Today, we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor: West Seattle Window and Door, owned by Joseph Miller (right), a West Seattle resident. Joseph grew up in Seattle belonging to a family with a passion for remodeling, music and the arts. Joe’s father, Jerry Miller, lead guitar player for the legendary San Francisco rock band Moby Grape, shared his love for music and film with little Joe. This led to Joseph’s love for music; he later started his own band, Open Blue.

While finishing his degree at the University of Washington, Joseph wanted to carry on the tradition of making the neighborhoods in Seattle energy efficient and beautiful. With this passion he decided to start West Seattle Window & Door. He is delighted to have his mom, Michan Rhodes, on board showcasing almost 30 years’ experience in replacement window/remodel consulting & design. She has been on the Northwest window & door scene for the past 28 years and has built a stunning design oriented portfolio to show for it.

Michan Rhodes began rolling little Joe and his younger brother and sisters around the neighborhood in a red Radio Flyer wagon looking at gardens and houses, visiting with neighbors, and sharing her ideas on how to beautify and restore their homes while embracing the original charm. Giving them the facelift needed for their homes, while adding energy efficiency and value, is and has always been her mission.

West Seattle Window & Door is committed to providing Homeowners, Contractors, Builders, Architects, and Designers with a high level of expertise and technical knowledge on an array of custom quality product lines at competitive prices. We will listen to your needs, discuss and interpret your distinctive style and space, and help you come up with a personally tailored design plan.

West Seattle Window & Door is a full-service company that meets with each customer one-on-one while taking direct responsibility for each project. This process has led to a steady stream of referrals. We believe you can maximize your investment without sacrificing quality or craftsmanship. Embrace what you already have without compromising your vision.

(Above: Before & after)
We offer Leaded Glass, Wood, Vinyl, Aluminum, Fiberglass, Wood Clad, Sound Reduction, Enlarged Openings, Bay Windows, Entry Doors, French Doors, and New Construction Window Packages at competitive prices. Free design consultations! All job estimates are free! We have a showroom located on Beach Drive (by appointment only). We are looking forward to moving our showroom up to one of the Junctions just as soon as the right spot presents itself. We are that West Seattle Business that supports the neighborhood & community.

West Seattle Window and Door is licensed, bonded and insured in compliance with all Washington state laws. Find WSWD online at westseattlewindows.com.

We thank West Seattle Window and Door 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.

Apparently the Port of Seattle‘s now-empty stretch Terminal 5 north of the west end of the high bridge is really starting to draw notice; though we reported on the reason almost two weeks ago, we’ve received a flurry of inquiries about it this weekend. So in case you missed the story too: Terminal 5 is empty because it’s closed. Its last ship arrived on July 23rd – here’s the story we published that day. Port commissioners have approved some funding to plan a modernization project, but completing it will require nine-figure spending and they haven’t started to discuss where that might come from. Meantime, the line that used T-5 is now sailing to and from Tacoma, while other cargo operations that were using it have been consolidated where the port had room.

(WSB photo, July 13th)
Ever since the closure of Admiralty House Antiques one year ago, the fate and future of 2141 California SW has been a subject of much interest. Two weeks ago, the 1920s-built brick building came out from under wraps after months of remodeling/renovation. And that’s brought in more questions about what’s going in. Today – new information, courtesy of this for-lease listing. The listing declares that an “experienced restaurant operator” is being sought for the larger of the two spaces into which it was divided. Peeking into the listing, the accompanying flyer shows Prospect Mortgage moving into the smaller space.

Daystar Retirement Village has joined WSB as one of our newest sponsors – and here’s what they would like you to know!

Welcome to Daystar Retirement Village! We are a locally-owned-and-operated retirement community with independent and assisted living apartments located in the south end of West Seattle.

Independent living at Daystar does not mean you have to “go it alone”! Our independent residents have amenities you might find in a fine hotel included in the monthly rent at Daystar. Things like scheduled transportation, zero maintenance apartments, full appliances in independent units (including washer and dryer), and well-being checks throughout the day, are some of the services our independent residents benefit from.

For those residents who need a little extra assistance to maintain their independence, we can provide Personal Assistance Services that include numerous medical and non-medical tasks for an additional monthly fee. For all residents, we have 24-hour staffing, flexible meal plans, housekeeping, free parking, emergency call system, locked front doors with surveillance cameras, and we’re pet-friendly!

Daystar offers a variety of diverse activities. It is your choice whether you want to participate but we truly have something for everyone. Art and history classes, trips to tourist sites and local shopping, Tai Chi, ice cream socials, movies, barbeques, and wellness classes are just a small sample of what you’ll find here.

Our location is another great advantage. We are just across the street from Westwood Village, which offers multiple restaurants, a gym, a US Post Office, Starbucks, Rite Aid, Target, and numerous other amenities. We have been a member in this community since 1988; we hope you will come visit us. We have someone here to give you a personal look around Daystar every day of the week. After your visit you will understand why the folks who live here often say: It’s so good to be home! Call 206-937-6122 and/or send a note here to schedule a visit.

We thank Daystar Retirement Village 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.

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Linda Walsh has a clearance sale going right now at her West Seattle Junction shop, Clementine.

This isn’t just any old clearance sale. It’s also a moving sale: She’s leaving West Seattle and moving her shop to Pioneer Square.

It’s been eight years now since, in the early months of WSB, we noticed the “coming soon” sign on papered-over windows of what had been a tanning salon at 4447 California SW.

The shoes, handbags, and other accessories Walsh has sold in the ensuing years have received acclaim and attention citywide. Yet making a go of it as a bricks-and-mortar business in an increasingly digital world hasn’t been easy, as Walsh and the proprietor of nearby Carmilia’s, Linda Sabee, told us in this WSB story a year ago. Yet Walsh says she’s not ready to give up on in-person shopping … after eight years, she says, she feels like she finally has a handle on how things should work.

But she’s going to deploy the knowledge elsewhere soon. Walsh says her new Pioneer Square space at 310 Occidental (a former lighting store) just seems to be a better place for what she does and offers. Office workers will be there during the day. Tourists will be there during the summer.

Besides the location, her new storefront will bring a few changes – it’s bigger than her cozy Junction space, including some basement. And Walsh will change the name a bit – it will now be Clementine’s. (Her web address has always been clementines.com, anyway.)

In the meantime, the aforementioned clearance sale continues. She told us today, “I hope not to have to move a single shoe.”

She also hopes for a seamless move to the new space without much, if any, downtime, intending to open there by early September.

SIDE NOTE: Hers is the second business to announce it’s about to leave the block of California SW north of Oregon – as reported here two weeks ago, Shoofly Pie Company is closing in mid-August; no new location in this case – they say they’re just getting out of the retail business.

(WSB photo taken this morning)
Just drove through Morgan Junction near the California SW paving zone. While the east-west part of the main intersection is open, unimpeded, right now, it’s one lane each way in the actual paving zone between Fauntleroy and Holly, and that means no street parking next to the businesses on the west side of the street. On behalf of their business and others in the area, Second Gear Sports asked if we’d remind you (a) they ARE open as usual despite the road work, which is scheduled to continue until Wednesday evening, and (b) there’s still other parking you can use while you’re visiting the businesses – alongside/behind the Subway/Pet Elements/WS Vision/Starbucks building, or across California in the Thriftway or BECU ATM (etc.) lots.

The state has officially announced its first 24 licenses for recreational-marijuana sales starting tomorrow, but there’s no West Seattle shop in the first group. But the one and only Seattle shop that’s on the list isn’t far – Cannabis City, 4th and Lander in SODO. So what happened to the North Delridge location that drew top Seattle spot in the state’s license lottery, Trichome & Calyx, in the 3500 block of Delridge Way (where there’s a medical-marijuana dispensary now)? Our partners at The Seattle Times report they’re still waiting for final word from the state if that location is ruled out because of the Alki Beach Academy preschool nearby (which opened at 2414 SW Andover after the license application had been filed); KPLU‘s Gabriel Spitzer had first word last week via Twitter that the location might not work out. Other applicants for addresses in that block were the next-highest West Seattle spots in the lottery; if it’s completely ruled out, the current dispensary site at 35th/Roxbury would be next up – we’ll be checking with the state.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

On the day he was due to answer the most-recent “unlawful detainer” complaint from the owner of the North Delridge property that holds West Seattle Athletic Club, its owner Sam Adams advised King County Superior Court that he filed for bankruptcy over the weekend.

We have confirmed the Chapter 11 case via documents filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court‘s Western District of Washington.

The “unlawful detainer” complaint was first reported here two weeks ago, with court filings including a document in which club landlord John Pietromonaco alleged that he was owed more than $594,000 including back rent and late fees.

Read More

This afternoon, we welcome a new WSB sponsor – locally owned NW Communication Connections! Here’s their message to you:

We are speech-language pathologists and glad to be here in West Seattle! Our office is located in The Junction, in the Jefferson Square building, where we have a fun space for working with people individually or in groups. Our mission is to not only help individuals improve their communication skills, but also to facilitate supportive connections with the local community whenever possible.

Katy and Ann have each spent many years working in the public schools, and are very familiar with the special education process. They are both “professional development junkies”, whose idea of a vacation is often to travel someplace fun to attend a conference.

Katy lives in West Seattle and has worked in public schools, universities, hospitals, clinics, and private practice for over 40 years. Most recently she worked at Arbor Heights Elementary, and is known to the community for her quiet professionalism, wide knowledge base, and caring nature. She is experienced working with clients from ages 3 years on up to young adulthood. Her areas of expertise include motor speech and phonological speech disorders, executive-function challenges, and social language/cognition skills for individuals on the upper end of the Autism Spectrum. Her objective is to design treatment/therapy plans to accommodate the individual needs of her clients. You can reach her at 206-947-7886.

Ann is known as an innovative professional, always looking for creative ways to infuse fun with solid interventions. She has spent many years focused on helping support people with social communication challenges and is excited to offer a range of social groups for the West Seattle community, including a social yoga group run in collaboration with Nicole Koleshis, an OT and sensory integration specialist, of Next Generation Yoga! She is also a member of the International Association of Orofacial Myology, a collaborative field of professionals that includes dentists, ENTs, sleep specialists, dental hygienists, and speech-language pathologists. You can reach her at 206-387-0947.

Please visit our website for more information, or call us for a free phone screening, so we can help you figure out what’s best for you. We look forward to connecting with you.

We thank NW Communication Connections 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.

The newest mixed-use building to open in West Seattle has its first retail tenant: Emerald Water Anglers is expecting to open by the end of this week at the southeast corner of 42nd/Oregon, ground floor of Oregon 42. EWA, founded in 1999, describes itself as Seattle’s only full-service fly-fishing outfitter, with guide services as well as retail gear sales (including Patagonia). Here’s another reason to visit their store:

Artist Chris Haberman is painting a mural inside the store today. He says it’s meant to tell the story of the fly-fishing waterways of the Northwest. Haberman is based in Portland; this is his 35th mural, first one in Seattle. Meantime, we’ll update when we hear which day Emerald Water Anglers plans to open the Junction store.

A few notes about commercial real estate in West Seattle:

HARBOR AVENUE SITE FOR SALE: New listing for a one-acre business/industrial site just east of the Harbor Avenue 7-11. 2501-2645 Harbor, three buildings used currently for marine-related business, is offered without a listing price – “negotiable,” according to the online flyer, which also notes, “Currently zoned C1-40. Excellent potential for apartment, office or mixed-use redevelopment.”

FAUNTLEROY WAY FOLLOWUPS: Late last year, we reported listings for three parcels on Fauntleroy Way in The Triangle. All three found buyers, according to our followup check of county records: 4441 Fauntleroy, home to an auto-repair business, sold this month for $2.1 million to a Burlington company; 4480 Fauntleroy, home to computer, coffee, and car businesses, sold in April for $708,000 to a SODO investor; and the 4151 Fauntleroy strip mall sold in December for $2.6 million to a Bellevue real-estate firm. None of the sites has a current development proposal.

That’s a rendering of what proprietor Phil Gustavson says the sign will look like when he opens the West Seattle School of Rock on the outer east side of Jefferson Square in The Junction. Gustavson says he’s signed the lease for the space next door to Dream Dinners (WSB sponsor) at 4701 41st SW, Suite 120. School of Rock is an international chain of music schools that teach guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, and drums, with lessons leading to performances. In this metro area, it has branches in Greenwood and Bellevue. Gustavson isn’t estimating an opening date yet, saying it depends mostly on how long it takes to get permits.

(Click image to see full-size citywide map of zones identified by the city)
Earlier this year, almost every community council in West Seattle (among others citywide) got a visit from Aly Pennucci, a Department of Planning and Development staffer working on potential zoning changes for “Pedestrian Retail Areas“ – which don’t necessarily align with what you might think of as neighborhood business districts. She brought along “preliminary recommendations” for each of the areas the city had pre-defined. At the same time, DPD put up an online survey that anyone could answer, and has just published the 902 replies it received, co-mingled instead of broken out by respondents’ neighborhoods, but if you scroll ahead to the second half, you’ll find the often-detailed replies to open questions such as “should other uses be allowed in pedestrian retail zones?”

This is all supposed to result in zoning changes to be proposed to the City Council by late summer. Something to add? aly.pennucci@seattle.gov

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

For the second time this year, an “unlawful detainer” action is pending against the ownership of West Seattle Athletic Club in North Delridge. That’s the formal term for a legal action that could result in eviction. As reported here in February, the first case was called off on the eve of a court hearing, and the lawyer for the club’s landlord, H-P Properties, told WSB at the time, that was because club ownership “came up with a payment sufficient to reinstate the lease.”

Documents available online showed that case was formally closed in early April. But court records show that a new “unlawful detainer” action was filed one month later, on May 2nd.

Read More

Two West Seattle business updates.

REDLINE WS OWNER AILING: Just half a year after Redline WS opened at 35th/Avalon, it hasn’t expanded operations as much as envisioned, and Kris Quigley, a friend of owner Mike Bauer, e-mailed to explain that Mike’s been ill and to share a crowdfunding link in addition to a request for support in general:

First of all, Mike would like to thank everyone who has supported RedlineWS and his dream of a neighborhood sports bar that everyone can enjoy.

I would really like to let everyone know of Mike’s condition and the reasons why his true vision of an amazing sports bar didn’t quite come together as he had envisioned. His ongoing illness has really impacted his ability to manage and operate the restaurant and has left Mike with an underfunded new business and mounting bills associated with medical bills etc. With continued support we would love to see Mike get the medical attention he needs to get his health back and see the sports bar grow into a West Seattle staple restaurant that everyone can enjoy for years to come.

As explained on the GoFundMe page, “Mike is suffering from a debilitating illness that has attacked his nervous system, making tasks as simple as walking impossible.” The diagnosis remains a mystery. However, Redline IS open, Kris says – “Lack of funding didn’t allow for keeping the coffee shop open in the early morning at 5 am as we intended. So for now the restaurant opens at 11 am and is open till 9 pm for under 21 and open till 2 am for over 21. We have a strong trivia night Wednesdays, a newly put-together family-friendly karaoke on Tuesdays till 9pm, and Thursdays Free Poker is starting” and even just going there would be welcome support, Kris says: “Give the bar a chance knowing the obstacles Mike faced to open it and understand that it is still truly a work in progress.”

YOUNG AT ART CLOSED: Just shy of two years ago, the art classes/studio business Young At Art had to leave its Junction location, as did all the businesses at 42nd/Alaska/California, because of the then-impending Equity Residential development (although demolition ultimately did not start for months). YAA found a new home at Fauntleroy/Raymond. But now, it’s closed, according to both a sign outside and a note on Facebook from owner Theresa:

The time over the last 3 years has been nothing short of magical to me and my children. I am in great hopes that the idea of freestyle art and getting downright messy, covered in paint up to your chin in recycle projects, has made its way into your children’s lives, your homes and hearts, as much as the time I have spent with your children has made an impression on my life that I can never forget. The studio is now in the process of closing up…maybe not forever.. but for now it’s time to say thank you and have a great summer. Enjoy your children and all the amazing creative wild adventures you have with them.

The message outside the studio also wishes everyone a great summer. (Thanks to all the readers who e-mailed to ask/tip us about this closure.)

Two quick notes looking ahead to this weekend:

BURGER BOSS ‘SOFT OPEN’ SATURDAY: When we first reported on Burger Boss (20th/Barton in South Delridge) back in April, they mentioned a plan to soft-open in early June. They’re achieving it, co-proprietor Brian Azzano tells WSB, tomorrow, starting at 4 pm, “for dinner and beyond.”

TAT’S TRUCK LAUNCHES SUNDAY: Last week we mentioned that West Seattleites are launching a truck spinning off from the popular Tat’s Deli in Pioneer Square, and that they expected to launch it in WS. Thanks to James for keeping an eye on the Tat’s Truck website and pointing out that they’ve announced they’ll debut at Hans VW (35th/Graham) 11 am-2 pm this Sunday. (Also thanks to SeattleFoodTruck.com for calling our attention to that too.)

SPEAKING OF TRUCKS … one of this area’s regulars is off the street until next week, and it’s for happy news: the proprietors of Thai-U-Up, a dinnertime fixture at the 30th/Roxbury gas station, announced via Facebook that they’re closed through June 10th (reopening next Wednesday) because they’re getting married. Congratulations!