(2023 photo courtesy West Seattle Arcade)

Above are Elyssa Cichy and Matt Cichy, photographed in 2023 as they were opening West Seattle Arcade on Alki. Flash forward to 2026, and they’re about to celebrate the third anniversary of opening what’s now the first of their two (with Gary’s Place nearby) arcades on Alki. Tomorrow (Tuesday), they’re inviting you over to celebrate at West Seattle Arcade, and you get the gift – buy 100 credits, get 20 free! And that’s not all, Elyssa told us: “As a thank you to the community who has supported us since we opened, we’ll be offering a great deal on Play Credits as well as some treats at the prize counter!” Hours tomorrow will be 10 am to 10 pm.

(Photo courtesy Northwest Fitness Project)

When Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor) announced its plan to move to The Admiral District, proprietor Frank Gross also said he already had a tenant for the old TRG site in Morgan Junction – NW Fitness Project, which we first heard from a year ago when they were considering a different West Seattle spot. Now they’re ready to open their doors at 6400 California SW and plan to do o with a 9 am-2 pm open house this Saturday (July 11). Part of the festivities, as announced by NWFP:

… Paying homage to Thunder Road Guitars, training team member and musical talent Camaira Metz takes the stage at 12 pm. Two free classes will anchor the Open house schedule, though only the 11 am session still has open spots so anyone hoping to sweat that morning should RSVP and book here before slots fill up. Plenty of chances to enter their raffle featuring prizes from LSKD, LMNT, Ascent Protein Powder, Lei & Mar, as well as 5 class packages and merch from NWFP..

The NWFP team has spent the past month building out the space by hand: restoring the original ceiling joists, upgrading the bathroom, and outfitting the floor with new equipment from Rogue and Perform Better. This Saturday, that work is open to the neighborhood, and the whole community is invited in.

West Seattle is led by co-owner and General Manager Jeremy Stewart, alongside Executive Trainer and Youth Athletic Director Steven Pust, and Peak Trainer and Physical Therapist Jacob Millsap. All three are also longtime West Seattle residents. …

NWFP also is sponsoring West Seattle Summer Fest and will have a booth at the festival.

Most of the chain businesses that West Seattle has in multiplicity involve food/drink. Now you can add to the list … paint. More than a decade after a built-from-scratch Sherwin-Williams store opened in Delridge, the paint chain has opened its second West Seattle store in the former Midas space at 4457 Fauntleroy. Thanks to Ian for the tip; though they had told us two months ago that they were aiming for a fall opening, things apparently moved faster.

The plan for the space has been in the works for more than two years; Midas closed there in 2019. The new store’s hours are 7 am-6 pm weekdays, 8 am-5 pm Saturdays, 10 am-4 pm Sundays.

Three West Seattle businesses are celebrating anniversaries:

CAPERS HOME: All month long, CAPERS (4525 California SW; WSB sponsor) has been holding their 41st anniversary sale, but there’s less than a week left in June, so this is your last call to get in and shop!

THE BEER JUNCTION TURNS 16: The Junction’s beer shop is celebrating its 16th anniversary this Friday (June 26) with a special anniversary beer, 16:03 To Yakima, a West Coast IPA brewed by Ravenna Brewing. On that day, TBJ will be open noon to 11 pm, at 4511 California SW, with the party starting at 5 pm.

TAILS TO ASTONISH TURNS 5: West Seattle’s only comic-book store will celebrate its fifth anniversary during the Fourth of July holiday weekend and has announced a big anniversary sale:

Join us for our 5th Anniversary!! A different sale each day!

Friday, July 3: select back issues are 60% off sticker price or if not priced just $1 each or 10 for $4!!
Saturday, July 4: select back issues are 70% off sticker price or if not priced just $1 each or 10 for $3!!
Sunday, July 5: select back issues are 80% off sticker price or if not priced just $1 each or 10 for $2.50!!!! Plus, all kids get 1 FREE book!

Tails to Astonish is at 5633 California SW.

While The Junction is losing one yoga studio, it’s gaining another. Yoga is part of what The Summerland offers, and founder Avian King says the studio is moving south to The Junction from its current North Admiral site:

Three months after a flood forced The Summerland to close its doors in Admiral, the studio has found a new home at 4411 California Ave SW in the heart of the West Seattle Junction.

What initially felt like a devastating setback revealed an incredible silver lining: the opportunity to move into a space twice the size of our original Admiral studio, filled with natural light, higher ceilings, and room to fully realize the vision I’ve had for The Summerland from the beginning.

A friend and fellow yoga studio owner reminded me, “You’ve got to risk it for the biscuit, baby.”

Turns out she was right.

We’re currently renovating a 1947 building just steps from the Farmers Market and across from the post office, preparing to welcome the community into Chapter 2.

For those unfamiliar, The Summerland is a modern yoga and wellness studio offering yoga, sound healing, Reiki, energy work, and ritual haircuts. Whether you’re stepping onto your mat, joining a sound bath, or sitting down for a haircut with intention, everything we do is designed to help people slow down, reconnect, and come back home to themselves. …

We’re planning an Open House weekend during West Seattle Summer Fest; details will be announced soon.

Our first class back will be Sunday Service — our weekly community gathering and anchor class — offered free to the community on Sunday, July 12 at 10:30 am.

By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

With their lease up this month, the owners of Junction Hot Yoga (4747 California Ave SW) are closing their business after 5 years in a building that’s been the location of yoga studios for more than 20 years and is part of a future redevelopment project that includes the building next door.

“Our landlords have been really good — transparent,” said studio co-owner Karen Weigelt. She explained that a below-market lease rate made the studio pencil out, while at the same time, the uncertainty of how soon, rven if the construction would start, made long-term planning a challenge. To keep their clientele in the loop, they announced the closure 6 months ago.

Though the redevelopment project has its major permits, it’s not expected to start any time soon. That’s what Husky Deli proprietor Jack Miller tells WSB. The project – a seven-story, 79-unit apartment building with ground-level commercial space, replacing the studio and the Sleepers space to its north – was billed as a new home for Husky. It went through much of the review process 2018-2020 and has a Master Use Permit good until 2030, a key step toward full permit approval. But development conditions remain unfavorable, Miller said, so don’t expect to see the studio closure followed by the arrival of construction equipment.

So the immediate future of the studio building – which Miller doesn’t own – is still unclear. Weigelt says she’s been told some “refurbishing” may be planned for the space, though property owners Westside Local LLC (governed by development company HB Management LLC) said “no comment” via Weigelt.

So what’s next for the Junction Hot Yoga teachers and the Weigelts? “None of our team is opening a studio nearby,” she says, though there is interest. “A couple of former teachers have been looking and would love to open something in West Seattle and my husband and I would be willing, but nothing seems to be working out. The good news is there are definitely, in my view, good-quality yoga offerings in West Seattle that are good alternatives. I hope the community will give those other businesses a try.”

As business winds down, the last days of classes are already scheduled. Weigelt and co-founder Audrey Benton will be teaching the final two classes on the 30th. “I really wanted to give an opportunity for people to come in. I think it’s nice for us both to be able to say goodbye to folks.”

10:30 AM: “Enter the House of Thunder!” That was the amplified invitation minutes before 10 am, after the ceremonial ribboncutting (shown above), for the customers lined up down the block to enter the new Admiral home of Thunder Road Guitars (2611 California SW; WSB sponsor).

Until 6 tonight, and again 10 am-6 pm tomorrow, the store is offering discounts and giveaways to celebrate, as detailed here. More photos later!

(PHOTOS FROM HERE ARE BY OLIVER HAMLIN FOR WEST SEATTLE BLOG UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED)

4:43 PM: As promised, more photos. First, the jubilation of the ribbon-cutting, which was hosted by (at right) Rachel Porter of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce; participants included, as he had told us during our sneak-peek visit, the family of TRG proprietor Frank Gross, plus Chad Beeler of co-housed The Bass Shop (WSB sponsor), and District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, among others:

Frank noted that TRG started as a home-based business in an apartment not far from the new location – with “five guitars and a website” – and “a dream” for His shoutouts included Will York, who runs TRG’s Portland outpost:

Chad talked about meeting Frank long ago, when he was in a different usic-focused business, and how years later they teamed up.

Now they’re both in a big new space that drew a big line of people excited to be the first to get in this morning:

(WSB photo by Tracy Record)

Among the early shoppers was Olivia, testing out a Novo guitar by playing “Crazy on You” by Heart.

Frank and Chad had told us the other day that they hope the new space’s proximity to schools will inspire more young musicians.

Again, the grand opening celebration continues on Sunday.

(WSB photo)

By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Westside Bicycle‘s shop on Harbor Avenue SW has been closed often in recent weeks, with a reader tipping us off to a sign on the door for any customers needing to pick up their bikes. Now the owners have confirmed to WSB that their West Seattle shop is permanently closed, and are thanking the community for their support over the last 10+ years.

Westside was opened by the owners of Woodinville Bicycle, which has itself been in business for 25 years. Founder Mike Rabas and Pete Clancy, who joined as a partner in Woodinville, opened the full-service bike shop at 3418 Harbor Avenue SW in 2015, selling bikes, parts and service. Aside from their core business, Westside was also regularly a part of bike-related events in the area. As recently as the end of April, the shop was listed as being open as a resource for the Emerald City Ride, which had a route that included the nearby West Seattle Bridge. The shop was also a regular participant in the annual Bike Everywhere Day in mid-May, doing bike checks and simple repairs for riders on that morning.

Reached via phone at Woodinville Bicycle today, owner Rabas said he so appreciates the way the West Seattle community came through for the shop while it was open. “Thank you for the support over the years.” He says the Harbor Avenue space still has a lease, and it’s a “possibility” that another business may take it over. Customer questions are being directed to the Woodinville shop.

UPDATE 6:20pm: We just received a statement from co-owner Pete Clancy:

After 18 years with WB and Westside operating for 11 , it’s time to say goodbye.

I was fortunate enough to witness a small slice of life through bicycles — and the many wonderful machines with one to four wheels that brought people together. I saw tears, pure joy, pride from parents watching their children ride, and kids looking up to their moms, dads, friends, and competitors. Thank you for allowing me to be a small part of those moments.

The bicycle is a beautiful thing. Quite frankly, it saved my life in many ways. Because of that, I always felt a responsibility to be a steward of the sport and to help create a shop where everyone felt welcome, regardless of who they were or what they rode. My hope was always that people would leave excited to go ride their bike.

This chapter is coming to an end, and Westside Bicycle is now permanently closed.

Sharing a business can be difficult. Some partnerships are harder than others. But despite the challenges, I remain grateful for the countless riders, families, friendships, and conversations that passed through the doors ove

Thank you to everyone who supported the shop, trusted us with your bikes, shared stories, brought in your children for their first rides, or simply stopped by to talk cycling and life. Those moments mattered more than you probably know.

The shop may be gone, but the rides, memories, and community will stay with me forever.

None of this would have ever happened without the dedicated work of all our employees.   Thank you.