West Seattle, Washington
11 Tuesday
The new year brings new owners and a new name for what had been IanFitness since 2015 at 5659 California SW. Trainer Amy Pessetto emailed to let us know it has new owners and a new name. It’s now West Seattle Fitness Studio, owned by Art and Elizabeth Lowe. Amy says, “All the current coaches are staying, which we are VERY EXCITED about. We all love West Seattle and the community we have at the studio and we’re excited for this new chapter. The gym is currently undergoing a big refresh, with new paint and equipment.” Here’s the flyer they’re giving to clients. The new website isn’t up yet but the schedule for the week ahead is here.
(WSB photos)
Ezell’s Famous Chicken CEO and co-founder Lewis Rudd is at the new Morgan Junction location today as they open their doors – briefly – for a community “sneak peek.”
It’s been almost a year since we broke the news of an early-stage filing for Ezell’s to move into what was then an AT&T store. Then last month, the signs went up. And now they’re almost ready to open – so they’re doing a trial run, selling food until about 4 pm today (or until they’re sold out).
That’s the West Seattle restaurant’s manager, Kristy – she and her team have some logistics to keep working on, so Ezell’s tells us that while the store may look ready to go, it won’t officially open for a few more weeks (no official date set yet).
Ezell’s is a 37-year-old Seattle-based company with 17 locations in Washington and Oregon – this one (southeast corner of California/Fauntleroy) will be its 18th. Here’s what they serve.
Thanks for the tips. Bed Beth & Beyond has just sent out promotional emails announcing that its Westwood Village store is closing and that a clearance sale is under way. We went over to the store to confirm the closure. Staff there says there’s no exact date set yet – the closing sale is actually being handled by a contracted firm and the timeline depends on how the clearance sale goes. The chain announced in summer of 2020 that it would close 200 stores within two years, We’re seeking more information from the company as well as from the center’s new management and will add anything more we find out. This is the first major Westwood Village closing since 24 Hour Fitness one year ago.
Another day of closures/schedule changes. We’re updating as info comes in – please let us know if you have something/someplace to add:
CLOSED/CANCELED
Facilities/services:
–West Seattle YMCA
–Senior Center of West Seattle
–West Seattle Food Bank
–All Seattle Public Library locations
–All Seattle Parks facilities
-City residential solid-waste pickup (here’s the current plan for tomorrow & beyond)
Businesses
Admiral Theater
Alki Bike and Board
Alki Mail & Dispatch
Cherry Consignment
C & P Coffee (closed for COVID exposure)
Illusions Hair Design
Grillbird
Head To Toe Day Spa
McDonald’s (Admiral and Morgan Junction, per readers)
Paper Boat Booksellers
Pecos Pit BBQ
Rambo Total Pest Control
OPEN BUT WITH CHANGES
Facilities/services:
City-run COVID testing site at Nino Cantu SW Athletic Complex opens at 10:30 am
West Seattle Golf Course (“snow activities” and walking allowed, but no golfing)
Businesses
Bakery Nouveau (10 am-3 pm)
HomeStreet Bank (closing at 4)
Metropolitan Market (closing at 8)
The Birdhouse (open until 1 pm)
West Seattle Animal Hospital (open until 4:30 pm)
Youngstown Coffee (10 am-2 pm)
If you have info to add, westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(Photo by James Borrow, taken from Alki Point)
Still snowy out there, so we have another day of closures/schedule changes. We’ll be adding as announcements are made – thanks to everyone who’s shared info:
CLOSED/CANCELED
Facilities/services:
Senior Center of West Seattle
West Seattle Food Bank
City residential solid-waste pickup (here’s the current plan for tomorrow & beyond)
Seattle Public Library‘s Delridge, West Seattle (Admiral) branches
Businesses
Alki Beach Pub (broken pipe)
Illusions Hair Design
Head To Toe Day Spa
Rambo Total Pest Control
OPEN BUT WITH CHANGES
Facilities/services:
West Seattle YMCA (9 am-4 pm)
City-run COVID testing site at Nino Cantu SW Athletic Complex opens at 10:30 am
Seattle Public Library‘s High Point (11 am-6 pm), Southwest (noon-6 pm) branches
West Seattle Golf Course (no golfing but “snow activities” and walking OK)
Other Seattle Parks changes
Businesses
Youngstown Coffee (10 am-2 pm)
HeartBeet Café (9 am-2 pm)
The Birdhouse (open until 1 pm)
Alki Mail & Dispatch (open until 5 pm)
If you have info to add, westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
You would think this snowy weather would make it a memorable week for Mountain to Sound Outfitters, a West Seattle business that specializes in part in snow gear. But instead, for proprietor Greg Whittaker, it’s memorable in a bad way.
His shop at 3602 SW Alaska was broken into early today for the third time in a week. We heard about it from a reader who was passing by early this morning and saw SFD on the scene cleaning up broken glass. We then obtained the police report and followed up with Whittaker. The police-report narrative says officers arrived to find what the photo above shows, as well as a “large amount of ski equipment lying on the ground outside of the business along with several display hangers.” An audible alarm was sounding. The burglar(s) were gone; SFD was called for help “to secure the damaged door.”
When we contacted Whittaker by email, he said this was the third burglary this week at the shop, and added: “This is completely disheartening. We buy the gear to help West Seattle enjoy the winter and now key items are gone from our store. Keep an eye out for kids’ jackets, skateboards, sunglasses, gloves, goggles. I’d like to ask the community to keep watch in our block, as it seems like they are getting bolder.” If you have any information, the SPD incident number is 21-340896.
Though the major snowfall is over for now, getting around remains icy/dicey, and subfreezing temperatures persist, so some facilities/businesses have closures/cancellations again today. We’ll be updating this list throughout the day as we get announcements/info (got an addition or update? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302) – here’s what we have so far:
CLOSED TODAY (MONDAY, DECEMBER 27) – FACILITIES/ORGANIZATIONS
Senior Center of West Seattle
West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA
West Seattle Food Bank
Delridge, Admiral libraries
Seattle Parks community centers, pools
West Seattle Golf Course (no golfing but you can sled or walk)
CLOSED TODAY (MONDAY, DECEMBER 27) – BUSINESSES
Bakery Nouveau
Cupcake Royale
Good Day Donuts
Head to Toe Day Spa (also Tuesday)
Illusions Hair Design
Itto’s Tapas
HeartBeet Café
Marination Ma Kai
Mission Cantina
Mode Music Studios
Patrick’s Café and Bakery
Pecos Pit
Skylark Café
Southgate Roller Rink
Starbucks shops (except Westwood Village)
The Birdhouse
Three 9 Lounge
Walgreens 35th pharmacy (though rest of store is open)
Youngstown Coffee
CHANGED/CANCELED TODAY
No residential solid-waste pickup – every collection day this week will be delayed a day
COVID testing site on SW Thistle opening at 10:30
OPEN BUT CLOSING EARLY
Circa open for lunch, closing at 4
Need to know what’s open in West Seattle on Christmas? For easier access, we’ve now created calendar pages for the Christmas info lists that were previously only on our Holiday Guide page. They are:
*Restaurants/bars open Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day – here
*Coffee shops open Christmas Day – here
*Grocery stores’ closing times Christmas Eve (and hours for the ones that are open Christmas Day) – here
If you’re looking for churches with Christmas Eve/Day services, the ones we’ve heard from are still in the Holiday Guide, as is other info, including our list of spotlighted Christmas-lights displays, plus some last-minute local-shopping hours for Christmas Eve. Got anything to add (or change)? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
One more reminder that it’s not too late to let us know about retailers and food/drink businesses’ hours on Christmas Eve/Day. All the info we have compiled so far – including the complete grocery-store hours list for Friday/Saturday – is toward the end of our West Seattle Holiday Guide page (which has a list of church services, too). We’re still checking around today for additions before cross-referencing it all on our Event Calendar too; if you can help by providing info, please email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Lots of questions this weekend about who’s open for Christmas Eve/Day dining. As we’ve replied, we used to make that list early, and then found out on the holiday that establishments had changed their plans since we checked. So we’re working on the list now. If you run a restaurant or coffee shop, please take a moment and let us know your plans – westseattleblog@gmail.com. What we have so far is in the CHRISTMAS EVE/DAY section of our West Seattle Holiday Guide. Also, we’re featuring last-minute shopping hours for local businesses in the SHOPPING SPOTLIGHTS section – thanks to those who’ve already sent their info – we’ll add whoever else we hear from, same email address! Christmas Eve hours in particular, but we’ll also note special days/times in the next four days, too.
Thanks to Noelle for the tip! Seven months have passed since we first reported that an Xfinity (Comcast) store was planned for the heart of Westwood Village, and the company has finally put “coming soon” signage in the windows. After we noticed the early permit filings in May, a company spokesperson confirmed this would be one of their “standard retail stores.” We’ll be checking again on a projected opening date. Meantime, as we also reported in May, that section of WWV is still planned for a Pet Supplies Plus store – permits continue proceeding through the system.
Also at WWV, something new-but-not-entirely-new has resurfaced – America’s Best Contacts and Eyeglasses, which we noted was pursuing a space in that central building 2 1/2 years ago, now has permit filings for the “E” building to the west – in the space currently occupied by Chico’s, according to the site-plan document (we’ll be checking with that company tomorrow – that space hadn’t even been publicly listed for lease).
(Historic photo courtesy Lynn Sweeney)
Finally an answer to the question of where Alki Lumber will move when its West Seattle Triangle site is redeveloped: South Park. The Sweeney family, which has owned the lumberyard for a century, has sold the business to South Park-based Marine Lumber. We talked late today with Lynn Sweeney, after learning via a tip that Alki Lumber was notifying customers about the change. The Sweeneys have been looking for a new site for the lumberyard for two years, after deciding to redevelop its current site and some of their other properties; the two-building megaproject has just finished going through Design Review (as covered here and here). She says they were focusing on South Park as a likely new home when, independent of their search, Marine Lumber reached out to them. After discussions, Sweeney said, “we just decided to combine” – something, she said, has been happening a lot in their industry. The deal closed this week.
Here’s what it means in the near future: Alki Lumber will continue operating at its current West Seattle location, with the same staff, under the same name, until it’s time to clear out (which is not imminent, given the time required for permits and other preparations). We’ll be following up with Marine Lumber about their future plans – this news came too late in the day to do that immediately. Sweeney says all this is “exciting” but also, for her family, “bittersweet.” Alki Lumber was founded by her great-grandfather James A. Sweeney in 1921. The family maintains ownership of the land, so for now, they’ll remain the lumberyard’s “landlord,” as Sweeney put it. It’s been almost three years since the Sweeneys announced they were studying “alternatives” for their property’s future.)
(West Seattle branch manager Ginger Wasylik with Santa)
With Christmas Eve one week away, Santa will soon have to focus on preps back up at the North Pole, so today is one of your last chances for photo ops. Until 6 pm, he’s at HomeStreet Bank in The Junction (4022 SW Alaska; WSB sponsor), all welcome to stop by for DIY pics – and cookies.
Bring a nonperishable-food donation for the West Seattle Food Bank if you can! (See the rest of Santa’s pre-Christmas schedule in our West Seattle Holiday Guide.)
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor – locally owned Duke’s Seafood at Alki Beach. Here’s their message for you:
People often ask, why come to Duke’s Seafood over any other seafood restaurant in town and our answer is simple, because we know where nearly every ingredient in our food come from. Most restaurants can’t say that, but why should you care?
Partners and father/son, Duke Moscrip (right) and John Moscrip (left), and our Executive Chef, Wild Bill Ranniger, personally source the ingredients in the food we serve – yes, really – and it is local when possible, sustainable, free of harmful chemicals and preservatives, and gluten-free when possible.
Why do we go to this extreme? “Decades ago, I started going to Alaska and I actually fished with the fishermen, not just tour a processing plant. I actually wanted to know how they caught the fish, what they did after they caught them, like did they take care of them, bleed this fish, ice the fish, and keep them cold all the way through the processing. I found out that not every fisherman does it right. So, we only buy from the people who handle the fish the way that we want and to our strict standards, and as a result, we get the most incredible fish,” says Duke Moscrip.
“That’s when I started my quest to only buy from trusted suppliers who understood the proper way to care for fish. I didn’t know it back then, but the standards we set back then are now the industry standards for all quality commercial fishing. True story!,” he adds. “There I was, just one guy who only wanted one thing: great-tasting fish, only to end up setting the standard for the industry.”
We did not stop at fish. We go to the produce fields, the chicken farms, the wineries, even to our exclusive Bourbon supplier, Woodford Reserve. Everything we serve must meet our strict standards to be good enough for Duke’s Seafood or it doesn’t make it onto your plate – ever! Plus, every dish is so flavorful because of the ingredients and the special recipes we developed for Duke’s Seafood.
“I dream about food,” says Duke. He describes flavorful dishes made of crazy combinations: blueberries with goat cheese on grilled salmon, or tarragon and citrus in a salad, or hazelnut syrup, melted butter, and halibut encrusted with crushed macadamia nuts. “In fact, sometimes I drive my Executive Chef, Wild Bill, crazy by sending new dishes back again and again until we get it right. We spend hours and hours in the kitchen together perfecting every recipe.”
“’Wild’ Bill Ranniger is the executive chef; an amazing guy. “He puts up with all my crazy ideas. For the past 23 years, he’s made stuff happen in our kitchens. He’s inventive and creative and we get along so well from a creative standpoint as well as being good friends. But he produces amazing food,” says Duke.
Duke’s Seafood is offering a very special deal through January 22, 2022: Spend $50 and get $10 off your meal. Spend $100 and get $20 off your meal. Reserve today at www.dukesseafood.com.
We thank Duke’s Seafood for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
That’s Mark Bouma of Lake Washington Physical Therapy (1309 Harbor Avenue SW; WSB sponsor) “crabwalking.” Mark explains that it’s part of their holiday-season fundraiser to help foster kids – and you can be part of it:
We have about 3 weeks left of our Holiday Fundraiser supporting Treehouse for Kids!
We are part of a group of small businesses called the Puget Sound Health and Fitness Coalition, joining forces to raise money for foster kids. So far we have raised over $5,000, but there is still time left to donate!
This link will allow visitors to donate securely online: engage.treehouseforkids.org/fundraiser/3573656
The community can donate online or in the clinic. If they donate over $20 in the clinic, they can ask any one of our team members to perform some FUN physical tasks from the list!
The clinic is right across from Don Armeni Boat Ramp.
With snowy Cascades scenes like the ones we just grabbed from the WSDOT webcams at Snoqualmie and Stevens Passes, skiers and snowboarders are probably making plans to head up as soon as they can.
So Alki Bike and Board (2606 California SW; WSB sponsor) just sent word that they “have a full tune area for snowboards & skis” and this is a great time to come in and get yours ready. They’re promising “quick turnaround” for a tuneup and hot wax. Just drop in – they’re open until 6 pm – or call 206-938-3322.
Four months after we first reported that Addy’s Pet Shop was on the way to 11th/Henderson, it’s about to open. We stopped by as proprietor David Leischner worked to get everything set up this weekend.
When we spoke with him in August, he had hoped to open the shop in October, but as often happens with new businesses, things took longer than planned, including dealing with the city (if only there was a checklist for new businesses, he laments). But now everything is just about ready to go, and the shop will open Tuesday (December 14th), not too late to get in some holiday shopping (that’s an Advent calendar for dogs he’s holding in our photo above). And Addy’s is stocked with a wide variety of food – chilled/frozen, too.
Mostly for dogs and cats, although Leischner added some chicken feed at a friend’s request. Lots of non-edible merchandise, too, from dog jackets to cat towers:
Getting the store set up has involved a lot more than stocking it – heating, lighting, flooring – and then there are the routines to get used to – like answering the phone with the business name rather than “hello”!
Addy’s (named for the family pup) is just blocks from Westcrest Park, home to West Seattle’s only off-leash park, so he’s had lots of visitors peering in – “nonstop dogs,” in particular – and has been heartened to see “the neighborhood cheering me on.” Addy’s Pet Shop will be open Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 am-7 pm, starting this week. (Online shopping will be available soon too – the shop’s website isn’t live yet.)
The return of the West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) Christmas Light Run brought out dozens of runners defying the rain tonight. Not a competition – just a few-miles-long fun run to admire decorated homes. First, a group photo:
WSR’s Lori McConnell and Tim McConnell skipped it last year because of the pandemic but like many West Seattle holiday traditions, this one – which dates back to 2009! – returned for 2021.
If you missed it – here’s the route, courtesy of WSR.
P.S. If you’re already pondering the new year’s fitness goals, WSR is again presenting its free Get Fit West Seattle couch-to-half-marathon program starting in January. And you can find out more at an info night this Wednesday (December 15th), 7 pm at the shop (2743 California SW).
2:37 PM: When we reported three weeks ago on opening day for Trees By The Sea (2530 Alki SW), they expected to be open through next weekend – but things have gone so well, they sent word they’re ending the season early:
Today is our last day. We had a fantastic season and are close to selling out. We will be there all today and then we are done. We are so thankful to the West Seattle community for coming down and supporting us all of these years and thank everyone for our best season yet! See you all next year!
-Daniel, Tiffany, and Torsten
Trees By The Sea
Shipwreck Apiaries
Scheduled closing time is 8 pm, while the trees last! Other local tree sellers are listed in our West Seattle Holiday Guide.
4:24 PM: Tiffany tells us they’ll only be there “until 5:30 or 6,” so if you’re thinking of going, hurry!
Thanks to Sarah for sending the photo and tip:
That’s Amanda Cox, who just opened Rarities at 9422 Delridge Way SW (“a few doors down from Fresh Flours” is how Sarah described the location). The grand-opening announcement explains that the shop is a “showroom full of fine furniture: Antique, mid-century modern, and contemporary. Also featuring jewelry, fine art, unique art objects, and oddities.” The grand-opening celebration continues tomorrow (Sunday, December 12th), noon-6 pm; regular hours will be Wednesdays through Sundays, noon-6 pm. No website yet but if you have questions, call 206-694-9597.
(Photo courtesy By and By)
Since we first reported in September on the plan for a skate shop in the ex-Verizon space on the Senior Center of West Seattle‘s ground floor, the name’s been chosen – By and By – and today we have word it’s about to open. Here’s the update from proprietor Tony Croghan, who also owns 35th North on Capitol Hill:
We have been in a mad rush to get the new shop open in order to try and catch some holiday shopping. As I am sure you are aware, getting inventory has been a bit of a challenge in retail but we think we got enough to open up the doors!
(Photo from By and By – some of the local-flavor merch)
We are opening this Saturday 12/11 at 11 am. We have art showing from well-known local artist and designer Sasha Barr. Our hours will be Tuesdays-Saturdays 11 am-7 pm, Sundays 10 am-4 pm, closed on Mondays.
The only thing missing is roller skates, looks like we will not be stocking those until the spring, unfortunately.
We look forward to being a part of the greater West Seattle neighborhood.
The shop’s address is 4502 California SW.
(Image courtesy Shug’s Soda Fountain)
Baked Alaska on California! That’s part of what Shug’s Soda Fountain is offering in an upcoming pop-up at its future West Seattle “Mini” location (California/Charlestown). December 18-21st, noon-4 pm each day, Colleen Wilkie of Shug’s says, “We will be offering Baked Alaskas, holiday ice cream & drink gift boxes, and pints of Candy Cane and Egg Nog ice cream. People can also pre-order (preferable) all these items at this link.” They’ve done various pop-ups at the corner, but after three years have yet to open full-time, so we asked Wilkie if that was still in their future plans. She says yes: “We are working more diligently now to open this Spring. Between having a baby, permitting, and the pandemic – we certainly have been in an uphill battle. We are remaining hopeful!”
(WSB photos)
More than two tons of donated food arrived at the West Seattle Food Bank today, all from the annual food drive by Nucor Steel employees in West Seattle.
This year’s donations totaled 4.300 pounds in all, delivered to WSFB’s High Point HQ this morning with truck/trailer assistance from Tacoma Hydraulics.
Along with the food, Nucor and its employees donated $20,237 – which will go a long way toward helping WSFB buy even more food to help fight hunger.
You can donate to WSFB too – along with money, we asked executive director Fran Yeatts about this year’s most-needed items.
Here’s the list:
-Hams and turkeys for the holidays
-Diapers, including pull-ups for toddlers
-Food with a long shelf life, such as peanut butter and soup
-Snacks for the Backpack Program
-Gluten-free food
-Plant milks including oat and almond
-Cat and dog food, preferably wet; the need for cat food is greatest
Hours and location are on the WSFB website. Also – lots of food drives around the peninsula this holiday season – even a student-led drive-up collection this Saturday!
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