West Seattle, Washington
24 Saturday
Scone fans! We just got word from West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy; WSB sponsor) that the Fisher Scone Wagon is visiting right now:
West Seattle Thriftway has the Fisher Scone Wagon in our parking lot until 4 pm today! We’re kicking off our annual Local Taste celebration with one of the most iconic local tastes there is. Folks can buy a freshly baked scone or strawberry shortcake.
If you’re new to the region … Fisher Scones are best known from the annual State Fair in Puyallup.
3:20 PM: Though the store told us 4 pm, a reader who went to check it out says 3 pm, so if you’re just seeing this now, you may have missed it. However, it’ll be visiting McLendon Hardware in White Center 9:30 am-3 pm one week from today (Wednesday, July 24), not far!
4:14 PM: Thanks for the tips. The list is out today of stores that would be divested if Kroger and Albertsons go through with their mega-merger, and it includes three West Seattle supermarkets: Admiral Safeway and both QFCs (Westwood Village and West Seattle Junction). The three grocery stores are among 124 in Washington – and 400+ more in other states – that would become property of C&S Wholesale Grocers if the megamerger goes through, meaning an ownership change, not closure. Besides federal review, legal challenges to the merger are still in play.
4:33 PM: The QFC stores’ involvement is not a surprise, as C&S was named last September as the potential new owner of the QFC brand name if the merger won approval. No specific store list, however, had been made public until now.
West Seattle goes wild for wine. So six local venues are pouring their creativity and creations into the first-ever West Seattle Wine Weekend – you won’t need to rush between them in the span of just a few hours; you’ll have three days to get to all six, as announced:
Join us Friday, August 2nd – Sunday, August 4th for our first-ever West Seattle Wine Weekend! West Seattle’s wine community continues to grow and we’re ready to showcase all it has to offer with an incredible weekend full of wine, friends, and community. Your ticket includes 4 tasting pours at each participating location (see below), 10% off all bottle sales, and more exciting offers!
Visit each location at your own pace over the course of the weekend (within each of their hours of operation) to be entered into a chance to win a bottle from each (over a $250 value)!
Participating Locations:
Darby Winery
Viscon Cellars
Pine Lake Cellars
Welcome Road Winery
Itto’s Vino
Sebastiano’s Natural Wines
The venues’ hours are listed on the webpage where you can buy your $50 ticket(s), while they last (West Seattle wine events tend to sell out)!
Three notes about West Seattle businesses:
HOSTE TURNS ONE: The Admiral District shop at 2332 California SW is about to celebrate its first anniversary, and is inviting you to the party. This Saturday – July 13 – from 11 am-7 pm, stop in and congratulate them. Special extras that day:
SourBaby Bakery is bringing cake (with gf options!) from when we open till sold out. Then Frankie + Jo’s will be scooping ice cream 4-7 and BB’s Bottle Barn pouring wine + beer and a house cocktail from 3 pm till closing.
We have a super-special gift with purchase over $200 featuring a bunch of our favorite things! (Monastery, Flamingo Estate etc.) Limited supply so come on down to snag one! Contents worth over $150!
Proprietor Lana Bear opened her shop in July 2023, billing it as “vintage and modern goods for all.”
HEGGE CHEVRON CHANGES: We’ve received multiple tips about changes afoot at the longtime family-owned service station on the northeast corner of 35th and Holden. Today, Doug emailed after calling them about an oil change and finding out the station has shut down its service department because it’s in the process of being sold. We went over to inquire, and they confirmed that they’re still selling fuel but no longer offering services due to the sale process. The Hegge family has continued to own the station for the 14 years since the sudden death in 2010 of owner-operator Mark Hegge.
HOMESTREET BANK TEAMS WITH MENASHE & SONS JEWELERS: Every month, HomeStreet Bank‘s West Seattle branch (4022 SW Alaska; WSB sponsor) showcases a local business. Last month and this month, it’s Menashe & Sons Jewelers:
Every month the showcase business participates in a prize drawing – our photo is from Jack Menashe‘s visit to the branch to help draw the first monthly winner, with the assistance of HomeStreet team member Sharon (wearing a crown because they were celebrating her birthday that day). If you stop by the branch this month, you can put in an entry for the net drawing!
(Photo courtesy Charcuterie by Annalise)
Annalise Johnson has set the grand-opening date for the new Morgan Junction storefront of her business, Charcuterie by Annalise. She’s been remodeling 6032 California SW (next to Alki Arts, in the former Youngstown/HeartBeet space), and a ribboncutting is planned for 11:30 am Saturday, July 27, followed by an open house. Annalise’s business isn’t new – it’s been a mobile business for three years, with what she describes as “beautiful and delicious custom charcuterie spreads for every occasion.” With the new storefront, she’ll expand to “a unique food experience destination for the community, with scrumptious charcuterie boxes and charcuterie sandwiches for lunch pickup as well as curated gift baskets, cheese tastings, educational demos, and collaborations with other local woman-owned small businesses.” She’ll also use the back of the space as her prep kitchen for catering orders, which can be picked up there too. Her hours for what she describes overall as an “edible art food experience” will be 11 am-6 pm Wednesdays through Sundays.
Thanks to Teri for the photo. As noted in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and today’s highlight list, former longtime West Seattle Nursery employee Linda Hornberg has written a book “for children of all ages,” and she’s at the nursery until 3 pm signing and reading from “Picture a Garden“ – all welcome to stop by! The nursery is at California/Brandon.
12:10 PM: While awaiting the next major step toward Sound Transit‘s West Seattle light-rail extension, the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement – due sometime this summer – businesses in the project’s path continue their awareness/support campaign. We just got this announcement this morning:
Rally For Relocation
Rally in Support of West Seattle Businesses Facing Relocation
July 11th | 4 pm-7 pm
At Ounces Taproom & Beer Garden and Skylark CaféJoin us for a rally in support of Ounces, Skylark, Mode, Alki Beach Academy, West Seattle Health Club & 60+ local businesses facing relocation as a result of light rail to our community. This rally is NOT about light rail, but instead about supporting those local businesses that face relocation as a result –– to ensure that they get the funding and assistance needed to successfully reopen their businesses in a new location should light rail be approved in the near future. Bring your family, friends & neighbors to stand with these businesses! Together, let’s walk Skylark to Delridge Deli Mart (and back) – all in support of local business! Then stick around for food, beer & community at Ounces & Skylark!
Skylark and Ounces are both on the west side of the 3800 block of Delridge Way SW. Meantime, we’re checking back with Sound Transit to see if there’s any new information on the FEIS timetable; after it’s released, the next step would be for the ST Board to take a final vote on routing and station locations. Construction is currently projected to start in 2027, with the line opening toward the end of 2032.
1:23 PM: ST’s Rachelle Cunningham replied to our inquiries, saying the FEIS release is “getting close, but there isn’t a publication date yet.” Also – a separate community group had said that ST Board Chair and King County Executive Dow Constantine was championing their request for a community forum for West Seattle; Cunningham says about that, “The team is working on scheduling some upcoming engagement, but there aren’t any specifics to share yet.”
Two and a half months after we first reported that city permit files indicated Total Wine & More would move into Westwood Village‘s ex-Staples space, the shopping center’s owners have finally confirmed it – by adding it to the official WWV map.
(We check the map daily, as it’s been the only way the center “announces” new additions; this status change for the 2501 SW Trenton space is new today.) Still no sign on the exterior of the building at the center’s northeast corner, though.
We’ve renewed our inquiry with Total Wine to ask about timeline. This will be the chain’s third store in Seattle city limits, after Interbay and Northgate.
As the Sound Transit Board‘s decision on a West Seattle light-rail route draws closer, residents and businesses in its potential path continue looking ahead to what will happen when – and before – construction begins. The official Sound Transit timeline says that’s expected in 2027 – but even before the final route vote, it’s already been talking to some of those potentially affected. And some of the businesses in that category say that the relocation assistance for which they’re likely eligible is not nearly enough to cover the costs of finding and moving to a new site. So they just launched a new awareness and public-support-seeking campaign to ask Sound Transit for more, with an online petition drive and website.
We got first word of this from one of the businesses on the site that’s expected to hold the Delridge station, Ounces, the taproom/beer garden/community-events hub which has been at 3809 Delridge Way SW for almost eight years. We talked with co-proprietor Laurel Trujillo via email; she explains, “Relocation assistance in the financial form and transparency to the community is the big push here. Businesses don’t feel like the community is fully informed of which businesses will be forced to relocate and also on the details around the relocation assistance that is and isn’t provided.” They’ve already talked repeatedly with decisionmakers, she adds: “The sentiment from many of the businesses is that we’ve all had many meetings and discussions with the Sound Transit team, the Mayor, City Council, King County Council and so far nothing has resulted in any hint of a different outcome beyond the $50k max, plus moving costs in Relocation Assistance, nor has any consideration been given to our modification requests for shifts in route design. Because of this, our hope is that the collective voices of businesses and community members can help to ensure that the West Seattle businesses the community knows and loves are able to continue to thrive alongside light rail.”
The website has a rough list of potentially affected businesses, from the north end of Delridge to the proposed Avalon station site in the 35th/Fauntleroy vicinity to the proposed Junction station site at and around Jefferson Square. There’s also an extensive FAQ page which addresses these questions:
Do you support Light Rail to West Seattle?
Where can I see the route and businesses impacted?
Can’t these businesses and light rail exist together?
Don’t you get money to move?
How much do you get to relocate?
Is your relocation guaranteed?
Haven’t you known this was coming?
Can’t light rail just fly over you? Or go under you?
Do you have a choice?
Does Sound Transit cover 100% of your relocation costs?
When does this happen?
So you are just stuck waiting until Sound Transit buys your property?
Is the plan final yet?
Are you provided access to funding via grants or loans to help subsidize costs not provided?
Are you paid for your time/effort to relocate?
Have you started a go fund me?
Have you started to look for a new location yet?
Who makes the final decision to displace businesses?
How can I help?
What are the personal costs for business owners?
Many business owners invested life savings to start their business? Are you reimbursed for this?
Why might some businesses not survive?
On the FAQ page, you can click on any of those questions to see how it is answered. The campaign insists it’s not anti-light rail – the answer to the first FAQ is: “Yes! We support the value and access light rail will bring to our community. We just want to exist with it!”
WHAT’S NEXT: Sometime this summer, Sound Transit says, it will publish the Final Environmental Impact Statement; at some point at least one month (a mandatory period) later, the board will make final routing decisions. And for the businesses, they say they’re waiting in the dark. Trujillo says, “The outstanding question for all of us, is how much EXACTLY will ST cover. This is part of the issue –– many of us can only estimate, because we have to wait until our property is acquired before we can start working with an ST Relocation Agent and go through the exercise to actually know.”
Thanks to Karl at Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) for sending the photo. On Saturday, Potter Construction again participated in the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties‘ annual Rampathon, during which volunteer labor and donated materials result in access ramps for residents in need. This year, Laurie at Potter Construction tells us, the recipients are “a local West Seattle retired couple, in need of a permanent ramp due to mobility issues.” The builders’ association takes applications from prospective ramp recipients each winter. Potter has been participating since the early 2000s.
Thanks to Alison for the tip! Last year, the boba-and-more tea chain Happy Lemon opened a shop at Westwood Village (in the spot long held by Vatsana’s Thai Restaurant). 15 months later, they are opening another West Seattle shop, according to signage that just went up in the windows at 2718 Alki Avenue SW. That space has been vacant for six years, since Alki Cleaners ended its 19-year run. It’s had at least two preliminary plans since then – in 2021, a potential market, and last year, early-stage documents in city files suggested a pet store. Neither of those advanced, and now the Happy Lemon signage has turned up (no permit applications yet, though, but the new location is listed in the city business-license database). We have an inquiry out to Happy Lemon requesting details. The Happy Lemon website shows 20 Puget Sound-area locations already, from Lynnwood to Olympia.
While out on an errand last night, we noticed a change at 5633 California SW, former home of Seattle Yarn (which moved to Admiral) – this is now the new home of West Seattle’s only comic-book store, Tails to Astonish. The shop opened three years ago at the south end of The Junction in a storefront set back from the street, where burglars struck multiple times; the new space has more visibility and, the proprietors tell us, “about twice as much space compared to the old store.” They’re open and almost done with moving everything; if you want to stop in for a look, Tails to Astonish is open until 7 pm.
Good deals for a good cause – that’s what you’ll find the next two days at the Discovery Shop in the West Seattle Junction. The shop is a nonprofit operation, raising money for the American Cancer Society. For the next two days – Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8 – everything in the store will be half-price. Manager Patricia Bolton says this is a very important sale for the shop, and it happens just twice a year. The shop will be open both days 10 am to 4:30 pm, at 4535 California SW.
The West Seattle Glass Float Hunt started in 2022 and this will be its third year. This year, it’s open to any business that buys at least one of the locally crafted floats to offer as part of the scavenger hunt. Here’s the announcement organizers asked us to share:
Who’s ready for a West Seattle scavenger hunt? Back by popular demand and now in its third year, the 2024 West Seattle Glass Float Hunt kicks off on August 1, 2024 and will be held during the first two weeks of that month.
This year’s event will be bigger than ever, as all West Seattle businesses are invited to participate and hide multiple floats. The West Seattle Junction Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce invite everyone to search for glass floats hidden throughout West Seattle, both inside beloved local businesses and outdoors. The West Seattle Glass Float Hunt brings joy to the community and helps promote the businesses who are the backbone of our neighborhood. Last year, the float finders reported spending thousands of dollars in West Seattle by staying to shop and dine. Local businesses reported a jump in new visitors and clients, and one even sold out of a promotional item during the Float Hunt.
Each 2024 glass float is individually hand blown by Avalon Glassworks in stunning, swirling greens to represent the water surrounding beautiful West Seattle. Each 4-inch sphere is stamped with a heart and “WS” on the sealing bottom. Float hunters should look high and low for beautiful glass balls peeking out through the mesh of a knotted net bag. Each float will be labeled so the finder can register it via the West Seattle Junction Instagram account and tag the business sponsor where the float was found. This helps congratulate the finders and celebrate our businesses!
West Seattle businesses can join the fun by ordering their floats today! The last day to purchase is July 4, 2024.
The prices for businesses are $100 for one float, $180 for two, $240 for three.
A new business is getting ready for its grand opening in North Delridge – a new community makerspace called Solder and Bubblegum, “a place where people of all ages can attend workshops and clubs to learn more about electronics, video game development, cosplay and all sorts of other nerdy stuff.” Solder an Bubblegum’s Jason Sturgeon explains that their new space in West Seattle Corporate Center (4025 Delridge Way SW, Suite 140) will have scheduled classes as well as open time – before and after the classes to start with, and “dedicated project hours” by year’s end. They’re planning a Grand Opening event on June 22 to “allow people to interact with some activities that represent the work we’re planning to do, check out the Makerspace in its current form, and ask questions about the space and plans for the community.” Jason explains, “Makerspaces are known as great places to find equipment that might be difficult to otherwise access and some level of technical support to help use them. We’re working to provide both of these things, as well as a strong community that centers around thoughtful classes, clubs, and workshops.” They’ll be offering memberships, with fees “structured to provide multiple levels of access to the space, including a lower-cost option accessible to most folks, and higher tiers for folks looking to help grow and expand the capability of the space for community benefit (as well as to help provide support for lower income folks).” Classes will be open to non-members too. All in all, Jason says, “The vision of Solder and Bubblegum is to be something truly different and unique.” Set your calendar for noon-4 pm Saturday, June 22 to visit and find out more.
Good news for fans of Miso (Chef Korea) at 1513 SW Holden in Highland Park – the restaurant has reopened, and changed its hours. Two weeks ago, there were concerns it was gone for good when a sign reading SORRY CLOSED DOWN appeared on the door along with a city-issued water-shutoff warning. Then two days later, a new sign declared the closure “temporary,” and a social-media message said “see you in (a) few days,” explaining they were “temporarily closed for renovations.” So we’ve been watching, and confirmed today that Miso has reopened. We asked what they’d renovated, and the person behind the counter said they’d changed their mind about renovations. They did change their hours a bit – they’re now open 11 am to 9 pm, Mondays-Saturdays, closed Sundays.
People were lined up waiting to be the first customers for Daiso‘s new Westwood Village store when it opened its doors at 9 this morning. It was an exciting day for the staff, too:
Never been to a Daiso store? Inside, you’ll find generally inexpensive items both practical and fun:
The new store is in the combined space previously occupied by two businesses – Fresh Vitamins (which closed six years ago) and SportClips (which closed last year).
Four quick biznotes:
DAISO’S OPENING WEEKEND: You might see some commotion at Westwood Village tomorrow morning – the good kind. It’s opening weekend for the long-anticipated Daiso store, starting at 9 am Saturday and 10 am Sunday, with incentives for the first 100 people to spend $30, as noted on the door signage, so lines are likely. We first reported last July that Daiso was on the way.
KNEIGHBORHOOD KNIVES: Back in April, traditional whetstone-using knife sharpener Genevieve brought her Kneighborhood Knives sharpening business to Hotwire Coffee (4410 California SW), and she told us it was her most successful pop-up ever. So she’s coming back Monday (June 3), 8 am-3 pm. Just show up with your knife/knives, and she’ll sharpen them, $10 each.
HOMESTREET BANK X M & M BALLOONS: Every month, HomeStreet Bank-West Seattle (41st/Alaska; WSB sponsor) spotlights a local business or nonprofit. This month, it’s been M & M Balloon Company, whose co-proprietor Susan Lindsay visited the branch Thursday:
She’s pictured above with HomeStreet’s Andrew Tento. As happens each month, branch visitors can enter a free drawing for a prize from the spotlighted business, so Susan chose the winning ticket for a balloon arrangement.
NEW WELLNESS SPA: One of West Seattle’s newest small businesses emailed us to announce they’re open. Emma Hetnar has opened the private wellness spa Revitalize in Highland Park. She explains, “After overcoming my own battle with chronic illness, I was inspired to create a space where others could come to relax and heal, using the same equipment that I used in my personal healing journey. These treatments have played a pivotal role in my own healing and I am passionate about sharing their transformative benefits with others.” They’re explained on the Revitalize website, which is also where you’ll find information on contacting the spa for appointments.
(Photo courtesy Cascadia Fresh Market)
Three weeks after opening at 5444 Delridge Way SW, neighborhood food store Cascadia Fresh Market is expanding its hours! Here’s the announcement we just received from co-proprietor Jill Moore, including a reminder/clarification about the store’s “Free Fridge“:
We have decided to simplify/expand our hours to be open EVERY DAY from 10 am – 7 pm at Cascadia Fresh Market.
It’s a big ask to get people to change their current shopping habits and instead decide to utilize our neighborhood market. To make it as easy as possible to figure us into any routine, we are expanding our hours to 10 am – 7 pm every single day.
I also want to remind Delridgians about our “Free Fridge,” sponsored by the West Seattle Food Bank. Note that aim of the Free Fridge is to make sure no good food is wasted – therefore, the free items are for everyone who eats food. We believe it’s our community responsibility to use food well, and taking a free banana (with some brown spots) and a green pepper (with perhaps some shoulder withering) is an act of climate heroism as well as a perfectly legitimate way to feed yourself. Many people do not think to use the free refrigerator because they kindly want to save the food for those with higher food-support needs. While that is a lovely thought, we want you to know there is enough food to discard that worry instead of the food. The Fresh Market always generates new refrigerator inputs (nature is on its own schedule). If the free refrigerator were being consistently emptied by folks, we would bring additional food for donation from our Auburn warehouse – similar to the way we filled Carrot Man’s Carrot Stand during the pandemic. There is enough affordable food to buy enthusiastically at the market, AND to take for free from the Free Fridge anytime you see something useful for your meal. The Free Fridge is for everyone, and utilizing it keeps the food fresher for all.
In addition to fresh, affordable food – and many other items too, as shown in our story from its first week – the Cascadia Fresh Market plan includes support for local schools. Its proprietors – who own Cascadia Produce – are committed to at least a four-month trial period so they’re hoping you’ll come shop and prove the need for a permanent place in Delridge to buy good food.
Two more window signs of note:
TOP POT DOUGHNUTS: When we reported a month-plus ago that Top Pot Doughnuts was returning to West Seattle, we noted that sources had told us the location would be the ex-Wildflour/Flying Apron spot at 4709 California SW. Thanks to Anne for the tip that proof has appeared in the windows today:
Our photographer talked to Top Pot employees working in the space today and they said they’re hoping to be open “in a couple months.” A company spokesperson told us by email “summer.”
PEARLS: We noticed this sign, and empty windows otherwise, while passing Pearls (4800 Delridge Way SW), and stopped for a closer look:
No further info so far. We’ve added it to our watch list for future reopening.
Longtime WSB sponsor Fitness Together West Seattle in The Junction is now offering small-group training classes, and a deal:
Fitness Together is now offering Small Group Training Classes! Our groups will be capped at 6 people so you get a personalized experience while still enjoying the community support and camaraderie. To sign up for a free trial class, click HERE.
After the free class, FTWS is offering a 10 percent discount. They recently expanded its studio space (4546 California SW), as we reported earlier this year.
Almost two years after the parent company of Origins Cannabis bought the commercial building at 4822 California SW, they’re almost ready to move in. When Than Brothers Pho closed there in July 2022, we reported on the new ownership, but they hadn’t announced plans for relocating from 4800 40th SW (long set for redevelopment). Now after months of renovations, the sign is up at the new location and a mural has been painted on the north side of the building. Origins tells us, “We are on target to move to our new West Seattle location in July. We wanted to move to a space that would allow for a more open and interactive shopping experience for our adult-use consumers.”
The mural is by artist Glynn Rosenberg: “We were excited to collaborate with Glynn to help beautifully maintain the old-school charm of the Junction.” This will be Origins’ third location since opening in West Seattle in 2016; it was originally at 15th/Roxbury before moving to 40th SW.
Story and photos/video by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
No matter how busy you are, set time aside to celebrate your hard work and success.
That advice was offered by the guest speaker at today’s Westside Awards breakfast, at which West Seattle Chamber of Commerce members and other attendees did exactly that – celebrating the four award recipients the Chamber had announced three weeks ago.
Each year, the Chamber invites community nominations for the four categories – Business of the Year, Emerging Business of the Year, Not-for-Profit of the Year, and Westsider of the Year – before choosing winners. All winners were at this morning’s celebration at The Hall at Fauntleroy – here’s what they had to say:
Business of the Year – Alki Beach Academy
10 years after founding their still-growing child-care business in North Delridge, Julieann Donohue and James Donohue said the award was “very unexpected, given some of the issues we’re dealing with right now” (a reference to the possibility they’ll have to move because of light-rail routing). They talked about Alki Beach Academy’s inclusion of special-needs kids, rooted in their decision to start the business because their own child, living with autism, was having challenges in a traditional school setting. Here’s everything they told the attendees:
Emerging Business of the Year – Southpaw Barber Shop
Co-proprietors Tommy Andrade and Jeff Chou accepted the award, and Andrade noted that the shop will celebrate its first anniversary this weekend. He explained he had left a tech career to answer the call to be a barber and help the community – “service first, community first” is the business philosophy. Here’s his speech:
Not-for-Profit of the Year – A Cleaner Alki
Erik Bell, who founded the growing organization that leads cleanups far beyond Alki, told his story of starting with cleanups while taking walks with his brother and broadening into a communitywide organization – with an invitation to anyone and everyone to get involved. Here’s everything he said:
Westsider of the Year – Madison Middle School teacher Mike Kreiger
This is a “community champion” type of award; Kreiger is a teacher and coach at Madison, involved with programs including eighth-graders mentoring newly arrived sixth-graders. Here’s his brief and energetic speech of gratitude:
Chamber executive director Rachel Porter, presiding over the first Westside Awards since she started the job nine months ago, congratulated all the winners and nominees for “dedication and excellence that makes West Seattle tick”:
Before the presentations, emcee Brian Callanan sat down for a conversation with guest speaker Fred Rivera, executive vice president of the Seattle Mariners.
Their far-ranging conversation included a discussion of inspiring your workforce by taking time to celebrate – for example, Rivera said, the Mariners have “First Place Fridays” – every Friday that the team is in first place, they celebrate with treats. Other advice included being aware of how people are using your product; the M’s, for example, are aware more and more people are seeing games in small chunks rather than the full three hours. Here’s their entire conversation:
Kreiger’s words bear repeating – they apply to all ages, even if you’re not an educator or parent: “No one remembers what you taught them, but they remember how you made them feel.” It’s likely that most on hand felt inspired, to say the least, as they headed out into the morning shortly thereafter.
All the past Westside Awards winners are listed here.
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