Labor Day weekend means last-minute back-to-school shopping for many families. But you don’t have to take a trip to the mall – West Seattle’s independent retail stores have a lot to offer – including My Three Little Birds (WSB sponsor) in south Morgan Junction. Kids’ clothes, shoes, and backpacks are plentiful right now. And the shop’s unique features, proprietor Jennifer Young points out, is the “Mom-Made” section, with locally made items. “As a store we also focus on supporting local business by selling the goods of 13 local vendors, the majority of which are West Seattle-based artisans,” Young says.

“As a mom who started her own business to support her family, I love to pay it forward and support other talented moms by giving them a great place to sell their own creations,” Young adds. Lunch containers, water bottles, and books are in stock at My Three Little Birds too. The shop is at 6959 California SW and open 10 am-5 pm tomorrow, 11 am-4 pm on Sunday.

As first reported here August 2nd, Seahawks star Richard Sherman‘s first Wingstop opened earlier this month at Westwood Village, and a “grand opening” was planned this weekend. We checked back yesterday but aside from some freebies (5 free wings per person until 6 today and again 1-6 tomorrow), they had no official word on if or when Sherman himself might turn up. This afternoon, he did make an appearance, as evidenced by his Instagram selfie published around mid-afternoon.

Meantime, in The Junction …

Musicians from two legendary rock bands visited Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor) on Friday, and TRG’s Instagram feed showed the proof. Cheap Trick was in the area for a concert last night in Auburn.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:28 PM: Notes today on the first two recreational-marijuana stores licensed in West Seattle:

NEW LOCATION FOR ORIGINS? We reported back in March about the opening of the first West Seattle recreational-marijuana store, Origins at 1416 SW Roxbury. According to a filing with the State Liquor and Cannabis Board, Origins is now looking to move into the heart of West Seattle – The Junction. It’s asking the licensing board for permission to relocate to 4800 40th SW, a building on the southeast corner of 40th/Edmunds that’s had two early-stage development proposals in the past two years and also currently houses a fitness business. We have a request out for comment but have yet to hear back.

NAME CHOSEN: Origins was the second West Seattle marijuana store to be licensed, but the first to open. Now there’s a name for the first one to receive its license – 5440 California SW will be Canna West Seattle, according to its website. It’s been six months since we reported on the licensing of this shop, but we don’t know yet when it’ll open – we’re awaiting a reply here too.

ADDED 7:45 PM: We’ve heard back from Canna:

… It took a very long time for the city to permit the project. We finally got the permits last week and plan to begin renovations ASAP.

The project will take several weeks, so we will be temporarily opening in the space across the street at 5435 California Ave SW (previously Alternative Medicine Collective), which will eventually be the Canna Glass and Accessories Shop. We plan to be open at this location in four to five weeks.

(AMC was a medical-marijuana dispensary; the dispensaries that did not get recreational licenses had to close by July 1st, and that’s led to a few other vacant storefronts in West Seattle, including two at 35th and Roxbury.)

The big brick building at 200 SW Michigan [map] – once part of Boeing Plant 1 – is starting a new chapter in its history. Next week it opens as Seattle Mart, a new name and new home for dozens of wholesale showrooms that had been part of the Pacific Market Center in a Georgetown building now occupied by a pet-insurance company. Those independently owned showrooms (see the tenant list here) in turn serve independent retailers. Pacific Mart management tells WSB that the tenants are mostly wholesalers who don’t carry inventory, with the exception of a few cash-and-carry businesses. Seattle Mart will be open Monday and Tuesday as well as by appointment. Its grand opening will be part of Seattle Market Week, with most festivities on Saturday, August 20th, 2-8 pm.

Thanks to Miranda for the tip: Another music shop is opening in West Seattle. Tomorrow is grand-opening day for David Goad Violins (at ActivSpace, 3400 Harbor SW). The shop handles “sales, rental, repair, and restoration of stringed instruments … violin, viola, cello, and bass as well as bows.”

Skin Care by Casey (WSB sponsor) has moved to a new location, with more room, which proprietor Casey Rasmussen says means more comfort for clients. Skin Care by Casey is now in The Junction, on the lower level of the West Seattle Professional Building, at 4509 44th SW. Above is the new treatment room; they’re also proud of their new waiting alcove. More parking, too, Casey points out. So next time you’re looking for the kind of services they offer, you’ll find Skin Care by Casey in a brand-new space – private and quiet, down the courtyard stairs.

12:30 PM: Thanks to Alice for the tip: Another West Seattle power outage, this time in an area that wasn’t affected by the big one overnight. The Seattle City Light map shows 110 customers in the Jefferson Square area of The Junction lost power around noon, and “equipment failure” is listed as the cause.

12:50 PM: We went to Jefferson Square to check on ground-level correlation with the outage map. The original tip (and also a note from Jonathan – thank you) were about the office building being out; our crew reports that the businesses on the north and east sides of inner JSq are out but Safeway tells us they never lost power. There’s an estimated restoration time just before 4 pm, but as we always warn, those are just guesstimates – this morning’s outage, for example, had an estimated restoration time of 10 am, but SCL got the power back on at 4:35 am.

3:23 PM: We just checked for the first time in a while … the outage is over.

1:39 PM: Thanks to Brad at West Seattle Cyclery for being the first business to mention to us that there’s a multi-state Comcast Business phone outage right now. We’ve verified through Twitter:

Brad says Comcast told him it might take until at least 3 pm for this to be fixed. He’s encouraging his store’s customers to e-mail instead – service@westseattlecyclery.com. Let us know if this is affecting you and if you have an alternate way for customers to get through.

3:45 PM: Some local businesses have commented below on how to reach them (if you’re seeing this from the WSB home page, get to the comments by either clicking the word “comments” under the headline, or clicking the headline to open the full story page). Meantime, Comcast’s most recent update, from a little more than an hour ago, says they’re still working on it.

4:45 PM: Junction True Value texted a few minutes ago to say their service is back.

(Preferred ‘massing’ rendering by Hewitt, from Early Design Guidance packet for 2749 California SW)

8:01 AM: For more than a year, we’ve been reporting on changes at the longtime West Seattle site of PCC Natural Markets (2749 California SW; WSB sponsor) – first an ownership change, then indications a redevelopment project was ahead. PCC promised all along that once it knew whether it would be part of the redevelopment, it would let us know as soon as its staff knew. Last night, PCC closed its West Seattle store early for a staff meeting, at which time employees were told what the co-op is sharing with us and you this morning: PCC **WILL** be part of the redevelopment project, which means a closure during construction, but then a brand-new store:

PCC Natural Markets is finally able to announce that we have secured our long-term future in West Seattle, a community we have served for over 25 years. While the co-op’s current location on California Avenue SW will be redeveloped, PCC reached an agreement with the new landlord and will return as the retail tenant in the building once the project is complete.

Demolition will begin next year and, as a result, we anticipate the West Seattle PCC will temporarily close in early 2017. While we are sad to close for a while, we are pleased to confirm that we will be able to serve our West Seattle members and shoppers for decades to come.

We will reopen on California Avenue S.W. in the second half of 2018 with a 25,000-square foot store that will feature all the best that PCC has to offer. During the closure, we will continue to offer delivery to West Seattle through both Instacart and Prime Now.

PCC’s dedicated, knowledgeable, and friendly staff is a true key to our success, so during the closure, we will place our current West Seattle employees in our other PCC locations. Our hope is that many will stay with the co-op and return to West Seattle when the new store opens.

We look forward to continuing to welcome you into our West Seattle store over the coming months, and we hope to see you at our other stores, including the not-too-far away Columbia City PCC.

PCC has been a tenant at this site for more than a quarter of a century; as we first reported last May, Madison Development Group – bought the site for $5,750,000, but its plan for a new mixed-use building did not emerge until last month. As we reported along with news of a July 21st Design Review meeting, Madison’s early-stage plan is for 112 apartments over 25,000 square feet of retail space, with below-ground parking as well as the existing surface lot on the southwest side of the site.

This will be the second grocery-store redevelopment in the area; barely a block away, Admiral Safeway was rebuilt in 2010-2011. Madison Development Group also was part of that project – not the store itself, but the apartment building on the site’s east side, which another developer had initiated but couldn’t finish; Madison also was the final developer of the Spruce West Seattle site on the east edge of The Junction.

2:52 PM: We talked this afternoon by phone with PCC CEO Cate Hardy, to ask a few of the questions that have come up in comments, plus a few that we had.

First – the new store is not yet designed, so what it will and won’t include is yet to be determined. But it will be almost twice the size of the current West Seattle store, 25,000 square feet (current one is 13,000). The current store has 86 offstreet parking spaces; the current plan (subject to change) is for about 40 underground spaces in the new building, plus the 31 existing ones in the surface lot at 44th/Stevens.

Hardy was careful not to promise that anything you’re seeing in the newest PCC stores – Bothell, which opened today, plus Columbia City and Green Lake – would be replicated in the new West Seattle store, but she mentioned some possibilities: Full-service meat/seafood counter, for example; an “extensive” selection of made-in-store meals; rotisserie meats. And, “More of what’s already great,” including more room for more produce, bulk foods, etc.

The store’s 125 staff members are being offered not only employment in other PCC stores, but also incentives to stay at West Seattle until it closes next year, something Hardy says might be “unprecedented” for a situation like this.

Again, the PCC-plus-112-apartments project, which is being developed by the site’s new owner Madison, goes before the Design Review Board on July 21st.

Two biznotes this morning, both from The Admiral District:

ATOMIC BOYS’ VACATION: Kent and Parris Sadow from toy-and-candy palace Atomic Boys (4311 SW Admiral Way) send word that the shop is closed today through July 6th: “For the first time in several years, we will be closing Atomic Boys to take some vacation time .. Back before you know it!”

PIZZERIA 22’S ANNIVERSARY: Proprietor Cary Kemp says Thursday (June 30th) is the 5th anniversary of Pizzeria 22 (4213 SW College): “To thank the great community of North Admiral and West Seattle, we will be offering $5 Margherita pizzas and glasses of wine from 4 pm-10 pm.”

We’re welcoming CAPERS Home in The Junction as a new WSB sponsor, as the store celebrates its anniversary by giving YOU a gift – an anniversary sale! Here’s what CAPERS would like you to know about who they are and what they do:

(WSB photo, at CAPERS: From left, Mary, Peggy, Lisa, Claire, Joey)

Decorate. Entertain. Give. Since 1985.

Classics that last. We want to sell products that are classic, never dated. Quality products that won’t end up in the landfill. Our furniture has lifetime frames; our table linens hold their color for years. Even the baby gifts can be passed down to the next. We like products with a story: Fair-trade and women’s work groups produce the kind of products we like to sell and our customers like to discover. Because we are a small neighborhood store, we are ground floor for local makers with new products and fantastic books that reflect the unique Northwest lifestyle that we all enjoy.

Product Philosophy

Local, fair trade, timeless design, classic quality.

CAPERS loves local. What better way to get in on the ground floor of a new project than to find it in your own town. We often try out new products at the monthly Art Walk or at a pop-up event that, later, turn out to be regular favorites. Seattle has a large food community and a lot of great local cookbooks. Picture this adventure: Visit the Sunday Farmer’s Market for a bag full of goodies, swing into CAPERS for a large platter while you pick up a few new recipes, don’t forget the candles, have the gang over for a gorgeous, healthy dinner. Easy. Almost effortless.

We can’t find everything we need locally. The next best thing is to introduce you to the beautiful and handmade items, produced under good conditions, and traded fairly for fair prices. Many of these suppliers are born of women’s work projects providing female workers the financial means to support their families and their communities. From baby rattles to luxurious alpaca knits, to handbags, and dishes, our buyers are bringing you unique products with good stories.

Our home furnishings are beautifully classic with a dash of modern design. Make the decorating last, spend your time on the entertaining.

We have so many more products than we can show online. To see our products in person, visit us at CAPERS: 4525 California Avenue SW; 206-932-0371.

We thank CAPERS Home 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.

Thanks to Matt for the tip via Twitter. West Seattle no longer has a 24-hour-a-day QFC supermarket. Orange flyers on the Junction QFC doors announced that as of yesterday, the store’s hours are 5 am-midnight; same hours are posted at the Westwood QFC. Too late in the day for us to reach their corporate spokesfolk now, but we’ll be asking tomorrow; at least one other store in the region cut overnight hours in the past year. West Seattle still has other around-the-clock grocery stores, including Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) and the Safeways.

Found out about this via City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s newest online update: You’re invited to respond to the Seattle Legacy Business Survey. On her official page, she explains it, in part:

… In my first week as a Councilmember, a District 1 resident brought me the idea of a Seattle Legacy Business Program, modeled after a successful San Francisco effort. Since I chair the committee with oversight of economic development issues, I was inspired by the effort. The purpose of the San Francisco Legacy Business Registry is to:

“recognize that longstanding, community-serving businesses can be valuable cultural assets to the City. In addition, the City intends that the Registry be a tool for providing educational and promotional assistance to Legacy Businesses to encourage their continued viability and success.”

So, in order to see if there’s Seattle community concern that our own valued businesses are in peril, I am working with the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Seattle, and 4 Culture to survey community members to identify our most important business establishments; identify elements that contribute to the culture, character, and history of Seattle; and establish tools to protect them. …

The survey is simple – just five questions. Find it here. (And if you have extra time afterward, consider commenting here to let everyone know which businesses you miss/would miss!)

P.S. Councilmember Herbold’s next district-office-hours session is noon-7 pm today, this time at the South Park Community Center (8319 8th Avenue S.).

Five biznotes today:

ULTA TO WESTWOOD? The big Westwood Village space vacated by Pier 1 Imports has a new tenant on the way, according to city permit files: Ulta Beauty. The beauty-products retailer has almost 900 stores, according to its recent first-quarter-earnings report, including not-so-far-away Southcenter. We have a message out to their corporate HQ. (Update: Corporate response – “I don’t have anything to share with you at this time.”)

WONDERING ABOUT WHOLE FOODS? We’ve been asked recently about the latest timeline for Whole Foods Market to open in The Whittaker, the big mixed-use project under construction at 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW. So we asked a company spokesperson. Reply: “Second half of 2017.” (The apartments are opening sooner.)

KIZUKI, THE SAGA CONTINUES: Elsewhere in The Junction, the #1 “when is it opening?” question continues to involve Kizuki Ramen and Izakaya in Junction 47. The newest public answer: “Near the end of this month.”

TALARICO’S REMODEL: Several people asked what’s going on at covered-up Talarico’s Pizzeria in The Junction. Back in mid-May when we reported on the old Schuck’s sign uncovered out front, we mentioned that the restaurant explained this was all part of a front-end remodel including the windows. (Update: They’re reopening at 5 pm today.)

WHITE CENTER NOTES: In case you hadn’t seen our coverage on White Center Now – a county permit-application sign says the recently sold Chevron at 15th/16th/100th is set for a Starbucks and Popeye’s. In our followup attempts, the former has no comment aside from a generic “we’re always looking for new locations”; we haven’t reached media relations at the latter yet. … And if you are following the White Center Dairy Queen saga, which started with an abrupt shutdown blamed on “register failure” and has included allegations that the franchisee didn’t pay employees for their final two weeks, two tipsters spotted equipment being hauled out yesterday. We have a message out to DQ corporate. (Added 11:36 am – Just got a call back from DQ corporate, which is checking with the “territory operator” to find out the location’s fate. … Added 3:12 pm: The corporate spokesperson says this will NOT be reopening as a DQ.)

Four West Seattle biznotes this morning:

ELITE BJJ TRANSITION COMPLETE: At 5050 Delridge Way SW, the new look is in place and the gym’s new beginning as Elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu of Seattle (WSB sponsor) is under way. During last Sunday’s celebration, we photographed proprietor/coach Sonia Sillan in a brand-new workout space inside the 5,800-square-foot gym:

The website is all new, too – westseattlebjj.com – where you can find out more about the classes that Elite BJJ offers for all ages, all fitness levels, no contracts required.

Also in biznotes today, three anniversaries:

COMMUNITY ACUPUNCTURE PROJECT TURNS 7: You’re invited to the seventh-anniversary party coming up for the Community Acupuncture Project of West Seattle. 3-5 pm on Saturday, June 4th, music – Sid Law, performing live – and food are planned for the party at the clinic, 4545 44th SW.

SPIRA POWER YOGA TURNS 5: Also on June 4th, Spira Power Yoga in The Admiral District celebrates its fifth anniversary with a day of free classes (8 am, 9:30 am, 4:30 pm per their online schedule) and prize drawings for participants. Spira also has made a video in honor of the occasion, explaining the philosophy of being a “peaceful warrior.”

CUDDLE CLUB TURNS 1: In Morgan Junction, The Cuddle Club has just celebrated its one-year anniversary. And proprietor Lashanna Williams has expanded the business to add massage therapy and energy work, in addition to cuddling, Reiki, meditation, and crystal classes, plus special events. Details are on the recently remodeled Cuddle Club website.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

It was the shortest hearing we’ve ever covered in the city Hearing Examiner‘s windowless chambers on the 40th floor of the Municipal Tower downtown: 25 minutes.

The owner of Luna Park Café and two SDOT public-space-management employees faced deputy Hearing Examiner Anne Watanabe there on Thursday afternoon. At issue – as first reported here last Sunday – was the $500 citation Bennett received for having an A-frame sign (since removed) at Avalon and Harbor, half a block from his restaurant. He appealed the citation, and a hearing was set.

Representing SDOT: Katie Kowalczyk and Jason Johnson.

Representing Bennett: Himself.

Johnson, an inspector for the public-space-management division, started with the backstory:

Read More

Three West Seattle biznotes tonight:

TONY’S MARKET OPENS TOMORROW: After weeks of questions about when Tony’s Market at 35/Barton would open, we reported two weeks ago that people we found working at the site expected it would be within about a week and a half away. OK, the wait was a little longer, but now it’s almost over. Thanks to Cheri for the tip – she told us this afternoon that market proprietor Joey Genzale told her tomorrow is opening day; we subsequently stopped by to confirm it. From Saturday on, Tony’s will be open daily, 9 am-7 pm.

CAPITOL LOANS IS CLOSED: Thanks to the texter who tipped us to this one:

We went over and found signs posted in every window saying that loans can “be redeemed at the new location in Preston” (in east King County) and new loans are being handled at the company’s Capitol Hill store until the Preston location is ready to do that. The now-closed West Seattle location is on land at 4754 Fauntleroy Way SW for which a mixed-use development is planned, as first reported here in December and updated last month when the apartment count (now 133) and parking-space count (now 134) both went up. The project will have to go through Design Review, but there’s no date yet for the first meeting.

JUNCTION FITNESS: What had been Snap Fitness on the 42nd SW side of outer Jefferson Square since 2008 is now Junction Fitness. Donald Ward is the new owner of the 24/7 gym, now an independently owned gym. He says his journey started there as a member under the previous ownership; then he became manager, and now is the owner. As a West Seattle resident, his bio says, he “knew that West Seattle was the area to open his) very own gym, and help the community reach their fitness goals. A strong believer in providing the best customer service to the community, and a strong supporter of locally owned businesses. If you don’t catch Donald training his clients, you can catch him working the front desk, mopping/cleaning, or getting a workout himself… he is for sure a ‘hands-on’ owner that will bend over backward to keep his members happy.” Junction Fitness is at 4714 42nd SW.