West Seattle, Washington
01 Friday
Quick notes about three businesses with reason to celebrate:
4TH ANNIVERSARY: Tomorrow (Monday, May 26) the Clay Cauldron (5214 Delridge Way SW) is celebrating four years in business – stop by between 1-4 pm for “door prizes, wheel demos, pottery for sale, smash burgers, make a pinch pot.” Or just to congratulate proprietor Frances!
40TH ANNIVERSARY: Set your calendar for the weekend of June 7-8, when CAPERS in The Junction (4525 California SW; WSB sponsor) will celebrate 40 years in business! Treats, prizes, more, and a chance to congratulate proprietor Lisa. The weekend will be preceded by a special reunion for CAPERS employees past and present – if that includes you, and you’re not already set to go, the contact info is in our calendar listing.
FIRST ANNIVERSARY IN NEW HQ: Rambo Total Pest Control has an unusual anniversary story to tell – the longtime WSB sponsor is based in Puyallup but has generations of roots in West Seattle, and many customers. They just celebrated a year in their headquarters, a renovated Puyallup house dubbed “The Castle” – after working on it for more than three years – and wanted to share its story.
Four months have passed since we told you a J. Crew Factory store was penciled in for the former GameStop and Desert Sun spaces in Westwood Village. The company has yet to make a formal announcement, but that’s not unusual (for example, Total Wine & More has yet to “announce” its Westwood store, but it’s posted May 30 as the opening date). We have word of two developments with the space – the tanningsalon that followed Desert Sun, Bronz’d, now has a note on the door saying it had closed immediately and permanently. We went by to check (top photo) after Wyatt sent the photo below of the note:
Meantime, Huy found a link providing new confirmation of the future J. Crew Factory store – this job listing for the store director.
Story and photos by Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Thanks for the tip about activity in the Fauntleroy retail space that was most recently Bel Gatto after many decades as The Original Bakery. We’ve learned it will open this summer as an expansion of a Pilates studio in the same building. Along with the same programming already happening around the corner at Lagom Studios, there will be new saunas and classes, all by appointment.
“Community building is the whole purpose,” says owner Melina Moore. She bought the studio in 2022, when it was called Innate Vitality. At 435sf, the studio, tucked into the north side of the Endolyne building, can only accommodate 4 clients at a time, so Moore had started to look for a larger space. Poised to sign a lease in the Admiral District earlier this year, she found the bakery space suddenly available. “It felt very kismet,” she says, and allowed her to keep the business in the Fauntleroy neighborhood, which she came to love a number of years ago while teaching at the Cottage School at Gatewood Elementary.
With 2,000 additional square feet, Moore says there is enough space to have private sessions and group classes, including Yin yoga, at the same time. She envisions a “community wellness space,” with saunas and shower in the back and a “cozy corner” with tea where the bakery had its pastry case.
She plans to keep the current studio for community events, including sound baths, women’s circles, reiki and breath work, and astrology workshops.
Clients at a Pilates class Tuesday morning were thrilled about the larger space. “I’m super excited that she is expanding,” said one. Another described the Lagom space as a sanctuary in the city — “a neighborhood healing space.”
Moore says the Swedish word Lagom is about moving your body in balance and appreciation, something that is a guiding principle of her studio, along with a requirement that clients practice kindness in the space, where, “everyone is welcome.” Moore has 5 instructors working out of the current studio and will be hiring more for the expansion. Likely hours when she expands in July will be 7 am to 7:30 pm, depending on appointments.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Mayor Bruce Harrell was so impressed by West Seattle Arcade during an Alki mini-tour today, he vowed to figure out how to better promote it and other beach businesses to the rest of the region – and even to tourists who visit Seattle from afar.
The arcade was one of four businesses Harrell visited during an invitation-only mini-tour that concluded with a Q&A gathering. We were invited to cover it, though the mayor’s staff set “no recording” as a requirement for sitting in on the gathering, so we don’t have video of that.
Harrell started his tour at Natalie’s on Alki, where Natalie’s son Vinny showed him how they make their popular drinks, including sugar-cane juice fresh-squeezed from cane grown, and imported from, a family farm in Vietnam.
Asked if they had any specific concerns with which the city could help, the Natalie’s team said no. But at the next stop, Fire Tacos, they expressed concerns about the bus stop/layover area right outside their restaurant’s front windows, blocking the view and leading to loitering.
While noting that Metro is a county, not city, system, Harrell promised to have his staff look into the stop-location situation. The restaurateurs also recalled a recent incident in which police had requested video from their security cameras’ outdoor views, and Harrell noted that the Real-Time Crime Center that’s about to launch will be able to utilize private cameras, with their owners’ consent: “We think that’s going to be a game-changer.”
Speaking of games, shortly thereafter, he was off to West Seattle Arcade, where the mayor talked with proprietors Elyssa and Matt Cichy and played two games, the Godzilla VR one shown above, and push-button basketball:
The Cichys asked the mayor to “keep Alki safe,” saying that crime/disorder is a major concern, while noting that their businesses – WS Arcade and Gary’s Place – were founded in no small part because they thought it important to give young people something to do. They also told him about working to keep their prices reasonable, after the mayor offered the unsolicited observation that an outside-the-city gaming business which shall go nameless seemed pretty pricey to him. He added that people should be coming to WS Arcade, and other Alki businesses, from all around the region, and cruise ships too. And he promised to return: “You’re going to see me back here with my posse.”
The mayor was then driven back eastward to the final stop, Christos on Alki, where invited business and community leaders were gathered, and City Councilmember Rob Saka sat with the mayor in the center of the room.
Unlike Saka’s High Point meeting on Wednesday night, this one was focused around giving attendees a chance to ask questions and make comments. Harrell declared that “supporting small businesses” was a priority. In addition to Alki businesspeople, those we recognized in the room included reps from Alki Community Council, Alki Beach Pride, A Cleaner Alki, Alki UCC, and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. City reps included deputy mayor Jessyn Farrell as well as reps from SPD and Seattle Parks.
The mayor opened by touting recent drops in crime stats. Those don’t tend to address street-disorder concerns, though, which were brought up by one businessperson, who asked Harrell if he would be willing to shut down Alki Avenue to vehicle traffic in the summer, to eliminate stunt driving. “Not really,” the mayor replied, then asking for a show of hands if anyone else favored the idea; we didn’t see any go up. Another crime/safety issue raised was the difficulty in getting through to the non-emergency line for reporting some situations; city reps said they’d look into that (though it’s been said elsewhere that they’re staffing up the call center after attrition problems), and the mayor suggested AI might be a solution. In another tech topic, Harrell was asked about gunshot detectors; he said he remains a supporter but the city’s budget woes are getting in the way.
Another major topic of concern was unlicensed vendors on Alki, blocking beach access and taking customers away from the year-round bricks-and-mortar businesses. It was pointed out that these are not small one-off cart operators, but rather well-organized multiple-tent entrepreneurs. Suggestions for making the area less attractive to them included landscaping the “grassy sand” areas of the beach and installing some accessible parking spaces.
Parks’ Jon Jainga (at right in photo above), whose portfolio includes the rangers, reminded everyone that summer changes, including Alki’s earlier closing time, start one week from tonight, and said the rangers would be working later too, with their days split into 9 am-7:30 pm and 2 pm-12:30 am shifts. He said the rangers will be empowered to give unpermitted vendors “cease and desist” letters telling them to move, and if they don’t, they’ll be able to call in police “for citations and removal.” If they simply move off Parks land and go onto right-of-way, SDOT will be contacted to deal with that, he added.
WHAT’S NEXT: We’ll be following up to see what happens with a couple of key things Harrell (who is running for re-election this year) promised that his staff would investigate – including promoting Alki businesses and possibly moving the bus stop/layover location at 61st/Alki.
Thanks for the tip! We’ve just gone over to Westwood Village to confirm it and get a photo – Total Wine & More, in the northeast corner of the center, has posted its opening date and time: 9 am Friday, May 30. We have been tracking the development of the store, in the former Staples space, since first discovering the plan in city permit files 13 months ago. More info to come …
(WSB photos by Oliver Hamlin. Above, West Seattle Runner’s Lori and Tim McConnell with emcee Brian Callanan)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We show up for each other.”
Wednesday morning, that was the sentiment about not only the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and its members, but also the entirety of West Seattle, as the Chamber presented its 2025 Westside Awards.
“Local business is about resilience, connection, and legacy,” declared Chamber executive director Rachel Porter in her opening remarks during the breakfast event at The Hall at Fauntleroy.
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Porter said the awards are emblematic of “rid(ing) the wave of business in our community” – and indeed, each was an artistic rendition of a breaking wave, blue “water” and white foam (created by Jen Austin of Green Fern Studios). Every year the Chamber takes community nominations for its four awards – Business of the Year, Not-for-Profit of the Year, Emerging Business of the Year, and the lone individual award, Westsider of the Year. The winners were announced last month; the breakfast gathering was a chance to celebrate them, as well as two community members honored with special posthumous Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Emcee Brian Callanan – who you might know as a veteran local broadcast journalist, but whose Chamber involvement is centered on his coordination of the annual Loop the ‘Lupe (coming up June 7!) – noted that 62 organizations and people were nominated for this year’s awards.
The big one, Business of the Year, went to a one-of-a-kind independent retail shop that just celebrated its 15th anniversary, West Seattle Runner.
Each honoree was the subject of a short video; in the one about WSR, proprietors Lori and Tim McConnell marveled at their customers – again, “for showing up.” They recalled the rapid-response group run after the Boston Marathon bombing. After the video, Tim took the microphone, recalling, “When we opened our store, we had no idea how much time it was going to take, the effort to keep a small business open … we also didn’t (anticipate) all the support we’d have.”
He closed with a favorite quote attributed to President John F. Kennedy, “One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”
The founder of the Emerging Business of the Year recipient, Deeds Health, said that today (May 15) would be the one-year anniversary at her last day of working for someone else. Dr. Stefie Deeds then opened her practice in The Junction, where she said her goal is to “remove barriers from giving care.”
Executive director Allie Lindsay Johnson accepted the Not for Profit of the Year award for WestSide Baby, founded in 2001 in West Seattle “in a new mom’s garage.” She too echoed the oft-heard, “This community shows up.”
She also reminded everyone that the items WestSide Baby distributes are “crucial for children’s mobility, development, and safety.”
Westsider of the Year, recognition for a community champion, went to Cleveland King, who leads the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA.
In his acceptance speech, King talked about arriving for his then-new assignment in West Seattle about a year ago and being expected to deliver the message – “not my message but I was the messenger” – that the Fauntleroy YMCA would be closed, after a century. The uproar – and collaboration – that ensued “let me know how important the Y was to that community … it felt like home.” King worked with the community to save the Fauntleroy Y, and today it is thriving, he said.
In closing, he said, “If you don’t have someone around you who believes in your dreams, find someone else to be around.”
The last presentations were tributes to the two posthumous recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards. First was Dawn Leverett, who died two weeks ago and was remembered by Porter as “a steady force in West Seattle”; she and Ms. Leverett’s friend Amy Lee Derenthal offered tributes:
Ms. Leverett served on the Chamber board and championed others during her two decades as a real-estate professional. She was described as holding the sentiment “there’s no challenge … that we can’t handle together.”
The other achievement award was presented in memory of WSB co-founder Patrick Sand, who died unexpectedly in October. Your editor and our son Torin Record-Sand offered a few words about him:
Chamber board chair Jovelyn Agbalog of Procura Mortgage wrapped up the event by remarking on community qualities: “Resilience, innovation, connection, and service … we must keep supporting each other … we must keep showing up … we must keep making waves.”
Past Westside Award winners are listed on the WS Chamber’s website.
(2015 photo by Kenna Klosterman)
This week, Blue Moon Burgers on Alki is celebrating a milestone anniversary – 10 years at 2504 Alki SW. To celebrate, this Thursday (May 15), they’ll offer a special all day – any single-patty burger with fries, tots, onion rings, or garlic parmesan fries, with a soft drink or bottled water, for $10 (plus tax).
We first reported in 2014 that Blue Moon appeared to be on the way to what was then Alki Auto Repair (which moved to 2938 SW Avalon Way); the restaurant opened in 2015. Their hours are 11 am-9 pm.
(Photos courtesy Nucor)
As reported here Tuesday, West Seattle’s Nucor Steel mill by the west end of the bridge is dismantling three smokestacks that were decommissioned 40 years ago but have remained in place … until now. The company has shared some images of the early work, including drone views (above and below):
And a ground view too:
Nucor says the disassembly will take about five weeks – no explosives involved, just piece by piece – and the steel will be recycled on site.
(WSB photo from 2016 water-tower removal)
Nine years ago, that was the scene as Nucor‘s old West Seattle water tower was being removed. Now, another big visual change is ahead: Today was the first day of about five weeks of work at the Nucor mill on a removal project that’s been four decades in the making. Nucor is removing three smokestacks that were decommissioned in 1985. They won’t be blown up or otherwise demolished – we’re told they’ll be removed in sections, to be scrapped and recycled, in keeping with the Nucor plant’s status as our state’s largest recycler. A spokesperson for Nucor tells us that two of the three smokestacks date back to 1957, when the mill was under different ownership (Nucor has owned it since 2002, 97 years after it started steelmaking). They were used to service “soaking pits” for reheating iron ingots; the third smokestack was moved from elsewhere on the property in 1967 to do the same thing. But in 1985, those “soaking pits” were decommissioned, and so were the stacks. The Nucor spokesperson says they’ve all been tested for hazardous waste, “with negative results.” Dickson Demolition will remove the smokestacks in sections; their steel will be recycled – where else? – onsite.. Nucor Seattle’s general manager Mark Davis said in a statement, ““The old smokestacks have been unused for 40 years and are from a bygone era of steelmaking that is disconnected from modern steelmaking.” Work is expected to continue for the next five weeks or so during regular operating hours.
Today, we welcome Better Than Robots as a new WSB sponsor. New sponsors get to tell you about themselves – here’s the Better Than Robots story:
Better Than Robots is Angie and Sandy: two Highland Park neighbors who first bonded over love of our small dogs before meeting properly as crew members of the West Seattle Mutual Aid Party. Once we learned that we shared a belief in our ability to learn any new skill along with a drive to build community, our friendship was cemented.
We realized we’re both the ones who friends and family call for help with the random and weird, with Sandy’s friends repeatedly suggesting they work as an organizer for folks with ADHD and Angie volunteering to complete chores that friends and neighbors found inaccessible. In 2024, while daydreaming about our ideal job, it occurred to us that we could be that business! Two friends with the skills to help people with the same struggles we have and one goal – to show up, get some things done, and leave you better off. Better Than Robots was born!
How does Better Than Robots work? We are here to help you finish the tasks at the bottom of your list that you never have time for. BTR is who you call when you want help but aren’t sure who to hire. Are you daunted by the idea of sorting and organizing your doom garage/closet/spare bedroom? We evaluate and we don’t judge. We’ll show up as your extra pair of hands, ready to help strategize and keep your momentum going, and then we’ll take the trash piles and donatable items away. We’ve also helped clients with random tasks like fixing weird tv issues or figuring out where to consign a great piece of furniture. Last year, we saved a client several hundred dollars returning online orders, a task they always struggled to complete. We’ll hang your art, catalog your books, weed your garden, help you learn how to meal prep, put together a starter kit for a new hobby such as hiking or knitting, even prep your monthly expense reports. And for work we don’t do, we can research and create a short list of professionals such as house cleaners, contractors, or even doctors.
Better Than Robots can save you time, money, and sanity. Check out our offerings at betterthanrobots.com. Mention that you saw us on West Seattle Blog for 10% off your first project with us, up to two hours!
We thank Better Than Robots for choosing to advertise their business by sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB. Interested in doing the same? Please email WSBAdvertising@wsbsales.com – thank you!
A property company working with Rite Aid has released a new list of properties and leases for sale/assignment in its new bankruptcy filing, and the list includes the Westwood Village Rite Aid location. The company’s new filing comes just eight months after it emerged from Chapter 11. After seeing this, we went over for a photo of the WWV Rite Aid, and discovered this posted at the entrance:
We’re checking to see if local Bartell Drugs have similar postings. (Update: We found one at the Jefferson Square store.) As for the WWV Rite Aid, one of the property company’s documents says the current lease is up in a year but there are 10 years worth of options; current base rent is $21/square foot (the building is just under 17,000 sf). We don’t yet know the plan for the California SW Rite Aid location – also leased – and the two West Seattle Bartell Drugs stores (Admiral and Jefferson Square), also leased. Rite Aid says it has financing to help it continue operations while it seeks a buyer for the company.
(WSB photo. L-R, Bob Carrasca, Michael Todd Smith, Ryan Ames, Keith Creighton)
By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
There’s nothing like a bonk on a toddler’s head to get a parent’s attention. So how do you turn that bonk into a preventive product you can market nationally or internationally? The answer lies in a couple of businesses along a single block of California Ave SW in Morgan Junction.
For the West Seattle family who precipitated this collaboration, it was an unfortunate meeting of a coaxial cable connector and their infant son, who ran into the metal piece sticking out of the wall. Some blood was shed along with tears. But after the BandAids were applied, the dad went online, hoping to find a cover of some kind so that the cable connector would no longer be a danger.
The advice online: Duct tape.
“Shocked,” said Ryan Ames, after discovering that the thing he wanted did not seem to exist, not just in the US, but even on baby-proofing sites in Australia, the UK, and Canada. That’s when he started to think that he stumbled across an unexpected void in the arguably very full market of baby-proofing. “I had folks who worked with the big child-safety companies and I sat in their office and they couldn’t figure out why this hadn’t been done. There seemed to be a need, a market for it, and I would certainly want this product in my home.”
As Ames talked with more people, he realized he had an idea good enough that it should be patented. It’s easy to think big at this point: Big-box stores, celebrity endorsements, manufacturing numbers in the 6 figures. But where to start, how to plan and design and manufacture something like this? Ames is a banker by day, with no background in manufacturing or marketing. He did talk with some larger companies, but the team that he credits with getting his product to market was one he found behind a few storefronts in the 6000 block of California. “Does someone believe … in this product? And Bob [Carrasca] did.”
Tucked in between hair salons, financial investment offices, and attorneys are Carrasca’s Pillar Product Design, and a few doors down, Collective Seven, a branding and marketing firm headed up by founder Michael Todd Smith. After interviewing multiple firms, Ames chose both of them to help bring a product he now calls OutletGuard Solutions from concept to consumer. “I needed both of them for hand-holding, says Ames. “I knew they could get this out.”
All of this started to come together in the early 2020s, which was fortuitous from a “necessity is the mother of invention” perspective. “The timing on it was really interesting,” says Carrasca. “In the pandemic, the spare room becomes office space and a place your infant might be.” The consensus among the team was that covering the outlet would not just prevent injuries, but also ensure that dust and things like peanut butter wouldn’t get in, along with fingers that could cause expensive damage to components, “The product protects your kids from danger, but also protects the outlet, says Keith Creighton, a copywriter with Collective Seven.
With Carrasca designing the outlet covers, making them cost-effective, attractive, and UL-rated (for electrical compatibility), and Smith putting together everything branding — from logo and colors to SEO and website — Ames was ready to make the leap to initial production, working with a factory in China. “When we were working early on with Ryan, there are a million plugs out there [that could need a cover]. How do we differentiate this product from others? We don’t want this product to be 20 unique pieces. We want it to be 5 pieces.” And that is where the product has landed, in its initial production/marketing phase. Each piece can be rotated to be used in different orientations, and “fit tightly, but also match fluctuating tolerances,” since every outlet from every manufacturer is just a little bit different.
Ames has benefitted from the broad knowledge of his team, which includes background in the logistical and manufacturing challenges of large-scale production while also having sensible advice about how to bring a product to market without getting in over one’s head. “I lean more toward the safe side,” says Smith with Collective Seven. “I’d rather spend a little more—pay more for smaller order, go through the ordering process, a soft rollout. Businesses can blow up out of the gate because they’re not set up.” Carrasca added, “If you’re not fulfilling orders in 1-2 months, you’re out of business. Groups like us mitigate that risk, allow time to prototype, do market research … find the right target demographic. Then you’re ready to invest.”
Speaking of financing, before you think this sounds an awful lot like Shark Tank, there is no Mr. Wonderful on the team. Ames is funding the entire venture himself. The first run of OutletGuard parts were manufactured last year and are available now only on the myoutletguard.com website. Since August, several hundred have sold, shipping to 30+ states. The biggest surprise has been that most orders are for at least 2 packages. So far the team is pleased and optimistic, and fulfilling each order with a hand-written thank-you note. “They are in stock and tariff-free,” says Creighton.
Once they take the first baby steps of confirming there’s market demand, the next step will be to sell OutletGuard to retailers. Ames is excited to have a product with multiple free patents and a whole world of baby-proofing need. Asked if he can envision a time in the future when this might be his full-time work, he didn’t skip a beat. “I would love for it to be.”
(WSB photos)
Though Nicole and Shaun Duff have been running West Seattle’s only comic-book store, Tails to Astonish, for almost four years, today brings a first – it’s the first nationwide Free Comic Book Day since they moved to 5633 California SW last June. They told us it’s going well – along with the freebies, they made dozens of sales in the first few hours!
Everybody who visits is welcome to one free comic book from the table shown in our photo above – and they have options for all ages. Spend at least $10 and you can get two more! If you’ve never been to Tails to Astonish, this is a great day to visit and see what they have to offer.
They also have a few classic video game and pinball machines! They’re open today until 5 pm.
Ready to get out on the water and go paddling or rowing? Your next watercraft awaits you at this weekend’s West Seattle Boat Swap, just under way at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (3602 SW Alaska; WSB sponsor), whose proprietor Greg Whittaker sent the photo. He says, “Lotta great boats to get people out on Puget Sound.” You can shop the Boat Swap until 4 pm today and again 11 am-4 pm Sunday.
(WSB photo)
You might know Lora Radford from her years running Hotwire Coffee (when she was one of WSB’s original sponsors), or her years as executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association. Tonight she celebrated the grand opening of her latest West Seattle business – Potterings, headquartered in a 117-square-foot studio in ActivSpace (3400 Harbor Avenue SW, just north of the West Seattle Bridge’s northwest end). It’s a place where beginners can explore pottery, which is increasingly popular here on the peninsula, including the reopening of the Alki Bathhouse studio (where Lora has been teaching classes too). Among other things, Potterings offers memberships, as explained here. If you missed tonight’s grand-opening open house, you can stop by tomorrow (Saturday, May 3) 12-5 pm for mini-workshops or even just fact-finding. It’s on the ground floor of the main building’s east side.
Tomorrow is grand opening day for four businesses that are now under roof: Alair, Dylan, Three Little Birds, and Kid Friendly Footwear, now co-housed as West Seattle Mercantile. Here’s what proprietor Jennifer Young is promising for the 10 am-5:30 pm party on Saturday:
Join us for:
Raffles
Gifts with Purchase
Treats from some beloved local companies
Face Painting
Giveaways
Tours of our event space + color wallBring the whole fam and help us kick off this exciting new chapter.
West Seattle Mercantile is at 3270 California SW.
Gyros on Alki is now selling earrings as well as food, in support of young entrepreneurs. The story and photo came in via text, from one entrepreneur’s mom:
The earrings are made by two local West Seattle girls — Lexi (age 11, a 5th grader at Arbor Heights Elementary) and Scarlet (age 11, a 6th grader at another school). Together, they run Shimmer & Shine, a small earring business they started about a year ago, selling to neighbors in Arbor Heights.
During spring break, Lexi and I (her mom) were at Gyros on Alki having ice cream when the owners, Ned and Sabine, came out to chat. The shop was quiet, and we got to talking about how tough it’s been for small businesses on Alki lately.
Lexi told them about her earring business and how she and Scarlet work hard making each pair by hand. She shared how much she admires Ned and Sabine for keeping their restaurant going all these years. When they asked how she usually sells her earrings, Lexi mentioned she sets up outside Arbor Heights Community Church — and to her surprise, they offered to feature her earrings inside the restaurant!
Now you can find Shimmer & Shine earrings hanging on the wall inside Gyros on Alki — they’re available any time the restaurant is open. Each pair is handcrafted and just $10.
We’re so grateful to Ned and Sabine for supporting young entrepreneurs in our community!
More than 50 wineries and West Seattle merchants are pairing up for the spring Wine Walk presented by the West Seattle Junction Association, which sends word that it still has tickets available, with two weeks until it’s time to uncork. The Wine Walk is 5-9 pm Friday, May 16. Your $37 ticket gets you 14 one-ounce tastings, a Wine Walk bottle tote bag, and a keepsake wine glass. You’ll get the chance to fill your tote with participating wineries’ bottles along the way (and there’s a free Bottle Valet service so you won’t get bogged down too soon). Check-in spots this time are Row House (4203 SW Oregon) and John L. Scott (4445 California SW). Get your ticket ASAP before they sell out – go here! (That link is also where you’ll find the list of participating merchants and wineries – the latter include WSB sponsors Viscon Cellars, Welcome Road Winery, and Spruce Hill Winery!)
(WSB photo, August 2024 WS Boat Swap)
Ready to get out on the water? (Or maybe you’ve been out already!) Mountain to Sound Outfitters (3602 SW Alaska; WSB sponsor) invites you to the annual West Seattle Boat Swap this weekend:
This community event is a great opportunity to buy and sell human-powered watercraft (Kayaks, SUPs, Canoes) and accessories!
We will have used Kayaks and Standup Paddleboards from Alki Kayak Tours‘ rental operation, as well as scratched and dented SUPs and Kayaks from Mountain to Sound Outfitters for sale at amazing Spring steal prices!
To shop, just show up at M2SO 11 am-4 pm this Saturday and/or Sunday (May 3-4). To “swap” (sell), drop off your item(s) 9 am-11 am Saturday, after signing up online.
(WSB photo)
It’s been more than a year since we first told you about In Pizza We Crust going bricks-and-mortar in the former Swinery space at 3207 California SW. A commenter asked last night about their status, so we checked in with proprietor Stephanie Tran, who tells WSB:
We are still pending our building permit with the city of Seattle, going on 13 months now. The building was originally set up for food production and needs to be changed to restaurant use which creates a big energy flag with the city. A new HVAC system will be installed sometime in May once the city approves it. Beyond that, our architect and permit specialist are reviewing with the city and negotiating other things like windows and insulation. Its an old 1940’s building and some of the windows are original single pane windows.
The good news is the city has approved our occupancy and ADA portion of the permit.
Stephanie says they hope to announce a grand-opening date as soon as they get full permit approval. Stephanie and team have built a following for their pizza operating from a truck, till now.
(Reader photo)
Thanks for the texted photo and tip! A month and a half ago, the “leased” sign went up in the windows of the former Wells Fargo branch at California/Admiral, but the future tenant was not announced … until now … aside from leasing broker Jason Miller telling us it was a “local business.” As shown in the photo above, that business has revealed itself via sign in the window to be pet-supplies store Mud Bay, which has its current West Seattle store a short distance away, at 2611 California SW. The sign says the move will happen “this fall.” The West Seattle store isn’t commenting; we have an inquiry out to the regional mini-chain’s corporate headquarters in Olympia. We don’t know how/whether this factored into the move decision, but the building where the Admiral store is a current tenant has been listed for sale for some months.
First they asked for nominations … then they made their decision … and this afternoon, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has announced who’s receiving this year’s Westside Awards, plus two other special honors:
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce honors local businesses for their leadership at its annual Westside Awards in May. Also in 2025, the West Seattle Chamber will present Lifetime Achievement Awards to two remarkable community leaders: Patrick Sand, co-founder of West Seattle Blog, who will be honored posthumously, and Dawn Leverett, whose lifelong service has left a lasting imprint on West Seattle.
“The Westside Awards celebrate not only success but also reflect the unique spirit of our West Seattle communities,” said Rachel Porter, Executive Director of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. “These honors spotlight the remarkable leaders and businesses whose creativity, dedication, and vision keep our businesses connected and moving forward.”
Westside Business of the Year: West Seattle Runner
West Seattle Runner is more than a specialty running store—it’s a hub for fitness, local events, and neighborhood connection. Their commitment to personalized services and building a supportive running community has made them a standout business in West Seattle.Westside Emerging Business of the Year: Deeds Health
Deeds Health is redefining health-care access in West Seattle with a mission-driven approach to primary care. Led by Dr. Stefie Deeds, the practice is rooted in affordability, transparency, and compassion.Westside Not for Profit of the Year: WestSide Baby
WestSide Baby fills critical gaps by providing diapers, clothing, and gear for local children and families. Their impact is wide-reaching, ensuring that basic needs don’t stand in the way of a child’s safety and development.
Westsider of the Year: Cleveland King, YMCA
Cleveland King of the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA is recognized for his deep commitment to mentorship, youth development, and equity. His leadership creates spaces where young people feel seen, supported, and empowered.Award winners and all nominees will be recognized at the Annual Westside Awards Breakfast on Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 am-9 am, at The Hall at Fauntleroy. Early Bird Pricing for tickets is $55/65 per person through April 30, and $65/75 April 30 onward. Get your tickets here or wschamber.com.
To see lists of the Westside Awards’ previous winners, you can go here.
(October photo courtesy Aimee Owenz)
The sister-and-brother team who operate the Aimee Owenz food truck at 35th/Barton have sad news: “We wanted to let the West Seattle Community that we are unfortunately closing. Our last day will be Saturday, April 26th, unless we run out of food before.” Jenn and Zach opened Aimee Owenz about half a year ago, but it’s been a tough time, not just the kinds of challenges facing any new entrepreneurs – we asked Jenn if there was more that she could say, and she replied: “We lost our mom and grandma during this time and need to focus on ourselves. Bad timing too, with the economy being uncertain and the cost of food rising, it is too risky.” Their truck is for sale, too, she added: “If anyone wants to purchase the truck, they can email us at aimeeowenz06@gmail.com.”
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