West Seattle, Washington
30 Tuesday
(Seattle Police Department photo)
As announced earlier this week – West Seattle’s Nucor Steel is an in-kind donor to the upcoming city-county gun buyback, donating its facility to melt down whatever’s turned in. Nucor’s done it before, the Seattle Police Department – also a partner in the program – reveals, in an SPD Blotter report by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee; guns seized as evidence are turned into rebar there semi-regularly. See his report, and more photos from inside Nucor, by going here. Meantime, the gun buyback remains set for January 26, 9 am-3 pm, under I-5 between Cherry and James downtown.
About nine months ago, a sign was up briefly in a California-fronting retail storefront west of Admiral Safeway suggesting the national Massage Envy chain was on the way. The company didn’t answer our inquiries; the sign eventually disappeared. Then today, Massage Envy formally announced plans to open on the other side of West Seattle – at 2513 SW Trenton in Westwood Village (by Staples and the liquor store). A spokesperson tells WSB that West Seattle franchisee Jennifer McCollum is expecting to open in March. ME will be the second major massage-therapy chain to open in West Seattle, after LaVida Massage (WSB sponsor), which opened in Jefferson Square in fall 2011.
(Photo courtesy CrossFit LOFT)
CrossFit West Seattle opened in Admiral in 2009 … Morgan Junction CrossFit opened last October … and now West Seattle has a third CrossFit gym. We got word that CrossFit LOFT has just opened on the north edge of The Junction, 4142 California SW (behind Cherry Consignment, across the alley from Holy Rosary). Owners Bethany Pappas and Brandon Wicks are both veterans of the West Seattle restaurant scene (at Ma’ono and Mashiko, respectively) as well as veteran fitness coaches; Bethany tells WSB that all their coaches “are WS locals.” CrossFit (explained here) was founded more than a decade ago and has more than 4,500 affiliated gyms.
One of our resolutions for WSB in the New Year is to make the site even more useful. Part of that means more visibly showcasing some of WSB’s most popular features. 
Among them: The WSB Forums‘ “West Seattle Jobs Offered” page. We have long offered FREE “help wanted” listings there for West Seattle/White Center/South Park-area companies/employers (that includes families seeking child-care help and other such jobs) – and even without promotion, it’s consistently one of the top five most-viewed pages on WSB. So starting today, the “Jobs Offered” page has its own link on our row of tabs under the sunset header photo – clicking the JOBS tab will take you directly to the section of the forum where you can see the latest listings and/or post a new one (you have to sign up for a Forum account first, but it’s quick ‘n’ easy). No “job wanted” listings, please – just “job offered” – thanks, and we wish all businesses (and job applicants) a successful 2013!
We’ve already put together four holiday lists – Christmas Eve church services (here), Christmas Eve/Day restaurants (here), coffee shops (here), and grocery stores (here) – 
but it didn’t occur to us until last night that you might also find it helpful to have a list of retailers’ Christmas Eve hours, if you (like me) find yourself shopping at the last minute. So we put out a call on the WSB Facebook page and did a little looking around. Results are below. Not comprehensive, but it includes those who responded and those whose holiday hours we have found so far (FB, Twitter, Web) – if you want to be on this list, please add yours in a comment, or e-mail us, and we’ll add you:
Alki Beach Tattoo (merchandise too) – 11 am-5 pm
Atomic Boys – 10 am-2 pm
Avalon Glassworks – 10 am-4 pm
Bartell Drugs (both WS locations) – 8 am-9 pm
Bin 41 – 11 am-6 pm
Capco Beverages (WSB sponsor; use this coupon!) – 10 am-7 pm
CAPERS – 10 am-4 pm
Carmilia’s – 11 am-5 pm
Chico’s – 9 am-6 pm
City Mouse Studio and Store – 10 am-3 pm
Clementine – 11 am-5 pm
Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) – 10 am-5 pm
Curious Kidstuff – 10 am-5 pm
Home Depot – 6 am-5 pm
JF Henry & Co. (WSB sponsor) – Open till 4 pm
Mind Unwind: 10 am-5 pm
Shanti Salon and Day Spa (WSB sponsor) – till 3 pm
The Beer Junction – 10 am-4 pm
The Wash Dog (WSB sponsor) – Open till 4 pm
Twilight Artist Collective – 11 am-3 pm
West Seattle Cellars (WSB sponsor) – 11 am-7 pm
West Seattle Fabric Company – 10 am-2 pm
West Seattle Nursery – 9 am-4 pm (a few trees left, WSN tells us)
Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) – 11 am-2 pm
Again, check back again later; we’ll add any other retailers who comment or e-mail. Happy Christmas Eve! (Photo credit: Junction Christmas tree by Nick Adams for WSB, 12/1/2012)
Somehow we missed hearing about this one in advance again this year – but you still have till 8:30 pm to get a photo at Easy Street Records with Coco Cris Cringle and Pickle Whistle, aka Maurice Caldwell, Jr., and Stephanie, according to the e-mail that also brought this photo.
Joining the Christmas Eve/Day church-services list in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, three more lists now ready for anyone interested in advance planning. This year we’ve included Christmas Eve/Day and New Year’s Eve/Day information wherever possible. Here are the direct links:
*Restaurants – here
*Coffee shops – here
*Grocery stores – here
Please also note, this research has taken the better part of the past two weeks, and there’s always a chance a business will change its plan – so we’d advise you to set out (especially on Christmas Day) with Plans A and B. For more information on local establishments, you can also check their listings in the WSB West Seattle Restaurant Guide. (And if you are a businessperson or customer and see something on our lists NOW that you know isn’t correct – or something missing – please e-mail us! editor@westseattleblog.com)
And the winner is … Lafarge! Its friendly holiday-season food-drive rivalry with cross-Duwamish counterpart Ash Grove has concluded for the year, and Lafarge emerged victorious for the third consecutive year – which is why plant manager Jonathan Hall is hoisting a trophy above. (The full-size trophy is out getting engraved, so a replica rustled up by Lafarge’s Lashanna Williams stood in at a Thursday morning presentation. The food goes to Northwest Harvest, which assists many local food banks,and the total raised was:
*45 pounds of clothing
*400 pounds of gift cards
*260 pounds of cash
*1042 pounds of food
Among the participants, longtime WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits, hosting Lulu Smith (above) as well as Sarah Loertscher and their jewelry till 9 pm. Thanks to John at Click! for sharing the photo – we’re also out and about and will add more later – it’s also the holiday edition of West Seattle Art Walk night (previews here).
Four months after announcing their business was for sale – the outgoing owners of Twilight Artist Collective just announced the Junction shop/gallery’s new ones. From the newsletter they just sent out:
First, THANK YOU for your support! It has been eight amazing years and we are ready to go, but extremely sad to leave.
The new owners of TwAC are photographer and jeweler, Christine Heidel, and local star/fellow photographer, Tracy Cilona! We are SO THRILLED for these amazing women to step in and take over the Twilight legacy. They have big dreams and endless energy, so the future of our beloved gallery is in deserving hands.
Here is what they have to say:
Two things from our visit this morning to the West Seattle Food Bank:
At center with the tote bags are Bret Porter and Cindy Dunson from Absher Construction, flanked by the food bank’s executive director Fran Yeatts and operations director Steven Curry. The bags hold 40 special food baskets delivered by Cindy and Bret today as part of Absher’s “Holiday Lights” program for the communities where it’s building projects – Absher is the general contractor for the Youngstown Flats project in North Delridge. Each basket contains a ham, turkey breast, potatoes, canned vegetables, and other fixings for a holiday dinner.
We also asked Yeatts what’s atop the wish list that YOU can help with for the rest of the holiday season at WS Food Bank. She says turkeys, hams, baby formula, and diapers are MUCH needed:
We will be handing out most of our holiday food on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week but today’s donation will be a very, very nice start to the holidays for many of the families we serve. Turkeys and hams would be
really appreciated to help with our holiday food distribution.One of the biggest ongoing needs for us is formula, specifically Similac Advance in the 12.4 oz cans and diapers, size 3,4,5, or 6. We can always use non-perishable food like canned protein, soup, fruit.
The West Seattle Food Bank is on the southeast corner of 35th and Morgan; donation hours are on the webpage of their recently remodeled website.
(P.S. Formula and diapers, as well as non-perishable food, are also on the wish list for a WS Food Bank-benefiting event this Saturday – free Santa photos at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights [WSB sponsor], noon-4 pm, 2326 California SW. See our Holiday Guide for more details.)
(The “silencers” at CalPortland, which provided the photo)
The Duwamish River loading dock where at least one version of the notorious “Hum” was traced in September has continued working to quiet the offloading equipment that’s blamed for it. Tonight we have an update from Pete Stoltz of CalPortland, who says the promised additional silencing equipment has been installed, and will get a real-world test when another ship arrives this weekend:
In late September, we learned that the machine we use to offload ships at our terminal could be the source of the “West Seattle Hum.” We learned more about “the hum.” After meeting with the co-chairs of the Highland Park Action Committee, and hearing the nature of their concern, we decided to take steps to reduce noise from the machine even though noise levels measured by the City of Seattle and contracted noise experts confirmed the operation technically complied with State and local noise requirements.
We suspended ship-offloading operations to disassemble and inspect noise control equipment on the machine. We replaced one of the two silencers on the machine, ordered fabrication of a second replacement silencer from the factory, and our crew used down time during weather delays to install insulation, noise blankets and plywood noise shields. Unfortunately, this effort reduced measured noise levels at the machine, but reports of “the hum” continued.
CalPortland is happy to report delivery and installation of the second silencer is complete as promised. The crew tested the machine by running it empty before and after they installed the second new silencer and report being encouraged by the results. Their observations are consistent with the advice of noise experts, who predict that installation of the second silencer will substantially reduce noise levels.
We will be paying close attention with our fingers crossed when we begin offloading the next ship scheduled to arrive this weekend. Offloading will likely continue through next week as the weather permits. This is the only ship scheduled for offloading this month. The next ship will arrive after the New Year.
Based on the advice of noise experts, we are confident installation of the second silencer will address our neighbors’ concerns. We will evaluate the situation during this offloading event and consider the need for additional noise control measures. We will use the time between ships in December and January to identify and implement additional actions as necessary and appropriate.
7:33 PM: The weather’s dry, the doors are open, and The Junction is midway through another edition of Shop Late Thursdays – with the holidays roaring up, Hanukkah starting this weekend, Christmas less than three weeks away. Till 9 tonight, local blacksmith Erica Gordon from Steel Toe Studios in nearby Georgetown is having a trunk show at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in The Junction – one of more than 15 shops participating!
ADDED: We made a few more stops last night – above, Eliza at Carmilia’s, where the Shop Late Thursday highlight was a “buy one, get second one 50 percent off” sale … and next, Jayme at Clementine:
Saturday is a big day for Clementine, with an all-day party to celebrate the “Best Shoe Store” designation from Seattle Magazine. Just south of The Junction, we stopped by new WSB sponsor Seattle Weight Loss and Wellness, during their open house:
Rachel Giordano and Dr. Justin Favreau, DC, are now open at 5001 California SW.
Next up for Junction businesses: The second of this season’s Hometown Holidays Sundays – and then next Thursday, it’s not only “Shop Late,” but also the holiday edition of the West Seattle Art Walk.
(8/14 note: To check whether a business is still a current WSB sponsor, please go here)
Today we welcome a new sponsor, Seattle Weight Loss and Wellness, where tonight they are having an open house from 7-8:30 pm. Dr. Justin Favreau, DC, and SWL&W’s co-director and weight-loss consultant Rachel Giordano invite you to drop by their office at 5001 California Ave. SW (map) for small, healthy snacks and refreshments. You’ll also be able to meet the staff, learn more about their services, and enter their raffle for a free one- hour massage.
Rachel (photo at left) says the new office is a community resource center for optimal healing and health. She adds, “We are a clinic specializing in a very effective and safe-proven physician-monitored weight-loss protocol, the Ideal Protein program. We also offer other services such as massage therapy – all non-invasive, risk-free additions to your weight-loss program.” Rachel says the clinic will be adding acupuncture, nutritional, and Power Plate fitness classes over the next few months.
Rachel received a doctorate degree in Naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University this past summer. Prior to that, she managed an Ideal Protein program at a chiropractic office in downtown Seattle for several years. She’s a member of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and a local chapter of Business Network International. You’ll find Seattle Weight Loss and Wellness online at seattlewl.com and on Facebook here, or call 206-673-2269.
We thank Seattle Weight Loss and Wellness 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.
AAA‘s new West Seattle location has been open for a while at Jefferson Square, but they hadn’t gotten a chance to celebrate until today. AAA had been at the southwest corner of 42nd and Alaska, but had to move over the summer because of the impending Equity Residential development (scheduled to start demolition before the end of this month, as reported here last month). Today’s ribbon-cutting was part of an all-day open house, which also gave the AAA team a chance to show off an aspect of their business you might not know about:
That’s some of the merchandise in the Travel Store – items related to travel, big and small (even just a road trip). AAA also books travel and handles insurance.
ORIGINAL SATURDAY AFTERNOON REPORT: We’ve heard from multiple sources that Morgan Junction-based Alki Tours has given quite a gift today … Their “Snow Train” trip to Leavenworth was canceled by a slide – as noted on Facebook – leaving them with boxed meals for passengers they wouldn’t be serving. So, they filled cars with the food and took it to feed homeless people, including the campers at Nickelsville.
ADDED SUNDAY: A photo montage is now atop this story; thanks to Jayme for replying to our request, made in the comment section, which is also where you’ll find more on how it unfolded, including this note from “Bsmomma”:
I was one of the saddened workers that got the call at 5:10am that the train was cancelled. :( Working on the train is the source for Christmas money for a lot of people. BUT instead of bumming out all day about it, we jumped on the phones to inform passengers (who were all awesome about it btw!) And then hung around for the food to be ready to go. My sister and I chatted with so many grateful people around Seattle. A huge Thank You to Alki Tours for making that possible. And another big Thanks to the people at Gretchen’s for getting it all ready for us! I am a true believer in Everything happens for a reason. Happy Holidays Everyone!!!
P.S. If you’re looking for non-surprise holiday giving opportunities, we’re continuing to add to the list in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide.
(WSB photos by Katie Meyer)
Another holiday-season-opening tradition in West Seattle last night – the annual Husky Deli open house in The Junction. Purple-and-gold-shirted elves assisted all around the store, with Husky proprietor Jack Miller himself at centerstage:
Other West Seattle treats were showcased – here are Gretchen and Noah serving up cake from nearby Bakery Nouveau:
And Peter Bos of Northwest Wine Academy poured samples of the wines (including rose, riesling and merlot) made by his students at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor).
Spotted sharing the season’s spirit – Mr. and Mrs. Claus, aka Paul Carr and Libby Carr from the forthcoming premiere run of “Santa’s First Magical Ride, The Musical“:
Their show plays at West Seattle’s Youngstown Cultural Arts Center starting next Friday (December 7th) and continuing Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays.
A spokesperson for Life Care Centers of America confirms to WSB that its West Seattle facility (4700 SW Admiral Way; WSB sponsor) is closing, after almost 17 years. After getting a tip about this overnight, we called corporate headquarters in Cleveland to check it out – and they provided this formal announcement:
Life Care Centers of America announced today its plans to close the Life Care Center of West Seattle location on Jan. 31, 2013.
“Life Care has been forced to face a difficult decision,” explained Todd Fletcher, a spokesperson for Life Care’s Northwest Division. “Due to the difficult economic environment and the age and maintenance requirements of the physical building, Life Care is unable to continue operating this facility.”
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services has been notified, and Life Care associates are now focused on appropriately placing each of its approximately 70 residents.
Residents and family members received a list of local care facilities, and Life Care is providing clinical social workers to assist with every discharge to ensure residents are secure and comfortable with the changes.
All of the building’s eligible employees will be offered a severance package and the opportunity to possibly obtain work within other Life Care buildings.
“We are a close team, and this is a difficult situation for our tight-knit community,” said Fletcher. “Life Care Centers of America has more than 220 other locations, and if some of our associates have interest in staying with Life Care, we are happy to try and place them in other buildings.”
Life Care Center of West Seattle has been operating since May 5, 1996.
According to the corporate website, there are 17 other Life Care Centers in this state, and the company has home-care services listed too.
Three notes about local businesses:
‘PSYCHIC BARBER’ ON THE MOVE AGAIN: The white neon reading “Psychic Barber” is aglow again along California SW, after a while in storage – Rick Cook is opening his own barber shop again, and the sign’s already up. You might recall he moved in September from his longtime storefront further north California SW, as the property owner got ready to demolish it. He set up shop for a while at the Classic Barber Shop, which itself had relocated because of impending development, but then e-mailed to say he’d decided to strike back out on his own, so now he’s got a new storefront at 6016 California SW, previously home to Solar Epiphany and a locksmith. Cook says he’ll be open in the new spot on December 4th.
On Alki, a former salon space has gone to the dogs:
ALKI BEACH DOG: Susan Moore e-mailed with word of her new business, described as “a self-serve dog wash and retail space on 59th Ave and Alki Avenue SW. We offer Tubs, Toys and Treats! for all kinds of dogs. As a local Alki resident, I am a true dog lover and felt there was a need for something here on the beach for all the dogs who love to walk here all year long. It was also a fun way to get my kids involved in something they love as much as I do! We offer various brands of organic and grain-free dog food, a large variety of dog treats and durable, fun dog toys.” Alki Beach Dog is open 7 days a week, 9 am-6 pm.
CROSSROADS TRADE: Kate Harris has just moved to West Seattle along with what she describes as her “15-year old ethnic arts business, carrying uncommon, fairly traded merchandise. The merchandise is beautifully made, and every piece makes a tangible business in an artisan’s life. But that’s not all. The fair trade world is quirky and complicated. What makes a business truly sustainable? How can you work against child labor, while recognizing that millions of children are completely on their own in the world? Is a non-profit business necessarily more ethical than a for-profit business? Is there an inverse relationship between girls’ education and maintaining traditional arts?” Curiosity piqued? Check out Crossroads Trade’s website.
OPEN HOUSE IN NEW HOME: AAA West Seattle moved recently to Jefferson Square, and is inviting you to an open house 9 am-6:30 pm December 5th. They’re on the east row of the parking lot-fronting businesses at JS.
That’s Virginia Bowen, owner of Seattle Yarn, with some of the hats/scarves/gloves made/donated so far on behalf of Superstorm Sandy survivors, as the knit-in/sew-in at Seattle Yarn and nearby Stitch & Sew Studio continues this afternoon. The photo is courtesy of Jen Boyer, who shared first word of the plan a week ago. Virginia is offering a dollar-off coupon for any item donated, handmade or not, through tomorrow. Other keep-warm items like blankets are welcome too. Seattle Yarn is at 5633 California SW; Stitch & Sew is at 5910 California SW.
(Photos courtesy Frank Gross)
The storefront’s painted, the signs are up, and Frank Gross is about to open Thunder Road Guitars at 3916 California SW (formerly Olivia’s, and before that, Moxie). He’s planning a “soft open” 10 am-6 pm tomorrow and keeping those hours daily until the official grand-opening celebration the day after Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday). As noted in our previous coverage, till now, he’s sold vintage and used guitars online – and now, there’s a showroom:
Thunder Road is online at thunderroadguitars.com.
With Fire Station 32 right across the street from the south side of Highline Medical Center‘s brand-new West Seattle facility at 4550 Fauntleroy Way SW, it seemed natural for its crew members to join in the dedication ceremony this evening – and that’s where our video clip begins.
We first told you back in August 2011 about Highline’s plan to take over what was once part of the Huling Brothers automotive sites, then Cycle University (now on Harbor Avenue), and turn it into its new West Seattle offices, which have been located on 41st SW east of Jefferson Square until now.
They’re closing tomorrow afternoon for the move – and referring patients to their Roxbury clinic if care is needed over the weekend. But first, a celebration:
Once the new location opens, the SW Alaska side of the new Highline center will hold the entrance for Highline Urgent Care; the Fauntleroy Way SW side will be where you go in for Highline Family Medicine.
Need your windows and/or gutters cleaned? Any pressure-washing needs? We’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor today, and here’s their message for you:
West Seattle Window Cleaner is proud to make West Seattle our home! We are a full-service window-cleaning, pressure-washing, and gutter-cleaning service based just off the West Seattle Bridge. After starting our original business on Mercer Island, we moved to West Seattle 2 years ago and we love to serve our local customers here in West Seattle.
This time of year we are keeping busy mostly with gutter cleaning and getting homes clean and ready to host guests at the holidays. We also can do limited holiday-lighting installation (you provide the lights, we provide the ladders and labor!) It’s also a great time to get your slippery walkways and stairs pressure washed.
We feature fair, up-front pricing and fast quotes. Just fill out the Quick Contact Form on our homepage westseattlewindowcleaner.com or give us a call at 206-453-3936. West Seattle Window Cleaner: Enjoy the View!
We thank West Seattle Window Cleaner 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.
| 21 COMMENTS