While at Chief Sealth High School for the Honor Choir/Mariachi Tamale Dinner last night, we noticed that sign on a courtyard window. The Wednesday activity reminded us of the passion with which restoration workers describe the need to get invasives up and out of our forests, yards, fields, anywhere you see them. (Here’s a list and photos of what to look for.) Meantime, we also have an update from West Seattle Thriftway regarding their big Earth Day plan: Not only will the store bag everything in reusable tote bags (while they last) – and no plastic for the day at all (aside from the health-code-required produce and meat/freezer bags), even if you insist you don’t want a tote bag – but the Movin’ 92.5 “Ladies Room” team will have a contest in the Thriftway parking lot, noon-1:30 pm, giving away a three-wheeled ECO Car. Michelle from Thriftway explains, “These cars are still in preproduction … so the winner will be able to customize the car to their liking…interior, color etc. There will be a model of the car on-site. They have a pre-determined list of contestants [from an ongoing contest], but will be choosing a handful of on-site individuals to participate (maybe 10-15). It will be a mix of some ECO trivia and sort of a ‘Supermarket Sweep’ type game to incorporate our store into the challenge.” Here’s a video of the DJs’ test drive of the three-wheeled car:
Found that on their site’s page with more info, here. Thriftway’s Earth Day page is here.
After more than two years, the “Auto Buff Is Moving” banner is finally about to come down at 42nd/Admiral – because the building’s getting a facelift, with someone new moving in: Eric Renn talked to WSB today about his new “athletic gym,” taking over the long-vacant former Auto Buff space. Our discussion also reveals a bit about the future of the corner in general – previously slated for a mixed-use development with a “grocery store” once rumored to be the ever-elusive Trader Joe’s – read on to find out more:Read More
One day after Tax Deadline Day, the merchants of the West Seattle Junction Association have just announced a plan to free you from (sales) taxes for a day – the “Junction Rebellion.” Tax-free shopping – in other words, the store pays the tax, not you – with other discounts and promotions, are planned for participating merchants (see the poster) on Saturday, April 25th.
3:46 PM UPDATE: After some commenters asked whether this was tied to yesterday’s “tea party” protests around the country, WSJA’s Susan Melrose asked us to share this message:
The purpose of this promotion was to generate shopping in The Junction for the benefit of our retail members in this trying economy. It was in no way intended to be construed as a political statement, and the timing was inadvertent and unfortunate for our intention (we planned this 2 weeks ago). One of the Junction Association’s core values is to support community and the true intention behind this promotion is nothing more than to have a fun shopping day in The Junction, enjoy living local, and have merchants pick up the tab on sales tax. Sorry for overcomplicating a simple neighborhood sale! To contact me directly: susan@wsjunction.org
It’s Tax Day; we’ve had a lot of crime reports (and more in the works); so let’s take a moment for a quick respite: After we started profiling West Seattle’s “shop cats” (meet Swiftyhere, Presta and Schraderhere, and Sethhere), we got a few notes about local “shop dogs.” First, there was Cooper; now, meet Adie, the mascot for C & P Coffee, where proprietor Cameron says, “We love all our pals who come to visit, although the official line is service dogs only. Adie comes to work with us every day, but she still won’t drink coffee.” More “mascots” to come!
(The Stonehedge Tree Experts team: From left, Matt Kuebler, Jim LeBlanc, Lincoln Erbeck and owner Mark Harman)
Today we welcome a new sponsor – Stonehedge Tree Experts. Stonehedge is West Seattle’s oldest tree-care company. Its owner Mark Harman says his business is built on repeat customers who appreciate the care and attention to detail that his crew brings to each and every job. He says the comments he gets about his crew usually include the words “careful,” “efficient,” and “clean.” Mark says he thinks that this care and attention are why he’s been able to build so many long-term relationships with customers. Mark is a member of the International Society of Arboriculture and Plant Amnesty. He has three ISA Certified Arborists on the crew who are members of the Pacific Northwest chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. Mark is a West Seattle native – his family lived in Fauntleroy when he was born and that’s where he grew up; he currently resides in Gatewood. He’s also a member of the Fauntleroy Community Association. You can reach Stonehedge Tree Experts at 937-7428 or at their website, stonehedgetree.com.
Thanks to Stonehedge Tree Experts for choosing to grow their business while supporting 24/7 community news/information/discussion by sponsoring WSB; our full sponsor lineup, and info on how to become part of it, is on our Advertise! page.
This is the first of the current wave of Junction megaprojects to be finished — just one month from now, residents will start moving in, and its storefronts will start to open. Today, as WSB welcomes Mural Apartments (4727 42nd SW; map; ) as a sponsor, we have photos and information to bring you from a tour we joined last Friday, even as crews put the finishing touches on residential and retail – you are welcome to book a tour too (935-0676). Here’s a sneak peek inside one of the model units they’re showing now:
Read on to see what else we saw, and found out, including new information about Mural‘s ground-floor businesses:Read More
It’s been one year and five days since we first told you about Coffee at the Heights, the espresso shop that the proprietors of PB&J Textiles have been working on at their shop’s former location in Sunrise Heights (7349 35th SW; here’s a map). As is often the case for new food/drink establishments in particular, it’s been a bit of a bumpy road, but they are finally on the verge of opening – here’s the latest from proprietors Paul and David:
We are ready for our final inspections. Tuesday is plumbing and electrical, and if there are no issues then we can schedule the final health inspection. Once that passes, we are open. Our grand opening will start May 1 and run for 30 days with all of our drawings on May 31st! … Grand prize winner is a coffee drink for a day for a year!
In the meantime, Paul and David are looking for artists who might want to show their work in the new shop – they would love to hear from you ASAP – their number at PB&J Textiles is 206-243-3053.
So far in our series profiling “shop cats” who are fixtures at local businesses, you’ve met Seth at West Seattle Nursery (story here) and Presta and Schrader at Aaron’s Bicycle Repair (story here). Today we head to the southernmost edge of West Seattle for our next “Shop Cat”: Swifty, “the cat who purrs like an engine.”
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Introducing Swifty — whose name exemplifies irony.
Swifty spent 9/10ths of our interview in her big, soft bed on the counter at Roxbury Complete Auto Supply (map). When co-owner Bill Crawford finally picked her up and placed her at the other end of the store, she meandered the aisles for a bit, then went right back to her big, soft bed on the counter.
We’ve introduced you to three West Seattle “Shop Cats” so far — Seth at West Seattle Nursery (story here) and Presta and Schrader at Aaron’s Bicycle Repair (story here). Along the way, a few people have asked if we plan to highlight “Shop Dogs” too – we’d planned to wait till the “Shop Cats” ran their course, but then Rock Steele sent us the photo above, and this caption:
This is Baron with his person Scott Goerig – owner of Redline Music and Sports on 35th Ave SW just south of Avalon. Baron can be found most days at the Redline greeting guests as they arrive, checking to make sure that everything is OK and policing the floor between naps.
Thanks, Rock, Baron, and Scott! Meantime, we’ve already got more “Shop Cats” in queue – watch this space. (And one plug for a Shop Cat with a special event coming up – West Seattle Nursery’s spring open house is this Saturday, April 11th, more info on the WSN website.)
From the city’s daily “permit issuance” list, a permit’s been granted for Chase signage to go up at the West Seattle Thriftway WaMu branch; we just went down the hill to check – the illuminated “runner” is already up inside the branch; the sign over the door is in transition; the WaMu sign on the outdoor storefront (photo above) is all that remains. WaMu/Chase has five West Seattle branches in all (counting the Junction drive-through).
That’s Todd Carden of Elliott Bay Brewery and Pub, — a mainstay in The Junction for 12 years — accepting the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s “Business of the Year” award this morning. WSCC members and guests gathered at Salty’s on Alkifor the annual awards breakfast, at which County Council Chair Dow Constantine presented the awards; he was one of three political leaders in attendance, along with City Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Nick Licata. Introducing EBB owner Carden, Constantine listed the company’s distinctions, particularly in environmental stewardship — first King County brewery to go organic, first in Washington with two organic breweries (there’s an EBB in Burien too), a trailblazing composting program. Carden said he was happy to first hear of the award (reported here March 11) but it didn’t really sink in until he and his wife were visiting stops on the West Seattle Art Walk the next night and “people started congratulating me left and right.”
Also honored this morning — the Community Service Award recipient, Robinson Newspapers founder Jerry Robinson (who, it was revealed after his acceptance speech, turns 89 next Monday). With the trademark humor familiar to readers of his column, he quipped that others might have deserved the honor more — perhaps Rolf Neslund, the ship captain whose collision with the old West Seattle Bridge in 1978 broke a longrunning logjam over whether to build a new one. (Elliott Bay proprietor Carden later joked he might have to name a future beer after Neslund.) Jerry Robinson founded the White Center News in 1952 and bought the West Seattle Herald in 1974; at one point, not that many years ago, he tried to retire, but admitted he felt a bit “useless” in his temporary life of leisure, saying, “Nothing is as fulfilling” as being of service to others.
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s regular monthly meetings are listed on its website at wschamber.com.
Look in the picture windows filled with bicycles at Aaron’s shop in Morgan Junction and you may find a pair of bright green eyes looking back at you. Presta and Schrader, the feline brothers who live at the shop, regularly perch themselves on a bike saddle in the front window to take the measure of the world outside.
Over the weekend we told you about Pilates Westside coming to Morgan Junction, thanks to Mike’s tip; now we have a second tip from Michelle south of Admiral — she spotted the Cometa Playschool sign in former Prudential space on the east side of California (here’s our Friday report on that), and now tells us some of the ex-Prudential west-side space — near where small clothes is moving — has just been claimed byArcane Comics, which is based in Ballard. Here’s a map. Since her note, we’ve been by to chat with them, and also just caught that shot of their facade wrap going up; they’re technically open but they’re still working to assemble the store, with a lot of work to be done when we dropped by. Their intent is to be “West Seattle’s comics authority,” and they’ll have some gaming supplies too. They expect to be fully up and running within a few days.
Thanks to Mike for letting us know that storefront in the 6500 block of California SW (map), the former home of Aaron’s Bicycle Repair, has swapped its “for lease” sign for a “coming soon” sign — Pilates Westside, says the sign. The company on the business license for that name and this address trace to this local Pilates instructor; we’ll be trying to track her down to find out more. (The bike shop, you may recall, moved a few doors south to the former liquor-store space; we checked recently with the Liquor Control Board to find out if it had secured a replacement West Seattle location yet, and the answer was no.) Morgan Junction’s the hot place to be, not only with this new business moving in, but with Zeek’s Pizza (opening in about a month, reiterates its website) and Feedback Lounge getting closer to opening a few blocks north, and construction well under way on the new park just north of the always-jumping Beveridge Place Pub. (Morgan Junction-area residents and businesspeople, by the way, are reminded that the Morgan Community Association‘s next meeting is 7 pm April 15th at The Kenney.)
If you’re a parent, Drs. Susanna Block (left) and Jonathan Scheffer want to make your life easier — they want to get your children to eat all the foods you want them to eat: veggies, fruits, grains, and spices.
With World Baby Foods, this West Seattle couple has created a line of baby food for children 6 to 18 months that draws from international recipes to produce wholesome, organic and delicious foods aimed at training your little eater to appreciate a broad range of flavors. They’re now in their third year of business, and continuing to grow.
“Dr. Susanna” is a pediatrician who has practiced in Africa and Indonesia. She noticed that most countries, and even very rural areas without access to resources weren’t transitioning their babies to solid foods the way she was taught children “should” be — with a bland, high carbohydrate diet. She observed: “Many adults would pulverize their own dinners” and feed the babies from their plates.
This was eye-opening for the doctor and led her to begin researching spices and foods and their relationships to children’s diets. She notes: “Mothers who breast-feed their babies pass along the flavors of the foods they eat, and with access to multi-cultural foods and flavors, many babies are experiencing a wide range of tastes. So, WHY weren’t there multi-cultural baby foods?”
Just got that photo from John Smersh at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District, who noticed on his way home that Dante’s shoe store (near Zatz A Better Bagelon California just north of Admiral) has shut down. The signs direct deliveries and customers to the other Dante’s store in Olympia; the West Seattle phone number is already disconnected and forwarding to the Olympia number (which is on the store’s webpage).
We wanted to take a moment to let you know about one of the newest WSB sponsors: Cherry Blossom Aesthetics and Boutique. As is customary when a new sponsor comes on board, we offer them the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what Cherry Blossom‘s Aimee Bonomo says: I have been a licensed aesthetician for 10 years. I practiced in Las Vegas for 8 years before moving to West Seattle and opening the Cherry Blossom. I have had a variety of extended-education classes including body treatments, facial peels, HydraFacial, LED lights and MAC pro. I am always taking new classes to better serve my clients. I work with Virginia Rain, who is a wonderful permanent makeup artist and Pranic Healer. Virginia has been an aesthetician for 9 years and has lived in West Seattle for 15 years. We offer HydraFacial, which is a non-surgical facial rejuvenation. This serum-based resurfacing improves the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, congested pores, hyper-pigmentation and acne with no discomfort or down time. The Professional LED lights are amazing for hyper-pigmentation, collagen production, inflammation, and acne. Permanent makeup makes it possible to look better around the clock without spending so much time. It works great for sensitive skin, and active, outdoor lifestyles. Get $50 off your first HydraFacial and 50% off permanent makeup. Call for an appointment or come by. We look forward to hearing from you soon: (206) 933-2824.
WSB contributing reporter Keri DeTore asked us the seemingly harmless question: “What do you think about featuring some of West Seattle’s ‘shop cats’?” We almost fell all over ourselves yelling YES! Here’s Keri’s introduction, followed by the first profile:
Keeping the books warm and the mice away; drinking from fountains, greeting customers and saving other cat lives by being blood donors. West Seattle has a number of businesses featuring these furry co-workers who help with rodent control and even have their own fan clubs. We’ll be sharing the stories of these feline friends from time to time.
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
West Seattle Nursery’s shop cat is Seth: “Everything’s for sale but the cat.”
(photo courtesy West Seattle Nursery)
As he lounges in his nest at the West Seattle Nursery counter, you’d be forgiven for questioning the “feisty” description many of the folks who work with Seth have given him; but reach out a hand and look what happens — you might be delicately hooked by a slender claw and brought closer for inspection:
Dropped by Southwest Youth and Family Services in North Delridge this afternoon to catch the moment as Sue Mariotti (right) from the Admiral Safeway BECU presented a check for $1,000 to SWYFS, officially accepted by Donna Chapman (left). The money will support the Parent Child Home Program, a SWYFS program that will provide family support this summer to 44 “very low income” Latino, African-American, Somali, and Iraqi families with 2- and/or 3-year-old children. Cara Kroenke of SWYFS explains, “Children living in poverty often miss out on active play and exploration which could enhance their development,” so toward that end, each family will get to choose up to six “field trips,” such as libraries, beaches, or environmental-education parks such as Camp Long, also receiving “developmentally appropriate toys/books reflecting the theme of the field trip.” BECU, by the way, also is a sponsor of SWYFS’s next annual fundraising event, which is now a dinner/auction rather than the traditional breakfast – the date is set for September 18th, with other details to come. Find out more about SWYFS – which is also our area’s lead agency for the city’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative — at its website, swyfs.org.
We’re welcoming a new sponsor that happens to also be an event in which we’ll be participating: the Gathering of Neighbors, coming up one week from today, Saturday, April 4, at Chief Sealth High School (@ Boren). Here’s the reminder announcement from organizers:
Gathering of Neighbors takes place on April 4th!
Joining neighbors and businesses in 2009.
Come be a part of the Gathering of Neighbors: Businesses and community organizations from across the West Seattle Peninsula, all together, one day, one place, as “one community.”
More than 75 businesses, resource, and community information groups have registered to participate, so that attendees can experience, in one place and time, the tremendous wealth of services and goods available to them in their own neighborhoods right here in West Seattle.
Entertainment and refreshments will also be part of the celebration.
This is the first Gathering of Neighbors in more than two years – a little context, if you are new to the area: It was created by Megawatt, a community-connection nonprofit; when Megawatt disbanded, it looked for organizations to take over its two signature events — DNDA stepped forward to handle Gathering of Neighbors, and we here at WSB took on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day. In fact, as we mentioned a few days ago, we are going to open registration for this year’s Community Garage Sale Day on Gathering of Neighbors day, and we’re offering special one-day-only in-person discounts if you come to G-o-N and register your sale at our G-o-N table. Even if you’re not planning to participate in WSCGSD, or if you’re not sure yet, we hope to see you there – as do the 70-plus other businesses and organizations that are participating — that’s 11 am-3 pm next Saturday, April 4; here’s a map to the location (and a Google Street View clickable image below):
More of the West Seattle Junction Association‘s new banners went up today – including banners marking the 4 “free parking” lots that WSJA members pay regular fees to maintain, so customers can park free. (As shown above, these banners are replacing old, well-worn ones.) After our report the other day about other new banners going up around The Junction, some commenters wondered aloud about the new tag line “The Junction: Downtown West Seattle.” It’s been phased in since its first introduction during the promotion for Hometown Holidays before Christmas, but Susan Melrose of the Junction Association elaborates, “It’s part of a rebranding initiative, underscoring the general enlivening and sprucing up of The Junction, but the tagline also touches on the history of The Junction as the natural center of, and gathering place for, West Seattle.” Three of the parking-lot banners were scheduled to go up today. (The lots are privately owned and therefore are not part of the city-led study that is under way to determine whether restrictions, signage, or even pay stations are in order for the city parking around The Junction; for more on that parking study, check out our coverage archives.)
Tonight we welcome a new WSB sponsor: Seattle 911 Driving School is about to start classes at Southwest Community Center in West Seattle. New WSB sponsors are always offered the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what Seattle 911 Driving School wants you to know: Seattle 911 Driving School is the driver-training program where all instructors are police officers. We hire only the finest police officers with knowledge and expertise to prepare you for the great responsibility that comes with obtaining your driver’s license. The most important aspect of driver education is SAFETY, and the best safety feature you can add to your car is a well-trained driver. With police officers as instructors, our students get the most current real-world driving instruction. At 911 Driving School, instructors are highly trained in every aspect of controlling a vehicle and can teach the latest in defensive driving techniques and current traffic laws. Police officers see firsthand the devastation caused by poor driving. That’s why we take an active role in bringing back greater credibility to driver’s education. Our friendly team at the Seattle 911 Driving School is committed to excellence and knows that you’ll find our instruction to be fun, interactive, and comprehensive – the training cars are pretty cool, too. Classes are held on both weekday and weekend schedules to fit your needs and are available in both our main office at the corner of Northgate and Meridian and at Southwest Community Center in West Seattle, 2801 SW Thistle (map). Whether you are a first-time driver, in need of a refresher course, or a new resident to the US, we have the driver-education training you need. Enroll today – we look forward to serving you. You can call Seattle 911 Driving School at 206-366-9111 to find out more about upcoming classes; schedules and class descriptions also can be found online. Welcome to Seattle 911 Driving School; find all WSB sponsors listed on this page, along with information on how to join them!
ALKI NEWS: Twofold this time – the latest edition of the Alki News Beacon is available online (with a couple WSB contributions) – see it here; the every-two-months publication usually comes out just before the Alki Community Council meets, and in fact, that meeting is tomorrow night, 7 pm, Alki Community Center. Editor Cami MacNamara also sends word of a revamp at alkinews.com – see it here, including highlights of tomorrow night’s agenda.
SLEEPERS IN SEATTLE, NOT JUST FOR SEATTLE: West Seattle certainly has more than a few businesses that serve customers far beyond the peninsula or even the city limits. On the Junction parking-review walking tour that just wrapped up (story to come), we chatted with Meryl Alcabes (photo left) of Sleepers in Seattle, who mentioned that their nationwide-delivery service is continuing to grow – they’ve even got customers in New York and just expanded their online presence to serve them. (Other West Seattle businesses that sell online too include WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits.)
CONGRATULATIONS! West Seattle-based Potter Construction is sharing the news that it’s been honored with a 2009 Guildmaster Award for customer service – find out more about it here. (Got big news about YOUR business – or school, or neighborhood, or group, or … ? Let us know!)
It’s been one year and five days since we 
Also honored this morning — the Community Service Award recipient, Robinson Newspapers founder Jerry Robinson (who, it was revealed after his acceptance speech, turns 89 next Monday). With the trademark humor familiar to readers of his column, he quipped that others might have deserved the honor more — perhaps Rolf Neslund, the ship captain whose 
If you’re a parent, Drs. Susanna Block (left) and Jonathan Scheffer want to make your life easier — they want to get your children to eat all the foods you want them to eat: veggies, fruits, grains, and spices. 
New WSB sponsors are always offered the chance to tell you about their business, and here’s what Seattle 911 Driving School wants you to know: Seattle 911 Driving School is the driver-training program where all instructors are police officers. We hire only the finest police officers with knowledge and expertise to prepare you for the great responsibility that comes with obtaining your driver’s license. The most important aspect of driver education is SAFETY, and the best safety feature you can add to your car is a well-trained driver. With police officers as instructors, our students get the most current real-world driving instruction. At 911 Driving School, instructors are highly trained in every aspect of controlling a vehicle and can teach the latest in defensive driving techniques and current traffic laws. Police officers see firsthand the devastation caused by poor driving. That’s why we take an active role in bringing back greater credibility to driver’s education. Our friendly team at the Seattle 911 Driving School is committed to excellence and knows that you’ll find our instruction to be fun, interactive, and comprehensive – the training cars are pretty cool, too. Classes are held on both weekday and weekend schedules to fit your needs and are available in both our main office at the corner of Northgate and Meridian and at Southwest Community Center in West Seattle, 2801 SW Thistle (
SLEEPERS IN SEATTLE, NOT JUST FOR SEATTLE: West Seattle certainly has more than a few businesses that serve customers far beyond the peninsula or even the city limits. On the Junction parking-review walking tour that just wrapped up (story to come), we chatted with Meryl Alcabes (photo left) of
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