West Seattle, Washington
17 Friday
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli)
As proprietor Morgan Herzog (in the green shirt) promised, as of 11 am today, his brand-new Junction business The Beer Junction is open. The glassware in the foreground of the top photo is part of what he’s selling in addition to 640 different beers and more than 50 wines.
When we talked to Herzog for our story yesterday, he also mentioned other beverages including sake, mead, champagne and soda. Just back from the store (4707 42nd SW), Christopher Boffoli notes, “Customers may notice that they have blackout curtains up front and that the lights are out in all of the beer cases. The folks at The Beer Junction tell me that, much like the way beer bottles are usually a dark color of brown or green, the low light is to protect the quality of the beer.”
There’s more info about The Beer Junction’s hours in our Friday story. (Yes, they WILL be open tomorrow.)
Just got word from Beer Junction owner Morgan Herzog that his new store across from Jefferson Square (4707 42nd SW) opens tomorrow (Saturday) morning, 11 am. We brought you first word of the store-in-progress back in March.
4:58 PM UPDATE: Just spoke with Morgan to get full details on the merchandise and the hours as he opens – read on:Read More
(Swinery staffers photographed today by Christopher Boffoli: Head Butcher Joseph Brewer, Head Cook Garrett Doherty)
Another twist for the much-lauded West Seattle meat mecca The Swinery: Its founder, Gabriel Claycamp, announced via Facebook that he’s moved on, just one week after its “grand reopening.” He says he’s looking for work. But he also says he leaves it in “good hands” – it’s not closing. As we write, we’ve just heard from Christopher Boffoli, who has covered The Swinery extensively – he is there now and says this happened abruptly, adding that he’s been told the primary investor is at the bank now, changing ownership papers, and, “Employees here say the Swinery will continue and that this is a positive thing. Claycamp was not meeting payroll.” 4:05 PM UPDATE: Christopher has just spoken with Claycamp – read on for some of what he said:Read More
We haven’t yet formally welcomed one of our newest WSB sponsors – so, as is customary, today they get the chance to share information about their business with you: Bin 41, “your Junction wine shop.” Bin 41 co-proprietor T. Frick McNamara explains, “Jon and I are casual West Seattleites who just love wine. Our goal is to provide a welcoming, open atmosphere to discover. Based on a quote we once saw, we believe a meal or get-together without good wine and friends is like a day without sunshine. We want wine to be approachable and affordable so it can find a special place in everyday experiences.” She sees a parallel between this business and the work she has done as an urban designer: “I used to design socially sustainable places with a focus on community. Now we get to be a part firsthand in our community fabric. The most rewarding aspect of our new lives at bin 41 is meeting new faces from the community and getting to share and learn more about the world of wine with them. We love it when customers come back to provide feedback on the last bottle of wine we recommended to help us hand select wines to match their palate, their dinner menu or assist in finding the perfect gift item.” Their current community involvement includes being part of the West Seattle Junction Association and participating in the monthly West Seattle Art Walk (stop by to see them next time, July 8, night before West Seattle Summer Fest). And there are special occasions just about every week – with tastings at the shop – the schedule is here. Bin 41 is in The Junction at 4707 California SW, and online at bin41wine.com.
We thank bin 41 for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
A night for anniversary celebrations last night in The Junction – above left, that’s CAPERS‘ Lisa Myers with Lisa Barnes, toasting her store’s 25th anniversary. It’s gone through changes over the years – we’re still nostalgic for the pumpkin muffins! – but the end result is that it’s still alive and kicking – you can keep up with what’s new through the CAPERS website as well as Twitter. And across the street, it was anniversary night for one of West Seattle’s popular boutiques:
Note the champagne bottle – it’s the 7th anniversary for Sweetie and owner Joeanna Purdie, pictured with Karen Krupp and Heather Kirk Riley. Sweetie’s updates are online here, as well as on Facebook.
Volunteering can be fun! Jackie from Matson Navigation Company on Harbor Island e-mailed to share news of her office’s environmental-volunteer project – last night, a group of co-workers went to Alki to help stencil storm drains – and in the photo above, they were joined by a young helper they nicknamed the “Storm Drain Trooper.” Here’s a bucketless photo of the group:
Jackie says, “We couldn’t have chosen a nicer evening to be at the beach. The Alki community members were so friendly and thankful as we worked in their neighborhood to help fulfill the city’s goal to stencil every storm drain in Seattle with the ‘Dump No Waste, Drains to Lake, Stream, or Bay’ message.”
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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
If you walk the streets of certain other neighborhoods – oh, say, Capitol Hill – you’ll notice almost as many teahouses as coffee shops.
Not West Seattle. In fact, we’ve been without a teahouse since The T(ea) Gallery closed in Admiral in late 2007.
But tea lovers, rejoice – something new is brewing. Aimee Pellegrini, a member of La Rustica‘s founding family, is bringing the Tuscan Tea Room to The Junction – along with her thriving business Romanza Floral. She’s getting ready to move into a space in The Junction.
Longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction is celebrating three big remodeling-industry awards – and also getting ready for its next free monthly workshop (6 pm tomorrow at its offices between The Junction and Morgan Junction) – First, the awards. Ventana has won a Western Region Chrysalis Award and Master Builders Association Remodeling Excellence award for the West Seattle addition project shown above and at right, as well as another Remodeling Excellence award for a Mount Baker bathroom remodel. Architect for the West Seattle project was Sheri Newbold; for the Mount Baker project, Kim Goforth,
who partners with Ventana on their monthly workshops (and will be part of the one tomorrow night). “This was the first year they have entered the awards, and to take home top honors on the first attempt is impressive,” said Ken Kanline, Chrysalis Awards director. “We knew the home would be worthy of this kind of recognition when we first started. The focus on green building practices coupled with beautiful finishes and clients who brought unique talents to the project combined to create a really exceptional project, said Clarence and Anne Higuera, CGR, Ventana’s proprietors. Again, you can take advantage of their award-winning experience in a free workshop tomorrow night – info on remodeling and custom homebuilding, no obligation – RSVP by calling 206-932-3009.
(Future long-awaited West Seattle Trader Joe’s)
We’ve just spoken to Steve Huling, owner of the property that this morning has been confirmed as a new Trader Joe’s – the one we told you in late April was worth watching, after a notation appeared on the city DPD website – and he says he’s finally able to talk about the project, since the company this morning officially confirmed it: “Now that it’s out, I can finally start talking about it! They’re going to create a lot of new activity in the area. I think this is a great deal for the community.” First, here’s the news release from the company:
Trader Joe’s, a unique, neighborhood grocery store with foods and beverages from the exotic to the basic, has signed a lease to open a new West Seattle store located at 4545 Fauntleroy Way SW. The store is scheduled to open in 2011 and is approximately 14,200 square feet in size.
Trader Joe’s was originally named in recognition of its distinct grocery buying process, because they search the world for great values and distinctive products. Crew members (store employees) consider themselves “traders on the culinary seas.” Crewmembers sport brightly colored Hawaiian-themed shirts, adding to the light-hearted air of the store.
Many area residents after the store opens can expect to receive a copy of the Trader Joe’s “Fearless Flyer” in their mailboxes. The Fearless Flyer is a somewhat irreverent description of a timely selection of Trader Joe’s products. It’s been called a cross between Consumer Reports and Mad Magazine. Each edition highlights a selection of Trader Joe’s products that the company buyers believe are worthy of customer interest, including comfort foods and items that are organic or have other special attributes.
Trader Joe’s carries an extensive array of domestic and imported foods and beverages including fresh baked artisan breads, Arabica bean coffees, international frozen entrées, 100% juices, fresh crop nuts, deli items, and vitamins and supplements, as well as the basics, like milk and eggs – all at honest, low prices.
Trader Joe’s is truly a grocery store unlike any other. Trader Joe’s is a “store of stories,” meaning every item in the store has its own virtues — high quality ingredients, great flavor or simply an extraordinary price — many items often feature all of those qualities. Another significant point of difference, all of Trader Joe’s prices are everyday prices. Trader Joe’s doesn’t have “sales” for a few days, only to hike the prices back up again. Their prices change only when their costs change — there are no fancy promotions, discount cards or couponing wars.
So how does Trader Joe’s offer unique groceries at prices everyone can afford? By offering more than 1000 items under the Trader Joe’s private label, which includes Trader Darwin’s vitamins (For the Survival of the Fittest), Trader José’s salsas, Trader Giotto’s marinara sauces, in addition to specially purchased items.
Also, Trader Joe’s buys differently than other grocers – they purchase from manufacturers, not through distributors. They’ll take a brand name product, take out the preservatives and artificial colors and ingredients, and put it under their Trader Joe’s label to sell it at a real discount.
Trader Joe’s introduces approximately a dozen new items every week, heightening the store’s adventurous appeal. Our buyers travel around the world searching out unique products at great values. In order for an item to be sold in a Trader Joe’s store, it must pass the scrutiny of a discerning tasting panel. Thousands of items are tasted each year to find products that both appeal to the culinary adventurer and microwave aficionado.
Huling tells us it’s been tough to keep quiet until the company confirmed it publicly. He adds, “Since this has been announced, we’re hopeful there’ll be some additional activity in the area – I think this whole area (the Triangle) is getting ready to bust open. It’s nice, it’s a great community, and it’s nice to see all the growth and it sounds like it’s going to be done in a very respectful way.”
As for how soon construction will start – earlier this morning, we had spoken with Bryan Stevens at DPD. The construction permit has not yet been applied for – the “initial information collected” designation that remains on the DPD page means simply that conversations have been had, but no paperwork has been filed. ADDED 5:07 PM: This is the rendering provided by Trader Joe’s.
We spoke with the project architect before seeing it today and hope to speak with him again tomorrow to find out more about exactly where on the lot this is going, since the DPD notation was “minor exterior remodel,” and this would certainly go beyond that.
Two notes from West Seattle Nursery – First, today is the deadline to apply to be part of GreenLife at West Seattle Summer Fest, coming up in The Junction July 9-10-11. We first wrote about GreenLife last month; you can get an application form here. NOTE #2: If you’ll be out and about on Father’s Day afternoon this Sunday, how about beer and hot dogs at WS Nursery? They’ve just announced another Beerfest, with beer from White Center’s Big Al Brewing. 1-4 pm. Bring food donations for the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks.
Two notes from and about the Duwamish River industrial corridor tonight:
First – we dropped by the Lafarge of North America cement plant in eastern West Seattle this morning after getting word of its “Safety Day” expo. Workers browsed exhibits discussing safety advice and protective equipment. Several local businesses were there to talk about safety and health, too.
Second – expect to hear more about this next week, but we thought you’d be interested in the media advisory from City Council President Richard Conlin‘s office:
Seattle – The Seattle City Council will be briefed on a new eco-industrial district concept for industrial lands and the Duwamish River corridor.
WHO: Office of Economic Development, Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, Full council, and Andreas Koenig, EcoIndustry
WHEN: Monday, June 14, 2010, 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Seattle City Hall Council Chambers, 2nd floorThe Seattle industrial district along the Duwamish River valley and surrounding neighborhoods is one of the largest contiguous industrial areas in the U.S. With approximately 4,000 companies and 70,000 employees and its proximity to multimodal transportation options, this area continues to be a vital economic driver for our region.
The eco-industrial district concept helps industrial sectors and the neighborhoods in which they reside truly coexist, by preparing for future challenges, establishing sustainable development practices, allowing for efficiencies between companies and optimizing business performance and collaboration.
In addition to the full council briefing, Koenig will be part of a more detailed briefing before the Regional Development and Sustainability Committee on June 15, at 2:00 p.m. in Council Chambers.
After getting that advisory, we asked a followup – any geographical boundaries yet for this potential “eco-industrial district”? Rob Gala from the Conlin staff says, in short, no – so far, it’s just an idea, but they would love to hear what you think of it. We’ll have more on it next week, and you’ll also be able to watch these briefings via Seattle Channel if you can’t make it to City Hall.
They’re known best for the art of hairstyling – but tonight, Illusions Hair Design (longtime WSB sponsor) branched out, staying open a few hours extra to show and sell creations — including paintings and jewelry — from the Circle of Friends for Mental Health. Among those welcoming guests was Illusions proprietor Sue Lindblom, whose salon is celebrating its anniversary this month:
Circle of Friends offers classes in visual arts, music and writing to those dealing with mental illness – a category that the group says can include more than a fourth of all American adults in any given year. Visitors to Illusions tonight not only got to browse and view, they also were treated to live music:
The duo goes by Julia and Jack. Find out more about Circle of Friends by going here.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A distinctive label describes the event Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) will host tomorrow night to mark its 4th anniversary: Not a party, not a bash … but a prom.
“After four years, we’re graduating … we’re seniors now!” laughs Skylark proprietor Jessie Summa-Kusiak.
Four is a special number for another reason. That’s how many Skylark staffers have been with the music club/restaurant/bar since Day 1 – including the bar manager and kitchen manager, and bartender Cheryl, who is the model in many of Skylark’s ads.
Why the longevity? Here’s one unexpected reason …Read More
(Photo courtesy Shaw Dixon)
More baked goods, anyone? First, Heavenly Pastry – now, meet Baked In Seattle. If you visit The Junction during the next West Seattle Art Walk – Thursday, June 10th – Shaw Dixon invites you to come in and help her celebrate the “grand opening” of Baked In Seattle, sharing “bake space” with Blue Willow Catering and Luncheonette in The Junction (4310 SW Oregon), as well as, Shaw tells WSB, “selling products at the gorgeous luncheonette (and) wholesaling to small, natural groceries around Seattle such as Ken’s and Ralph’s.” Between 6 and 9 the evening of June 10th, you can stop in for free appetizers, wine as well as her specialties – mini-cheesecakes and fruit-filled crumble pie. This is Shaw’s second career – she worked for FedEx for more than a decade, but after a bout with thyroid cancer, she decided to go into business doing something she loved – and that turned out to be dessert-making!
Memorial Day is a time to remember those you’ve lost. The place in West Seattle where that happens every day is Dignity Memorial-Forest Lawn, the only full-service facility in West Seattle, with a chapel, crematorium, columbarium (above) and mausoleum, as well as a cemetery. We’re welcoming them today as the newest WSB sponsor. Forest Lawn can also make arrangements for other types of final tributes – they can 
even make arrangements with Argosy Cruises if you want to scatter a loved one’s ashes at sea. General Manager Dave Salove says Forest Lawn is a place to welcome people and engage them in the complete process of arranging an appropriate and memorable celebration of a loved one’s life. Their site stretches across both sides of the winding road between the High Point neighborhood and the West Duwamish Greenbelt (map); on the south side are the buildings, on the north side the sprawling open greenery of the cemetery, site to not only private moments, but also the annual community Easter Sunrise Service and Memorial Day Service 
(coming up at 2 pm this Monday, as usual in conjunction with American Legion Post 160).
Since Forest Lawn is part of a nationwide company, they also can help you with arrangements in other cities – just call them to see if they have a facility in the area where you need to have the funeral. Here at home, Forest Lawn belongs to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and Dave is on the West Seattle Food Bank board, the Southwest Precinct Advisory Council, and The Kenney Foundation. You can reach Dignity Memorial-Forest Lawn by phone at 206-932-0050, or online.
Weather permitting, they plan bagpipe music at 6 pm tonight and Saturday, as part of Memorial Day weekend. We thank Forest Lawn for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
That’s Heavenly Pastry‘s Allison Barnes with a basket of her already-legendary pretzels – which they sold at farmers’ markets, among other places, before opening their own retail store at 2604 California SW as of noon today (as previewed here). Again, it’s a “soft opening,” which means they’re not revved up to full production yet – but you will find scones and cookies today as well as those pretzels:
Allison says Heavenly Pastry will be open till 7 tonight, 10 am-7 pm tomorrow, 7 am-3 pm Sunday, then closed Mondays and Tuesdays – which will be their usual days off – before reopening 7 am-7 pm Wednesday.
First WSB’er JanS reported seeing it on a sign on the 2604 California SW storefront … then last night, it was announced on Facebook: Today’s the day Heavenly Pastry and Cake will open its doors. They’re between Alki Bike and Board and Linda’s Flowers and Gifts, and say they’ll be open noon-7 pm today. (Here’s our original preview story from last November.)
Lists courtesy of Square One Books
Looking for something to read, and/or wondering what’s hot? Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we bring you her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:
Hardcover:
1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. Operation Mincemeat by Ben Macintyre
3. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall
4. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
5. The Imperfectionists by Tom RachmanPaperback:
1. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
2. Carrier: Untangling the Danger in My DNA by Bonnie Rough
3. The Signal by Ron Carlson
4. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
5. Manhood For Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son by Michael ChabonChildren/Young Adult:
1. The Mysterious Benedict Society Series by Trenton Lee Stewart
2. The Stink Series by Megan McDonald
3. The 39 Clues #9/Storm Warning by Linda Sue park
4. Star Wars/A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler Seder
5. Mama, Is it Summer Yet? by Nikki McClureTeen:
1. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
4. Mistwood by Lean Cypess
5. Fang by James Patterson
Square One, by the way, has a cookbook sale under way right now, through next Tuesday (June 1st).
This afternoon, we’re welcoming one of the newest WSB sponsors, PB&J Textiles, currently in the middle of a moving sale – more on that in a minute. Here’s what they want you to know: PB&J Textiles began as an outlet for the creative side of us and in looking at interesting options for something to do other than a corporate job. We realized that sewing and embroidery wear was a great area for the two of us to focus on. 
Thus began PB&J Textiles. If you want to know, PB&J stands for Paul Binder (photo right) and Junior, with Junior being David Robertson. PB&J Textiles is West Seattle’s local custom embroidery shop. We are committed to working and living in West Seattle! Our philosophy is to service the small sized business with a high quality product at an affordable cost to the small business owner, or retail customer. Our goal is to make you the customer happy with our products. We also do work for individual customers. This could be family reunions, weddings, birthdays, the list is endless! Don’t think embroidery is expensive; in many cases it’s not expensive at all! We have more than 20,000 stock designs that are ready to go. In many cases, people will bring in drawings that are quite rough and we can turn that rough drawing into a great embroidered logo. Watch for our new products that we will be introducing in the near future! PB&J Textiles belongs to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the West Seattle Champions BNI group. If you don’t remember, we also have 2 shop cats, Dakota and Murphy (profiled on WSB a year ago), who always welcome a new face and set of hands to give them some attention. PB&J Textiles will be moving soon to a space adjacent to Skylark Café and Club (also a WSB sponsor) at the far northern end of Delridge, just before the West Seattle Bridge. In preparation for our upcoming move, we have significantly marked down most of our remaining stock! Till their moving date is finalized, find them at 5962 Fauntleroy Way SW (map), and online at pbjtextiles.com, or call 206-243-3053. (Note they’ll be closed next Friday-Monday, 5/28-5/31.)
We thank PB&J Textiles for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
We’d been watching for this one since Hollywood Video announced it would close some of its stores (including the adjacent Game Crazy locations) as part of its restructuring. Then, a couple WSB’ers e-mailed to point out that signs are now up at the Westwood Village location, as its “closing sale” is under way. So when is it actually closing? Store staff told us they don’t know. We tried calling the “media hotline” at corporate HQ, but it has a terse recording saying you can try leaving them a message, but “as a matter of company policy” they are not responding to most media inquiries. Moot point anyway, as the system then informed us we had TWO SECONDS to leave a message, and it made good on that threat. What do you do if you’re a customer? We found a variety of links on this corporate webpage – the most specific information (what’s being honored and what’s not) appears to be here. (You may recall, Hollywood Video used to have a Junction location, but that was closed in early 2007 and demolished shortly thereafter – on the site of Capco Plaza/QFC/Altamira.)
Today we’re welcoming another of our newest WSB sponsors, á vie massage. It’s WSB tradition to offer new sponsors the chance to tell you about their business. Jennifer Giuntini from á vie massage says she became a therapist because, “I like to say that life experience gently guided me to my purpose. I didn’t embrace the path of healing until after the sudden death of my father. My father was a chiropractor. In my eyes, he contributed to society in a big way. He helped heal people and improved their quality of life and I really admired him for that. As a result of his influence and teachings of natural medicine, I developed a strong appreciation for holistic healing and a profound understanding and respect for the human body. My view on life and my feelings about the world around me shifted after he passed away. It was a defining moment in my life; an awakening of spirit. I realized in the months following his death that I wasn’t fulfilled and that I wanted to contribute to society in a much bigger way. I wanted to follow in his footpath of healing people, so I enrolled in massage school.” About her work, Jennifer says: “My massage style integrates a variety of techniques that promote a greater sense of relaxation, healing and body awareness. I work with active and athletic individuals to help bring an end to the chronic health concerns or injuries they’ve been dealing with, so they can feel good again and continue with the activities they enjoy! I provide a massage that is specifically tailored to their needs in order to release muscular and fascial holding patterns and adhesions, thereby relieving pain and healing injury. I also have a growing specialty in belly massage for individuals struggling with chronic digestive issues.” You can read client testimonials at aviemassage.net. On the WSB Coupons page, you will find a “New Client Special” for á vie massage – $20 off your first visit. “á vie massage. The care you need. The results you want.” 2255 Harbor Avenue SW #205, 206-371-7115, aviemassage.net.
We thank á vie massage for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.
Less than two months after Tully’s Coffee vacated the storefront on the southeast corner of Fauntleroy/California, we know what’s moving in: Cellular World. A few WSB’ers had e-mailed saying they’d heard “a cellular store” but we hadn’t been able to confirm which one – until we heard from Gypsie, who saw the signs go up today. Cellular World already has a store in Jefferson Square; we just talked with its manager Carlos, who says it’s not yet settled whether that store will stay open after this one is up and running. Whatever happens with that, he says, the Morgan Junction store is scheduled to open July 1st.
A few more West Seattle volunteerism reports have come in since last weekend, to add to the ones we’d already spotlighted. First, Michele reports from northwest of The Junction:
Patty Blair organized a traffic circle cleanup party at 47th Ave SW and Dakota [map], Saturday, May 15th. 14 neighbors came together to pull weeds, pick up trash and dig up stumps. The traffic circle once knee high in grass looks beautiful. Michele Miller supplied coffee while Patty served homemade carrot muffins and chocolate chip cookies. Neighbors helping out were Barbara and George, Art, Bobbie, Erik and daughters Addy and Riley, Heidi, Lilith and daughter Nora, along with Sherry and daughter Yasmine, also Beth who came from Queen Anne . Many others drove by thanking us and shouting support . By the end of the day we made new friends with our neighbors, strengthened friendships and found a lot of earthworms and snails. Thanks also to the city who supplied gloves, bags and safety vests.
Photo above, Erik and daughter Addy (with others in the background); below, organizer Patty:
(What’s YOUR neighborhood up to? Share it with the rest of West Seattle!) Next – one more project from Rampathon. On Saturday, we showed you the one done that day in Highland Park by Potter Construction (WSB sponsor); turns out another West Seattle-based construction company, Weitzel Construction, had a Rampathon project too – Dave Weitzel shared this photo of the completed project in Magnolia:
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