I love making people better.”
Just a few days after the fence went up on the future West Seattle Trader Joe’s site – once the Huling Brothers Buick showroom – another former Huling-operated (though not owned) property just got a construction fence. This time, it’s the future home of Les Schwab Tires on the southwest corner of SW Alaska/38th SW. Thanks to Dan and Celeste for the tips this evening (just in time for us to grab a photo before nightfall).
We reported here two weeks ago that the permits had been granted for Les Schwab to start work on the site. As with the Trader Joe’s project less than a block north, this one will not involve structural demolition or new construction – more like, extensive remodeling. It’s been four months since we reported that Les Schwab was planning a West Seattle operation at this site; though we confirmed the project by viewing the city’s hard-copy file downtown, the company has not spoken publicly about it except to confirm to WSB they had applied for permits for “a West Seattle site.”
(Photos by Katie Meyer for WSB)
West Seattle Smoke Company is open for business in The Junction, albeit in “soft open” mode. Thanks to Brian Presser at TouchTech Systems in The Junction for the original tip late yesterday; WSB contributor Katie Meyer was finally able to confirm this afternoon that the store’s open for business. That’s owner Umar Kahn behind the counter, above. Katie reports that he decided to do a “soft open” with the store, he says, despite the cigars having been held up until next week when the tempered glass for the humidor cabinets near the front door arrives. (He joked that he and the other new business owners on that side of the block have all been able to commiserate with each other about contractor delays, licensing/permit turnaround times, etc.) Asked what the hours will be, Umar wrote down his initial plan for us and said that he’ll see how things go for a while and modify hours if need be to what the neighborhood seems to want: Monday-Thursday, 10 am-9 pm; Friday-Saturday, 10 am-10 pm; Sunday, 10 am-6 pm.
Once the tempered glass is installed in the cabinets up front, the custom humidity control can be put into place and the cabinets are expected to store more than 100 boxes of quality cigars from the Dominican Republic and Brazil, among other countries. The West Seattle Smoke Company website says they’ll have a grand opening concurrent with neighboring A Terrible Beauty, whose sign went up this week:
…but no opening date announced THERE yet.
Why leave town for Memorial Day weekend, when you can help two new businesses celebrate their grand openings on Saturday?
THE SNEAKERY: This new shoe store in The Junction is already open, as reported here two weeks ago, but this Saturday is the grand-opening celebration, according to a note from Sneakery owner Drea. She says they’ll be raffling off 50 pairs of shoes and offering 30 percent off socks during the festivities, 11 am-7 pm Saturday at 4736 California SW, followed by live music – an acoustic set by Troy and Mackenzie of the Young Evils at 7 pm.
CAIRDEAS WINERY TASTING ROOM: Also on Saturday, noon-5 pm, a new wine-tasting business opens in West Seattle: The tasting room for Cairdeas Winery will open in ActivSpace on Harbor Avenue SW. They’re waiving their tasting fee for the grand-opening weekend. Read all about it here.
Another new West Seattle business has set its opening date. We first told you in February about Spira Power Yoga coming to the former Herban Feast Catering storefront in the Admiral District (2332 California SW). Proprietor Dora Gyarmati (who provided the photo at right) explained at the time that she’s expanding here partly because of West Seattle’s “loving, relaxed vibe.” Dora sent word this week that her new studio will be open June 1st, with a grand-opening celebration on June 4th, featuring free classes that day, 9 am and 4 pm, as well as a party that night at 7:30 pm. She says: “Everyone is welcome to come in, check out the place, and meet the teachers. I will be serving snacks; it could be a perfect little time killer for the movie goers!” (Admiral Theater is across the street.) Dora adds that the business’s website at spirapoweryoga.com is now set up for online purchases.
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