Today we’re welcoming Kahler Law Office as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what attorney Amy K. Kahler would like you to know about what she does:

Based in West Seattle, Kahler Law Office represents parents, families, and children: “Working with me is often intertwined with an important life event – from the difficulty of a divorce to the joy of an adoption, and everything in between. I most often hear that I helped make the process ‘less scary’ and offered reasonable solutions to my client’s situation. They appreciate that I’m proactive in my communications, a strong advocate for their case, and that I’m ‘pretty nice … for a lawyer’!

“My personal philosophy as a lawyer is to represent my clients with integrity and compassion. Today’s modern family looks a lot different than the generations before us, and they present unique challenges. I respect the circumstances that bring my clients to me, and am mindful of their need to move on to the next chapter of their life with empowerment and dignity.”

Kahler Law Office is online at kahlerlaw.net, where you’ll find a form to request a consultation; you also can e-mail amy@kahlerlaw.net or call 206-841-6343.

We thank Kahler Law Office 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.

Experimac is now open at 6040 California SW (just north of longtime WSB sponsor West Seattle Office Junction). Proprietor Travis Weaver is the local franchisee of this nationwide chain of stores that sell used Apple computer/phone equipment as well as doing repairs. After a tip from Rick, we noted the “coming soon” signs a while back, never made contact with anyone but then noticed while passing that the shop was open today, so we stopped in – they just opened the doors yesterday, Weaver said. His shop is open 10 am-7 pm Mondays-Fridays, 10 am-5 pm Saturdays, closed Sundays.

8:51 AM: A third drydock is in the works for Vigor‘s Harbor Island shipyard. The company announced this morning that it has “entered into an agreement to purchase a drydock from a Korean seller” and that it will be the largest drydock there, “640 feet long with a clear width of 116 feet.” Also from the news release announcing the plan:

“The purchase of another drydock in Seattle allows Vigor to better service valued customers like Washington State Ferries, the U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Navy,” notes Adam Beck, Vigor Executive Vice President of Ship Repair. “It also further strengthens our market position in commercial ship repair on the West Coast and supports our expansion into new markets.”…

Beck and his team had been actively looking for the right drydock at home and abroad for a number of months. The one selected happened to be in Korea. The team is working to finalize the transaction and have the dock operational in Seattle by late fall.

It’s been almost two years since Vigor moved a 528-foot drydock here from its Portland facilities, replacing one that had been decommissioned. We have asked a few followup questions and will add anything more we find out.

UPDATED 12:01 PM: While the timeline isn’t finalized yet, Vigor spokesperson Athena Maris tells WSB the new drydock is likely to arrive in November, under tow. In addition to the 528-foot Vigilant, mentioned above, the other existing drydock at Vigor – known just as #10 – is 552 feet.

From Admiral to South Delridge, two West Seattle businesses are celebrating anniversaries this weekend:

WEST SEATTLE RUNNER: Today through Sunday, this longtime WSB sponsor (2743 California SW) is celebrating seven years in business with special events as well as giveaways and treats. Today, 12:30 pm-2:30 pm, free injury assessments with Dr. Nate Moore. The lineup for Saturday is here – including a special evening celebration with live music! – and the Sunday plan is here. (Throwback – here’s our February 2010 story with proprietors Lori and Tim announcing their plan.)

FRESH FLOURS BAKERY: The bakery and coffee shop in South Delridge celebrates its one-year anniversary on Sunday and they “invite everyone to celebrate it with us with free heart cookies and dollar-off drinks!” Haven’t been to Fresh Flours yet? 9410 Delridge Way SW. (Throwback – here’s our April 2016 story with proprietors Etsuko and Keiji as FF prepared to open.)

Maybe you’ve seen the sign for The Studio West Seattle (2648 59th SW in Alki, where Gelarto quietly closed last fall). It’s a brand-new photography studio – and one of its proprietors is someone whose work WSB readers have seen, photographer Leda Costa. She and husband/co-proprietor Jeff Larson invite you to their open house on Saturday (April 8th) for treats and giveaways, and to find out more about their services: “We’d like to invite people this Saturday from 5-7 to come to our space, meet us, ask us anything, and get to know what we offer! We’re trying to break the stereotype of cheesy walk-in photo studio, so we want people to get to know us, our process, and the work we offer. Pets, people, still life, we do it all!”

For PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor) customers contemplating the West Seattle store’s upcoming construction closure – next year you’ll have another option. PCC announced today that it will open a store “early next year” in Burien, at the Five Corners shopping center (15840 1st Ave. S.). From the announcement:

The Burien PCC project will be the first designed for PCC by Seattle-based Graham Baba Architects. The firm will also design the co-op’s West Seattle and Madison Valley stores.

Since 2013, PCC has added new locations in Seattle’s Green Lake and Columbia City neighborhoods and, last year, in the city of Bothell. It plans to open its 13th store in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood in 2019. The community-owned food market also complemented store growth with the addition of online delivery in 2016 through partnerships with Instacart and Amazon.

The West Seattle store is scheduled to close May 31st for construction of a mixed-use project including a larger new PCC.

P.S. We confirmed with PCC that its Burien space is the former Albertsons at Five Corners.

From the “in case you wondered too” file: After we heard this morning about the Payless Shoe Source Chapter 11 filing and a plan for the company to close about 10 percent of its stores as part of its restructure, we wondered about the Westwood Village store. The company posted its closure list about an hour ago and the West Seattle store is NOT on the list, so it is staying open.

Three West Seattle business notes today:

RADIO SHACKS CLOSING: Thanks to Mike for the tip: Both West Seattle Radio Shacks now have big “CLOSING” banners out front. We stopped in the Westwood Village store (photo above) to ask for details – they say March 29th is their last day if they don’t sell everything out by then. (They couldn’t comment on whether the storefront would stay open as a Sprint store, which is happening with some RS locations co-housed with Sprint.) You might have suspected this if you’ve been following the national news about the chain’s woes.

WHAT’S GOING IN THE FORMER CASK: City permit-application files show that Kumon is seeking to open a tutoring center in the Admiral space where The Cask closed in 2014 (2350 California SW). We have an inquiry out to the company about their timeline.

EAT-PLAY-LOVE FAMILY LEARNING CENTER: This is a new business launched by local speech therapist/childhood-development specialist Tanna Neufeld, expanding her offerings “to offer a series of services for our West Seattle families.” They include playgroups, workshops, and more; her center is on the fourth floor of the Jefferson Square office building, 4700 42nd SW, Suite 447.

Thanks to Fleurt in The Junction for the tip on this: A nationwide outage is affecting businesses who use Square for payments. The company is updating its customers on this webpage, and saying it’s not sure how long it will take to fix. While some apparently can use “offline mode” to keep accepting card-swipe payments, that may not cover everyone, so if you were heading soon to a business that you know uses Square, you might consider carrying cash.

Today we’re welcoming Sea-Town Real Estate, which has just opened in West Seattle, as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what they would like you to know about what they do:

Christian Harris is proud to announce the grand opening of Sea-Town Real Estate, West Seattle’s newest Indy Real Estate Brokerage.

Sea-Town Real Estate provides an alternative to the traditional methods and mentality of the conventional brokerage. They are redefining the “full-service” real estate experience by offering a suite of complimentary listing services, attention to every detail of what the client wants and the process, freeing their clients from the stress and upfront home-selling preparation expenses that are common. They have also integrated community involvement and service into their core foundational values.

Christian combines his skills and knowledge acquired from his background of 15 years as a finish carpenter and high-end home remodeling with his 14 years of service (so far) in the Army National Guard as a Military Intelligence Officer. The intimate knowledge and problem-solving required in home remodels and linear analysis, and technology background developed in the military, have allowed Christian to develop a system and utilize technology to support his agents and clients alike, in their professional and personal goals, and ensure a uniformly high client experience at every stage of the home purchase or sale process.

Christian’s journey to start his own real estate brokerage began nearly 2 years ago while working at a large local real estate franchise. The industry’s knee-jerk rejection and fear of new technology, lack of consistency, systems, processes, quality training, and support were big points of frustration for him. He was confident that he could provide better support for agents and thereby a better client experience for those agent’s clients … everyone wins!

The real estate industry also doesn’t have the best reputation, and part of Christian’s desire to start his new brokerage is to change this reputation in the Seattle market. In addition to Christian’s conviction that he could help other agents flourish and avoid the frustration he went through, he is passionate about his community and making an impact with everyone he comes in contact with. This passion led him to create the Sea-Town Podcast, where Christian invites on and interviews Seattle-area small-business owners, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to help tell their stories and share them with the rest of our community. He has met some great people through this journey, including some amazing Executive Directors of local nonprofits.

Christian has also incorporated this passion and ethos into Sea-Town Real Estate’s business model. Our agents share in these same values to make a larger impact in the surrounding community. Each of our agents have committed to donating a portion of their commission on each home sale or purchase, to a local non-profit of their client’s choice … and Sea-Town Real Estate matches each of these charitable donations.

Feel free to stop by our office at 2701 California Ave SW and say “hi” to Christian if you’re walking around the Admiral District. He’d love to get to know you and treat you to a cup of coffee at Freshy’s or The Admiral Bird. You can also call 206-276-9744 or email ChristianHarris@Sea-Town.com

We thank Sea-Town Real Estate 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.

Spring is near and that brings thoughts of home maintenance/improvement. Today we’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor, Sound Painting Solutions. Here’s what they would like you to know about what they do:

Sound Painting Solutions is a West Seattle-based painting business serving both residential and commercial customers all over the region. Our services include interior painting, exterior painting, deck staining, and pressure washing. We are a fully licensed, bonded, and insured painting contractor (WA Registration No. SOUNDPS880OS).

Our owner and founder, Jeff DuPont, is a third-generation painter. Jeff, along with his fiancée and cofounder Lindsey Mueller, had a vision of creating a painting company founded on the principles of superior customer service, open and honest communication, and quality workmanship. Our dedication to this goal is reflected in our many reviews on sites like Yelp, Google, Facebook, and Houzz. Our reputation in the community provides our customers with the peace of mind they seek in a painting contractor.

We thoroughly prepare all painting surfaces and work with premium-quality Benjamin Moore paints and stains to deliver rich colors and beautiful, lasting finishes on both the inside and outside of your home.

Sound Painting Solutions is a proud member of the PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America), a national association dedicated to promoting success in the painting industry through ethics, education, and excellence. We are committed to meeting all workmanship, ethical, and safety standards set forth by the PDCA. We are also Lead-Safe certified by the EPA to safely work on homes built prior to 1978, which applies to many homes in West Seattle and the region overall.

Contact us today to discuss your painting needs and schedule a free quote. We perform jobs both large and small, and even offer a “Painter for a Day” flat-rate special for smaller projects. We may be reached by our website contact form, by email at info@soundpaintingsolutions.com, or by phone at 253-642-7041. We can’t wait to hear from you!

We thank Sound Painting Solutions 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 Sunset Sunrise kids-consignment store at 4140 California SW has announced it’s closing at the end of this month, via its website and via this e-mail that proprietor Suzanne sent to customers today:

I have loved being a shop owner in my West Seattle community. I am grateful for these last two years. The hundreds of families that I have had the joy of meeting and develop relationships with have made this journey priceless. I will cherish the memories and look forward to seeing you and your sweet children around West Seattle for many years to come. … Sunset will close on March 31st. New inventory will continue to be put out in the shop over the next couple of weeks. Please stop by and use your available store credit and say hello.

No word yet on what’s next for the space.

(WSB photo: Store director Paul Marth, CEO Todd Korman, COO Ron Megahan at left in background with attendees)

As the Admiral Metropolitan Market (41st/42nd/Admiral Way; WSB sponsor) gets ready to resume and complete its remodeling project, we published its open letter to the community last weekend, with an invitation to a gathering at the store. We covered that event on Thursday night; here are the toplines:

CEO Todd Korman told the 20+ who gathered that the made-to-order salads and pasta will be brought back – they’ve received a lot of comments about that. They’ve also heard from customers about the bread section; it was moved to address pre-remodel concerns, but the current location has drawn concerns too, so they’re looking into it.

In April, they’ll overhaul the meat and fish area, where the cases are more than 20 years old. Larger new ones will enable a larger selection. Air-flow concerns will be addressed – the west-side doors have been getting activated by people standing in the relocated coffee area’s line, and that’ll be fixed. The floral area on the east side of the store, also set for work in April, will be enclosed. And there’s still work to come in the upstairs housewares area, to enable more seating for people who want to linger with coffee and/or food.

The work is expected to be complete by June. If you have specific questions in the meantime, you’re encouraged to talk with the staff at the store, or call 206-937-0551.

(Photo courtesy Thunder Road Guitars. L-R with the mayor are TRG proprietor Frank Gross and staffers Sam Tyner, Will York, Chandler Brown)

A stop at Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor) in The Junction was on Mayor Murray’s agenda today as he announced a $1.4 million city investment in 24 neighborhood business districts as part of the Only in Seattle program. Here’s what OiS supports:

Business and retail development (supporting businesses, attracting new businesses)
Marketing and promotion (events, social media, district advertising)
Clean and safe (graffiti removal, garbage pick-up, lighting)
Streetscape and appearance (catalytic development projects, façade, public art)
Business organization development to sustain the effort, including the creation of a Business Improvement Area (BIA) or exploration to form one

The local grant will total $20,000. The money goes to business districts – such as the West Seattle Junction Association – not to individual businesses. (Here’s the full announcement including who got what all over the city.) TRG’s proprietor Frank Gross has done some extra work for the cause recently – you might recall this story last year when he was announced as a member of the Commercial Affordability Advisory Committee – here’s the result of the work done by that committee.

Thanks to Cindi for the tip: The AAA West Seattle store in Jefferson Square has announced it’s closing after March 31st, consolidating operations into the company’s Magnolia location (1523 15th Ave. W.).

AAA moved to Jefferson Square in 2012, displaced from its previous location on the southwest corner of 42nd SW and SW Alaska because of the Junction 47 development. No word yet on what will follow; the vacancy is shown on this marketing flyer.

Remodeling work is about to resume at Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in Admiral. We reported on the work and some of the changes in September and in October. The work was paused for the holiday season, and now MM has sent an open letter to the community with word on what’s happening now and what’s coming up, including a chance to drop by next Thursday night (February 23rd) between 7 and 8:30 pm to talk with MM president/CEO Todd Korman and Admiral store director Paul Marth. You can see the letter here as a PDF, and embedded below:

The remodel also was a recent topic of discussion in the WSB Forums. Meantime, we’re adding the Thursday gathering to the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar.

(WSB photo: Alondro from Origins, Judi from WS Food Bank, Nate from Gold Leaf, Andrew from Origins)

More community giving! $2,300 for the West Seattle Food Bank Backpack Program – which ensures that local students in need don’t go hungry when school’s not in session – from Origins Enterprises (whose recreational-cannabis shop is in The Junction at 4800 40th SW and is a WSB sponsor) and Gold Leaf Gardens, from a holiday-season drive in partnership with the community. You can help the Backpack Program too; here’s how.