West Seattle, Washington
30 Sunday
Catching up on some of the new businesses that are on the way … we start with two Westwood Village notes tonight. The space next to Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor), from which NK Nails moved to take the former Jamba Juice space on the east side of the center, will become a haircut shop called SportClips, according to notices posted on the door. It’s a chain geared toward men – in particular, men who like watching sports on TV, which SportClips promises will be “everywhere” in its shops. The notice on the door says they’re hoping “to open around end of October, beginning of November.” … And on the south side of the center, along Barton, another nationwide company is setting up shop – the long-vacant space that back in 2013 had a Panda Express penciled in is now becoming a branch of ATI Physical Therapy.
Tonight’s the night you can congratulate Frances and John Smersh on 13 years in business with Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) – originally opened in Admiral, then moved to 4540 California SW in The Junction seven years ago. Tonight’s centerpiece – a pop-up in the Click! loft with creations by Click! team members, including this work by Chayse:
Adia, Elyssa, and Michelle are part of the pop-up, too.
You’ll also find some of Frances’s 2-D work (she’s branched out from jewelry) – look for even more during the next West Seattle Art Walk on October 12th. Tonight’s party is on until 8 pm, with treats and in-store specials as the Smershes celebrate another year of selling cool stuff from furnishings to accessories and beyond (including locally themed items you won’t find anywhere else) as well as art and wearables.
It was a beautiful and busy night for the first-ever West Seattle Junction Wine Walk, a perfect pairing of wineries and merchants. The idea was so popular, tickets sold out long before the sipping started. Tonight’s participants included West Seattle wineries – north Morgan Junction’s Viscon Cellars (top photo), whose team poured at CAPERS (where ticketholders began their night) and south Admiral’s Welcome Road Winery , featured at Carmilia’s Boutique (below):
Music mixed with wine at Thunder Road Guitars, whose featured winery was Nine Hats:
Click! Design That Fits – which celebrates its 13th anniversary this Saturday – hosted Treleaven/Red Earth Wines:
Menashe and Sons Jewelers had Coral Wines pouring:
Along with the winery/merchant teams, the Junction Association’s volunteers helped power the night:
Joanie Jacobs coordinated them:
Yes, there will be a second Wine Walk, West Seattle Junction Association executive director Lora Swift tells WSB – next May. (Watch for other opportunities to explore The Junction in the meantime, such as the monthly West Seattle Art Walk on second Thursdays, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market on Sundays, and the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival coming up October 29th!)
Tonight’s other pairings are all listed here. And our customary disclosure – the businesses and wineries mentioned above include WSB sponsors: Viscon Cellars, Welcome Road Winery, Thunder Road Guitars, Click! Design That Fits and Menashe & Sons Jewelers.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
WSB has just confirmed that the West Seattle Whole Foods Market is back on.
WFM spokesperson Susan Livingston confirms that to WSB this afternoon via e-mail: “We are moving forward with our West Seattle location at The Whittaker and will share more information on timelines for the opening once details are finalized.”
We inquired today after seeing WFM featured in the graphic shown atop this story – it’s the latest online map of which businesses are going where at The Whittaker (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW; WSB sponsor).
It’s been six months since the revelation that Whole Foods was backing out of West Seattle again, though its official statement at the time was that “Whole Foods Market has decided to delay indefinitely the opening of our West Seattle store.” The company overseeing the businesses in The Whittaker, Weingarten Realty, subsequently said that WF was working with it to find a replacement tenant.
Less than three months later came the news about Amazon buying Whole Foods. We tried multiple times after that – before and after the deal closed – to get a comment about whether the new ownership might lead WFM to reconsider the West Seattle store location; no reply.
Until now, the space has continued to be shown on the online Whittaker site map as available – you can see that in our August story about the signing of another tenant, Orangetheory Fitness. And then our routine check last night showed Whole Foods was back on the map – Weingarten pointed us to WFM for comment, and we just got the confirmation quoted above.
It’s been almost five years since Whole Foods was originally announced as the anchor tenant for The Whittaker (even before the mixed-use project got that name). That in turn was two years after WF announced it was no longer going into the project across the street that at the time was an inactive excavation site dubbed “The Hole,” since sold and finished as Spruce, with LA Fitness in the space where the grocery store was to be.
At The Whittaker, Whole Foods will join already-signed businesses T-Mobile (which is now open), BECU, MOD Pizza, CityMD, and Orangetheory Fitness. As spokesperson Livingston told us, there’s no timeline just yet – but we’ll continue to follow up. Before the March announcement, the company had told us two months earlier that it was expecting to open the store in summer 2018.
Until 9 tonight, there’s a party in Fauntleroy’s Endolyne business district – the grand-opening celebration for Treo Organic Salon. It’s in the 45th SW/SW Wildwood corner space where Salon Fauntleroy closed earlier this year, next to The Original Bakery and two doors down from Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor). Treo’s proprietor is Sarah Griffiths:
Sarah explains, “We are partnered with Green Circle Salons which allows us to recycle used foil, hair clippings, and much more, reducing our waste by 85-95%. We also work with a new charity every year donating a portion of all sales and services to the cause. This year we are working with the White Center Food Bank. We will happily take food donations on their behalf as well.” That includes at tonight’s party.
Sports consignment (and more) store Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor) is turning 4 years old, and you get the gifts – a weekend-long celebration. Here’s the announcement:
Come celebrate Second Gear Sports’ 4th anniversary sale, Saturday, 9/23, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 9/24, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will have deals throughout the store, treats, and early shopping for holiday gifts (new Seahawks gear, Sock it to Me sock line, and more!).
On Sunday, we’ll have two special West Seattle guests ready to answer questions about bicycling and skiing from 11 am to 1 pm:
Marilyn Meyer, the “bike whisperer,” is a retired teacher with a passion for getting kids on two wheels. She has taught bunches of local kids to ride a bike in just one hour! Find out how to get your child pedaling.
Brian Allen, ski instructor at Summit at Snoqualmie, is a seasoned “snow pro” with adults and kids, alike. Learn more about starting your child on the slopes, or ramping up your own ski experience!
Second Gear Sports is in Morgan Junction at 6529 California SW.
Late last night, several people messaged us with links to a Facebook post in which a person identifying himself as an employee of private-ambulance company AMR said his employer had been banned from parking ambulances at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) while crews awaited their next call.
As we often mention in breaking-news coverage, AMR is called in when people are not injured seriously enough to need transport by city-owned-and-operated medic units (those units are based at fire stations – West Seattle has one medic unit, Medic 32, based at Fire Station 32 in The Triangle). AMR doesn’t have a headquarters facility in our area, so you will often see a between-calls ambulance crew parked somewhere – we’ve seen them on the street and in supermarket and restaurant parking lots.
We told the people who messaged us last night that we’d look into this today. (Online comments suggested it had been circulated to TV stations hours earlier, and this story ensued late last night.) Today, Thriftway – a locally owned independent store – published this message on its own Facebook page:
AMR is a privately owned for profit company held by Clayton, Dubilier and Rice, a private investment firm worth approximately $17 Billion. In an effort to lower costs and increase profits AMR’s management has instructed their employees to operate their business out of West Seattle Thriftway’s facility.
This action consisted of parking for several hours at a time and taking up several parking stalls due to the size of the vehicles limiting spaces for our customers at peak business hours. Over the last two years several requests have been made by West Seattle Thriftway to not use prime parking during peak business hours and has been met with little compliance from AMR staff.
Contrary to what has been posted, West Seattle Thriftway HAS NOT banned anyone from shopping with us and we fully support all of the fine EMT’s, Nurses, and Emergency Professionals.
What we cannot support is an outside company’s desire to increase their bottom line profit by impacting our ability to operate our facility efficiently and provide our customers with parking during peak hours.
We are open to discussing use with AMR during non-peak hours if compliance could be assured.”
If you have any questions, we welcome your email: http://westseattlethriftway.com/contactus.html
We also spoke by phone with Thriftway’s owner Paul Kapioski, who reiterated to WSB that he has been trying to work with AMR on this for two years “and getting very little response for them. … We simply wanted to ask them to not impact customers during our prime times … I hate to tell anybody they can’t park here, but it’s a private business, running their business out of our lot.” Meantime, we have a message out to the media-relations department at AMR (whose website says the company’s in the process of being sold) asking if they have encountered similar situations elsewhere
ADDED: Here’s the response we received from AMR spokesperson Jason Sorrick:
In the 10 years I have been with the company, I cannot recall ever dealing with such a request. We post vehicles and move locations similar to police officers, and select locations based on easy access to freeways and main roads. We also tend to choose areas that are well lit at night and visible to the public to help keep our emergency crews safe while they are waiting for their next call.
Businesses are generally welcoming to our crews, and appreciate the patronage of our employees. Places like Starbucks understand our role in the community and are very accommodating to emergency personnel. If a business owner has an issue, they can simply contact us and we will be more than willing to change our posting.
Two notes about this Thursday (September 14th):
COMMUNITY CENTERS CLOSED: Citywide, Seattle Parks‘ community centers will all be closed this Thursday. The note on the Parks website:
All our Community Centers will be closed Thursday, September 14th for a division retreat. School Age Care programs will be open as normal.
(Added – we verified with Parks that Southwest Teen Life Center will be part of the day-long closure, too.)
DELRIDGE BUSINESS-SURVEY MEETING POSTPONED: The event to release results of the Delridge Business Survey, originally announced for this Thursday, has to be postponed due to a key participant’s illness. No new date yet; we’ll publish an update when one is announced.
11:08 AM: Just look for the A-board outside Great American Diner and Bar, where the first-ever Westside Job Fair is on until 1 pm. At the front door, you’ll check in with these friendly folks – Julie, Bethany, and Denise – and they’ll point you toward the tables where more than 30 local business owners and managers have been interviewing candidates since 10 am:
Steady stream of people – and the first person who came to the job fair was hired on the spot, we’re told, by Junction TrueValue! So if you’re looking for work, or thinking about changing jobs, this is the place to be – 4752 California SW. The West Seattle Junction Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce are presenting the Westside Job Fair, and we’re here as the event’s media sponsor. (Local businesses get free job listings in the WSB Forums, so if you’re looking for an employee OR looking for an employer, that’s the online place to go.)
12:01 PM: More than 100 jobseekers had signed in as of the start of the third hour, WSJA executive director Lora Swift tells us!
Got your resumés ready? Just hours until the first-ever Westside Job Fair – with 30+ businesses interviewing candidates on the spot. In most cases, you’ll be dealing directly with the decisionmakers – talking to the owners of the businesses that are looking for help. Just show up between 10 am and 1 pm at Great American Diner and Bar in The Junction (4752 California SW). It’s the first-ever job fair presented by the West Seattle Junction Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, with co-sponsors including WSB. (Local businesses get free job listings here year-round.) See you there!
Now that it’s Labor Day, we’re just two days away from the first-ever Westside Job Fair, where more than 30 local employers (listed here) will be waiting to talk to you about working for them here on the peninsula. (Imagine not having to deal with bridge backups!) 10 am-1 pm Wednesday (September 6th), the West Seattle Junction Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce are presenting the job fair at the Great American Diner and Bar, 4752 California SW, and we’re proud to be the media sponsor, since we’ve been working for years to help connect local businesses and workers via free job listings. So if you’re looking for work, or thinking about a change, we’ll see you Wednesday!
Looking for something to listen to on this holiday? Mike Powell usually podcasts about “action sports” – but as a longtime West Seattleite, he interviewed one of our area’s most legendary entrepreneurs, Easy Street Records proprietor Matt Vaughan, who has some unforgettable stories to tell – not just about his own achievements, but also family members, from his surf-clothing-inventing grandma to his rock-promoter mom. Mike sent us the interview link; we listened to it last night, and thought you might be interested:
Matt and Mike’s hour-and-a-half discussion includes a little bit about the prospective Easy Street takeover of the old Corner Pocket space, and a whole lot more – from his time as a teenage rock photographer, stretching across the 30-plus ensuing years of adventure.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
As Delridge grows and changes, one thing has remained the same: Its lack of a grocery store.
What is now the Delridge Grocery Cooperative has been working on that for years. And its board members were heartened to see the latest sign of interest – a full room at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center for the co-op’s “town hall” this past Wednesday.
As noted in our preview published two nights earlier, the centerpiece of the meeting was the unveiling of the Delridge Grocery Co-op “market study,” professionally conducted research that had to be done before they apply again for the loan that’s needed to get the store open in its long-reserved space at 5444 Delridge Way SW.
There to hear about it, and ask questions, was a roomful of people from longtime co-op members to former board members to current board members, even newly interested neighbors saying they “just want to help.”
And it will take all that help, and more, to make the dream of a store finish coming true. “When we cut the ribbon, I’m riding in on a white horse,” joked Delridge Grocery board president Andrea Wilmot.
Here’s what was reported, asked, and answered during the hour-plus-long meeting:
Three biznotes to share:
SUPREME PROGRESS: Thanks to the texter who let us know that signage starting to appear on the exterior of the future Supreme, pizza, pinball, and more from Ma’Ono and New Luck Toy chef/co-proprietor Mark Fuller. We stopped by and got a peek as remodeling continues:
This space is the former Pellegrini Market (4521 California SW).
STARBUCKS WEST SEATTLE DRIVE-THRU REMODELING: Back in March, we reported that online records showed remodeling work was on the way for the drive-thru Starbucks at Fauntleroy/Avalon/35th in West Seattle. The company wouldn’t comment. But now a sign’s up alerting customers that the work is starting.
Thanks to Anna for the photo.
ALKI URBAN MARKET: A few months back, a reader told us the convenience store at 2820 Alki SW, open almost 10 years, was going to close at summer’s end. We tried but couldn’t get the owner to confirm. Now, at summer’s end, it apparently has indeed shut down – after reader tips, we went over to look, and while there’s no sign on the door, the store is dark and the shelves are empty. No indication in public records of what’s happening in the space next.
Looking for work? For the first time ever, West Seattle employers are joining forces to look for you. We’re now just eight days from the Westside Job Fair, presented by the West Seattle Junction Association, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and WorkSource, with co-sponsors including WSB (where we offer local businesses free help-wanted ads year-round). You can see the updated list of participating employers here. The event is set for 10 am to 1 pm Wednesday, September 6th, at Great American Diner and Bar (4752 California SW) – bring resumés and be ready for on-the-spot interviews.
Three West Seattle biznotes:
ELLIOTT BAY TWO-DAY CLOSURE: Elliott Bay Brewing Company in The Junction is closed today and tomorrow “for beautification and repairs,” and plans to reopen at 11 am Wednesday.
WAITING FOR MOD PIZZA? We checked to see if the pizza place signed last year for The Whittaker (WSB sponsor) is opening any time soon. The reply from spokesperson Charlotte Wayte: “This opening has been pushed out a few months, and we’re now looking at June 2018.”
NEW AT CHARLESTOWN CENTER: The second-floor corner space at 3727 California SW that housed West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) before their move to 2743 California SW a few years ago finally has a new tenant as of this month: Schoeb Chiropractic. The announcement from Ryan Schoeb, D.C., and wife Molly Schoeb says they have lived in West Seattle for more than 10 years, and he’s now moved his practice close to home, after 13 years on the Eastside. They are Genesee Hill Elementary parents and Dr. Schoeb has coached West Seattle Little League, West Seattle Baseball, and West Seattle Soccer Club teams.
Imagine not having to cross the Duwamish River to get to your job. There are just a few ways to make that dream come true – telecommute, start your own (local) business, or … get a West Seattle job. Yes, they do exist. We showcase them in the West Seattle Jobs Offered section of the WSB Forums (listings are free for local businesses) – and now, the first-ever Westside Job Fair is in the works! Presented by the West Seattle Junction Association and the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce (and co-sponsored by WSB), the job fair is set for 10 am-1 pm Wednesday, September 6th, at Great American Diner and Bar in The Junction (4752 California SW). Bring your resumé, because participants – the list, so far (more to come), is here – will be interviewing on the spot.
Today, we welcome Rain Day Spa as a new West Seattle Blog sponsor. New local sponsors get the chance to tell you about what they do – and here’s what Rain Day Spa would like you to know:
When visiting Rain Day Spa, you will find yourself relaxed and pampered. Your spa experience begins with the aroma therapy of eucalyptus, lemon grass, and sweet orange, combined with the soothing sounds of wooden pipes and gentle rain, followed by spa owner Angela’s genuinely warm smile and a complimentary cucumber water.
Our massage and facial tables and our lash chairs are first rate, ensuring absolute comfort during your treatment. We have attracted superior talent to our spa; our masseur and masseuses, estheticians, and lash specialist are experienced and dedicated to the mastery of their craft.
We offer Swedish, therapeutic, and relaxation massages of varying durations, as well as custom European and microdermabrasion / microcurrent facials. Lash extensions and a variety of waxing and tinting services, in addition to LED light treatments, round out the menu. Be sure to add a honey sugar foot massage and scrub to your selection in order to maximize your experience.
Our goal is simple: To enhance your beauty and your enjoyment of life. Located on Harbor Avenue SW in between Salty’s and 7/11, we aim to serve the local community with highly competitive pricing, six days a week. Call 206-203-RAIN (206-203-7246). We look forward to serving you.
We thank Rain Day Spa 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.
Another commercial space at The Whittaker (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW; WSB sponsor) has been leased. Orangetheory Fitness will move into a 3,905-square-foot space in the south building, Weingarten Realty confirms. Orangetheory Fitness is a chain with hundreds of locations, specializing in what it calls “heart-rate-based interval training.” You can see its future location on Weingarten’s Whittaker “site map” above, which also shows that nobody is signed yet for what was to be the Whole Foods space – the site map indicates that could go to two tenants. (The other four businesses shown on the site map – BECU, CityMD, MOD Pizza, and T-Mobile – were announced a year ago and expected to open later this year.)
(Photo courtesy Ventana Construction)
Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) has just officially announced its new location – just blocks south of the old one that’s being redeveloped by that site’s owner. Ventana has moved from a log house to a “hacienda”:
We are excited to announce the move of our headquarters to a new location at the corner of California Avenue SW and SW Raymond Streets. This is exactly two blocks south of our leased office location, which was our base of operations for 10 years. Only one digit in the address has changed – 5958 California Avenue SW, Seattle, WA 98136.
Moves are bittersweet, especially given how much we invested in and adored our rented office, but change is part of life-particularly when you’re in the construction business. We feel very lucky to have been able to stay on California Avenue SW in the Morgan Junction neighborhood, which has been our home since the company’s inception in 2003.
We are also thrilled to be stewards of one of the dwindling number of original buildings on California Avenue SW. The Hacienda was built in 1930 and still has the original finishes-mahogany millwork, coved ceilings with heavy texture plaster, a small fireplace with an alcove and red oak floors. It is in remarkably good shape given that it was a rental for most of its years. In the 1937, the tax assessor’s office noted that rent was $30/month.
It’s also one of the few corners that still looks substantially the same as it did in the King County Archive photo [above], which we believe is from the late ’30s. The streetcar tracks are gone, as are the beautiful street lights in the left of the photo, but much is unchanged. Proposed multi-family development planned around our building may soon change the character of this corner of Morgan Junction permanently.
We continue to remodel homes, often with additions and whole-house renovations, in West Seattle and other neighborhoods in the city. We also build custom homes and backyard cottages (DADUs). We welcome inquiries via phone 206-932-3009 and our website www.ventanabuilds.com
We are also proud to have been a supporter of independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via advertising in the West Seattle Blog for 10 years as of this coming February.
SIDE NOTE: Before you ask, we’ll be checking on the timetable for the move of the house in which Ventana was previously headquartered.
Today we’re welcoming Cup of Hope Baskets and Gifts as a new WSB sponsor. New local sponsors get the opportunity to tell you about themselves, and here’s what Cup of Hope would like you to know:
Summer may not last long here in Seattle, but that doesn’t mean the experience needs to fade. Whether you’ve been a guest in someone’s home or simply want to surprise your guest upon arrival, Cup of Hope Baskets and Gifts offers a selection of designer gift baskets to make those memories last throughout the year.
Every basket we create features an exquisite bone china teacup, boldly designed fine porcelain cup, or a sporty way to carry a favorite beverage, and award-winning luxury organic teas. Filled to the brim with joyful accessories and trimmings, Cup of Hope baskets become treasured keepsakes guaranteed to delight and inspire long after they’re delivered. The collections are designed to be uplifting, and to inspire relaxation, encouragement, celebration and thankfulness.
Free Gift Offer for West Seattle Blog Readers
You deserve something special too, so be sure to learn more about your appreciation gift below.
How Cup of Hope Began: Treating Yourself Is the Best Medicine
Nancy Parker is the founder of Cup of Hope Baskets and Gifts and a breast cancer survivor. Back in 2006, she underwent chemotherapy, the most emotionally draining and vulnerable time in her life. During those treatments, she was served hot tea, but in styrofoam cups. It was there and then she decided that she at least deserved a pretty cup to drink her tea from. Along with her cup, she would pack a few other goodies to go with her tea. That became her first “basket.”
Her baskets got noticed, so Nancy made up more of them for her cancer support group. The ladies loved them! This overwhelmingly positive experience catalyzed her into launching Cup of Hope Baskets and Gifts. “Giving something pretty, tangible and memorable can have an immeasurable impact on someone’s day. And giving something that lasts long after that day, is a continual reminder of just how much you care,” Nancy believes. It’s this philosophy that drives Nancy to continue her gift basket donations to Seattle and Eastside hospitals through patient navigators and social workers. She also provides free delivery to hospitals located on First Hill.
Thank You, West Seattle
As an appreciation to the wonderful West Seattle community, receive a complimentary Be Strong book, filled with quotes that inspire, with your gift basket order placed through the month of August. Use the promo code BESTRONG and save on shipping costs too by selecting the free pickup option when you check out.
We thank Cup of Hope Baskets and Gifts 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.
Artists/designers Jason and Briana are touring cross-country with the Airstream Basecamp trailer they’re standing in front of in our photo, parked right now in front of Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor) in The Junction. Their company is Brainstorm, based in New Hampshire, with prints “inspired by science, nature, and the outdoors”; they won a cross-country trip in the trailer as the prize in a contest to design a wrap for it. They’re chronicling the journey here. Meet them at Click! and check out their pop-up shop until 7 tonight.
(L-R, Laurel Trujillo, Agen Schmitz, Lynn Dennis, Matt Larson, David Daw, Parie Hines, Willard Brown)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Starting today, volunteer community “ambassadors” are visiting businesses along much of Delridge Way in the next phase of the survey we first told you about last week.
This week, we sat down to talk with seven people who are involved in various roles, to find out more about the project’s intent and goals.
Partners in the project include the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. DNDA’s director of housing and environmental programs Willard Brown explains that “supporting and helping to organize our business community here in Delridge” emerged as a top priority during work on what was the North Delridge Action Plan in the past few years.
So they sought a city grant to hire a consultant. Working with consultant David Daw – also present for our conversation – “we settled on a survey of businesses to find out their impression of Delridge, their interests, why they are here, what they think of the neighborhood,” and where Delridge is growing and going. Read More
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