West Seattle, Washington
11 Monday
Four news notes from The Junction:
CLEMENTINE SHOE DRIVE EXTENDED: We stopped in to see Linda Walsh at Clementine after she announced that their shoe drive for Jubilee Women’s Center has been so successful, she’d delivered boxes full of shoes and had a new empty collection box ready for more! The drive is now continuing throughout next Sunday. If you take in a donation of gently used women’s shoes, you’re eligible for a discount on new shoes, too. Or just drop them off for the joy of helping. (Clementine is at 4447 California SW.)
A block south:
CURIOUS KIDSTUFF’S CASH-AND-CHECKS DRIVE A HIT: See all those chips? They are tokens of no-plastic purchases made at the Curious Kidstuff toy store. During their anniversary sale two weeks ago, CKS launched the campaign to get customers to use cash or checks, avoiding fees charged by banks for credit-card processing; owner Ann Walker said she’d donate to charity in lieu of those fees, and she shares this update:
Curious Kidstuff wants to thank you for embracing an idea. We have had an overwhelming response to the request for checks and cash instead of credit and debit cards. We can see we will be writing a check to WestSide Baby at the end of June. A loose estimation at this point would be close to $200. “Wow,” what a great and giving community we are when we work as a team. We will give you the exact dollar amount in the beginning of July. I’m so proud of us!
Curious Kidstuff is at 4740 California SW.
SHOP LATE THURSDAYS, STARTING THIS WEEK: Clementine and Curious Kidstuff are both among the participants this summer, listed here – go to The Junction on Thursday night and shop, dine, drink at 20 businesses that will be staying open at least till mid-evening. (The participant list also includes WSB sponsors Click! Design That Fits and Fleurt.)
NEW GALLERY MANAGER AT ARTSWEST: The gallery/playhouse in The Junction announced a new gallery manager today – Susanna Bluhm, described as “an artist, educator and member of SOIL artist-run gallery in Pioneer Square,” has taken over as of last week. She also is a resident of Cooper Artist Housing in North Delridge, and has taught art to all ages as well as showing her work internationally.
Just launched: West Seattle Women in Charge.
Diane Venti of Alki Arts hatched the idea of a monthly mixer for local women who own businesses, and she invited a few to a get-together at her beachfront gallery/event venue last week. Five showed up, and now they’re organizing a second meeting and casting a wider net. If you’re interested in being part of it, you’re invited to “like” their new Facebook page, set up by one of the five – Krystal Kelley of Mind Unwind in the Admiral District – with this mission:
We are the women business owners of West Seattle. We believe in symbiotic networking and idea-sharing with good intentions, supporting our wonderful community and the arts in West Seattle, along with having a good time and smiling.
Interested? Next meeting is 9:30 am July 23rd at Mind Unwind (2206 California SW) – and of course there’s a Facebook event page already.
For the second time in a little more than a month, Tony’s Market at 35th/Barton has been broken into. This time, the report comes from SPD Blotter, which says that once police found the intruders, they also found evidence of what writer Jonah Spangenthal-Lee calls a “food fight”:
As the officer pulled up to the market, he found fruit and vegetables strewn in and around the business, and in the middle of the street.
Officers searched inside the market, found two men hiding under tables, and arrested them.
SPD Blotter says a third man was arrested for “obstruction.” We reported in early May on another break-in at the market, but one that didn’t involve the kind of damage reported here.
BENEFIT YOGA CLASS: 5 pm on Sunday, Bikram Yoga Seattle (WSB sponsor) invites you to a special class to benefit Run of Hope, fighting childhood brain tumors. (4747 California SW)
SHOE DRIVE: Sunday is day 1 of a week-long shoe drive at Clementine (4447 California SW). Bring in “gently used” women’s shoes to donate to Jubilee Women’s Center. Here’s the Facebook event page. Donors get a discount on new shoes if interested, as pointed out in this update on the Clementine website.
Almost four weeks after an early-morning dumpster fire that spread to the exterior of Poggie Tavern in The Junction – here’s our coverage from May 14th – the Poggie is finally open again, as of about an hour ago. In our photograph, that’s bartender Amy, who explains that in addition to repairs required by smoke damage, they also took the opportunity to do some other work inside. (Thanks to Deborra for the tip!)
Today WSB welcomes a new sponsor, RN Patient Advocates of the Pacific Northwest.
The health-care system has become a difficult place to navigate and few know that better than nurses. Debra Nicholls, RN, has been providing expert nursing care and advocacy in hospitals, home care and hospice throughout the Seattle area for more than 25 years and with her new business would like to empower you and your family with the knowledge and resources you need. Locally owned and founded by this Westwood area resident, RN Patient Advocates of the PNW is a affiliated member of RN Patient Advocates, your health-care safety net™, the dynamic national network of independent trained clinical nurse advocates. A skilled RN advocate can act as a vital instrument in the optimal delivery of safe, patient centered care. Advocates provide crisis intervention, timely support and resources when and where you need them for yourself or a family member. Whether you are caring for an elderly family member, dealing with an acute or chronic illness, planning a surgery, or various other medical situations, you may benefit from the services of an RN Advocate. An advocate can protect your rights and safety, research and educate you about all your treatment options and advocate in your behalf with all your medical providers, making sure they all have the same, complete and timely information they need.
Debra has a broad clinical background, from her early years in neonatal, pediatric and adult intensive care, but found her most favorite roles in home health and hospice due to the more patient and family focused care. She is passionate about informed choice and empowerment, health care should not be one size fits all. She can serve clients at all walks of life, from children to seniors. As a mother and a caregiver for her parent, she knows well the health-care system from both sides. To round out her years of bedside advocacy, she completed RN Patient Advocate training to develop her own independent practice. Debra is also actively seeking to partner with other members of the health-care community dedicated to wellness and holistic care.
RN Patient Advocates of the Pacific Northwest, PLLC serves the greater Seattle area. The first step is a free phone consultation to see if the service would be a fit for you – call 206-429-5243. RN Patient Advocates of the PNW is a member of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, an affiliated member of the National Network of RN Patient Advocates, and a member of Advoconnection.
We thank RN Patient Advocates of the Pacific Northwest 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 Admiral District‘s business association, led by president Parris Sadow of Atomic Boys, is sailing full speed ahead. We have toplines from the group’s meeting this afternoon at the Heartland Café‘s Benbow Room:
SLOGAN: It’s finally official, and was announced at this afternoon’s meeting – “Welcome Aboard.” This was chosen following several months of discussion and brainstorming. (You can even see it on the Admiral District Facebook page.)
EVENTS: A draft list of events circulated at the meeting included both proposed Admiral District participation in events/activities organized by other groups – most notably, tabling at the Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (co-sponsored by WSB), Thursday nights 7/26-8/30 (seen the lineup yet?) – and also new Admiral District events. One that you can mark on your calendar already: August 11th, the Admiral District Sidewalk Sale. They’re also starting to plan for the fall holidays too – including the always-popular Treats and Treasures Halloween event.
ART WALK: Admiral District businesses want to be sure you know some of them participate in the West Seattle Art Walk too – it’s not just “a Junction thing,” so they’ll be raising their profile. At today’s meeting, they heard from Art Walk planning committee members including John Smersh of Click! Design That Fits (Junction business formerly located in Admiral, WSB sponsor), Lora Swift of Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), Susan Melrose from the West Seattle Junction Association, and WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand. Next Art Walk is June 14, 6-9 pm!
While you’re in The Junction today – or some other day – check out the new location of Many Moons Trading Company, which describes itself as an “upscale thrift store for men and women.” The shop was long tucked away along a breezeway off the main streetfront, but is now right on the northwest corner of California and Oregon (vacated recently by Fleurt [WSB sponsor], the flower shop that moved to 4536 California). Not only is it a higher-visibility location for Many Moons, it’s also a family reunion of sorts – Many Moons owner Mary is mom of Angela, owner of Funky Jane’s Consignment, which is one door down. Via e-mail, Mary tells WSB, ““We are very happy with our new space! Of course we hope to see new customers, but we are very glad to present our loyal customers with a fresh and lovely shopping environment.”
(Added 12:15 pm – the poker-chip jar at CKS, photographed around 11 am)
Today’s the day for the big 25-percent-off anniversary sale at Curious Kidstuff (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, 9 am-5 pm – and proprietor Ann is also kicking off a new plan that could mean extra savings for you AND money for a local nonprofit:
We think we have come up with a fantastic idea here at Curious Kidstuff. We will kick this off (today) during our 25% off 14th-year Anniversary Sale.
Our business’s credit-card fees are approximately $800.00 a month. Can you believe it? I believe that if we can get our community to embrace this great idea, we could give hundreds of that back each month.
Every time a customer purchases gifts with cash or checks, we will drop a poker chip into our jar. Each month we choose a local charity and give that money to them. First charity we have chosen is WestSide Baby. Simple, keep dollars in our community instead of passing it on to banks.
We hope to see you between 9:00 and 5:00. We will give an extra 1% off for all checks and cash. (License required with checks, please.)
Curious Kidstuff is at 4740 California SW.
The sun arrived in West Seattle at mid-morning, just in time for Northwest gardening celebrity Ciscoe Morris‘s scheduled visit to West Seattle Nursery – the setting today for his live weekly two-hour KIRO-FM radio show. His first interviewees were from the WSN team. Before sitting down at the microphone, he mingled with shoppers:
If you missed today’s West Seattle-based Ciscoe-cast, keep an eye on this page, which should eventually have the archived audio files. This was Ciscoe’s second visit to this area this spring; on April 15th, he was at Village Green Perennial Nursery (WSB sponsor).
With the official start of summer only 3 weeks away, 2 ice-cream notes:
FULL TILT ON DELRIDGE: Martin’s Way at Delridge and Findlay is now carrying Full Tilt Ice Cream, per a tweet this afternoon. We first told you a week ago about the Martin’s Way produce partnership with Tony’s Market, and now the store has expanded its offerings – which also include spices and grains/legumes – by stocking ice cream, too.
CUPCAKE ROYALE ADDS ICE CREAM: Per a news release this afternoon, CR is adding 14 flavors of ice cream to its product line soon – no cones/scoops in West Seattle, but they plan to have pre-packed pints as well as ice-cream sandwiches. (This announcement reminds us of the trivia point that Cupcake Royale’s Junction location at California/Alaska is a former ice-cream parlor, with Ben and Jerry’s there for a while in the ’00s.)
If you were at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) about half an hour ago and noticed a bit of commotion – here’s what and who it as all about: Posing with one of his two shopping carts of merchandise, Joe Michael, a Morgan Junction resident who won the Thriftway raffle for a $500 shopping spree – for products by Western Family (which distributes more than 3,600 private-label products), who had reps on hand for the occasion too.
Recognize the lettering on that sign – the first sign ever to be displayed in the windows at Martin’s Way, the recently opened shop at Delridge and Findlay? If you do, you’re likely a customer of Tony’s Market, the produce stand at 35th and Barton. Three months after opening (here’s our January story), Martin’s Way is stocking fresh produce from Tony’s – right now, 8 kinds of vegetables and 17 kinds of fruit (a few of which are in this photo):
And with Penny’s chips in stock, you can even buy the makings for chips and guacamole, as the Memorial Day weekend approaches:
MW proprietors Vik and Nikhi also are stocking the items with which they started operations – an extensive selection of bulk spices, specialty salts and sugars, and some grains. Meantime, back to the Tony’s partnership – Vik says he first met Tony’s founder/namesake Tony Genzale in 2004 and was impressed with him as an entrepreneur and community member; since Tony’s death a year and a half ago, his son Joey Genzale has been running the business, so Vik says he spoke with Joey and his mom and they liked the idea of Vik stocking some of their produce – which he hopes to dub “Tony’s Market at Martin’s Way,” with a portrait of Tony hanging in the store. (Stand by for updates on that.) Martin’s Way is open noon till 7 Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon till 3 on Sundays (northeast corner of Delridge/Findlay).
Just announced today by The Artistic Framers shop at – they’re closing their 5631 California SW storefront as of the end of this month, after 19 years there, but they’re NOT going out of business, they’re “going mobile.” Their announcement says business is particularly booming in one of their non-framing sidelines, real-estate staging. They’ll still offer framing too – by appointment.
(8/14 note: To check whether a business is still a current WSB sponsor, please go here)
Considering a yard makeover as summer approaches? Today we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, My Garden Coach, with this message for you:
Yard makeovers can be very intimidating for homeowners. People usually have an idea of what they want their yard to look like but don’t know how to get started.
That’s why hiring a Garden Coach is such a great idea! In just one visit, you get a landscape designer to look at your yard and help you see not just what it CAN be, but also help you make a plan for how to get there.
You may want to do the work yourself but you need a designer’s eye to help you see your yard’s potential. Or, you just don’t like your yard and you want someone to help you create a whole, new design. Some people need motivation to start, some need a vision, and others just need a list of priorities of what to do next. That’s where a garden coach can be a perfect fit. A 2-hour walk-through of your yard is really all it takes to get started.
After their yard makeovers, My Garden Coach customers can’t believe how little it took to transform their dull or overgrown yard into an impressive garden. They also say they spend more time in their yards, take more pride in showing it and know their investment has improved their property’s value. Let’s take a walk, talk about your goals and create a design that transforms your plain old yard into a beautiful garden!
Find My Garden Coach online at mygardencoach.net, or call 206-550-5501.
We thank My Garden Coach 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.
Till 7 pm, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly ‘After-Hours’ mixer is happening at Dream Dinners (longtime WSB sponsor), on 41st just south of Alaska (east side of Jefferson Square‘s main building, fronting on 41st). From left, we photographed Nancy Woodland from WestSide Baby – which has its big Shake, Rattle & Roll cocktail-party event this Friday night (ticket info here) and the Stuff the Bus diaper drive on July 22nd – with Dream Dinners proprietor Leslie Thomson and Rob Shiras from PC Mobile Help. Dream Dinners facilitates home cooking while taking away some of the time-consuming tasks like shopping and prepping – they have monthly menus, you choose what sounds good and assemble dinners in three- or six-serving sizes to take home and keep till you’re ready to cook them. After-Hours events rotate among various locations, offering Chamber members a chance to learn more about one of their fellow local businesses – in recent months, hosts have included Easy Street Records and Global Diving and Salvage.
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, with this message for you: The West Seattle Nooners is a chapter of Business Networking International Northwest and we are looking for members to expand our referral network. We build business one lunch at a time!
The mission of BNI is to help members increase their business through a structured, positive, and professional “word-of-mouth” program that enables them to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with quality business professionals. The philosophy of this organization is built upon the idea of “Givers Gain®”: By giving business to others, you will get business in return. This is predicated on the age-old idea of “What goes around, comes
around.” Our Chapter passed $243,368 in the past 12 months!
Join us this Thursday (May 17th) at 12 pm for our Membership Extravaganza, and be prepared to network!
Come to Youngstown Cultural Arts Center at 4408 Delridge Way SW in West Seattle with 50 business cards, $10, and a desire to grow your referrals. Discover how BNI business networking groups work, and meet the members of the West Seattle Nooners chapter. Everyone will have the opportunity to network as well as to present their business for 30 seconds during the meeting. Lunch is included.
After the meeting, members will be on hand to answer questions and help you if you choose to apply to become a member of our chapter. We are looking for new members to give referrals to in many professions still available! BNI is non-competitive, so only one member per profession is allowed, so grab yours before it’s gone.
We have openings for key professions including electrician, plumber, credit card processor, graphic artist, event planner, caterer, business coach, moving company, interior designer, locksmith, florist, landscape designer, property manager, computer repair, housecleaning, and many others. New members would be joining our current network which includes real estate, mortgage brokerage, photography, banking, web design and social media management, supplemental insurance, pet daycare, financial planning, personal training, general contracting and much more. To see a complete list of our members, go here.
If you can’t attend our extravaganza, we meet each Thursday at 12 pm at Youngstown and visitors are welcome. You can contact President Rick Beaubelle (206-957-9097; info@seattlecanineclub.net) or Vice-President Cami MacNamara (206-550-7720; cami@webcami.com) if you have any questions about the West Seattle Nooners.
We thank West Seattle Nooners 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.
(8/14 note: To check whether a business is still a current WSB sponsor, please go here)
Today we welcome one of our newest WSB sponsors, Bikram Yoga Seattle (BYS), located at 4747 California SW in the heart of The Junction. Here is what they would like you to know about them:
The Bikram Yoga Seattle studio in West Seattle is very excited to serve such a great neighborhood! The inviting studio has bright natural light, original timber ceilings and soft lighting. In the past year, the studio has had many updates including all new antifungal and antimicrobial flooring, bigger changing rooms and beautiful tiled showers! BYS also offers free filtered water. Owners and longtime practitioners/teachers Kevin Cooke and Kathy Allen, along with the rest of the staff invite you to visit the studio to see for yourself!
There are a lot of hot yoga studios. BYS stands out in that each of their 19 teachers have gone through a rigorous 9-week residential teacher training led by Bikram Choudhury himself. In addition to the training, they all have a dedicated personal practice and you’ll often find them taking class alongside you. They truly practice what they preach! The teachers have practiced for between 6 and 14 years, while owners Kevin and Kathy have been practicing for well over 25 years and teaching for more than 15 years! All of our teachers teach and empathize equally with beginning students as well as longtime practitioners. Each teacher has a personal style and brings something unique and valuable for their students. If you have never practiced Bikram yoga and we’ve piqued your interest, visit About Bikram Yoga, Preparing for Class and the FAQ’s and come try a class soon!
You can get started today with Bikram Yoga Seattle’s new student special: 10 classes for $20 in 14 days (get the coupon here), for students who have never been to their newly remodeled studio. Find them online at Bikram Yoga Seattle, check out the class schedule, find them on Facebook, visit them in person at 4747 California SW, or call them at 206-937-3900.
We thank Bikram Yoga Seattle 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.
(Photo courtesy Stroller Strides)
Good thing the forecast says the sunshine is sticking around – tomorrow morning, a crowd is expected for Stroller Strides‘ 3-year anniversary class on Alki. It’s been a bigger-than-ever year for franchisee Athena Frederick, who received the company’s Franchise of the Year award last December. The program is a workout for moms that allows them to bring their little ones along (dads are welcome too); if you want to participate tomorrow, Athena says the first class is always free and they’re offering free classes all week as part of the celebration. They’re also offering “numerous raffle prizes for moms; free running shoes, baby items, and many more from our numerous sponsors” – goodie bags for all, too. The celebratory class is planned for 9:30 am tomorrow (Monday) by the Alki Bathhouse.
ADMIRAL DISTRICT’S EX-BLOCKBUSTER … is about to be surrounded by paid parking on all three sides. Thanks to Eric for the tip on this one – he e-mailed last night to say he and his wife noticed orange striping delineating spaces around the building, and WELCOME painted on the pavement at each entrance. Public records showed no sign of a new owner/tenant at the building, so we went by this morning to look for clues, and found a man doing more painting around the lot. “All I know is, it’s going to be paid parking,” he told us – which had been our guess once we saw the freshly painted numbers on each of 33 parking spots around the building (our photo was taken at the northeast corner, by the alley). No pricing sign or pay station as of our stop; we’ll check back.
MORGAN JUNCTION’S EX-BLOCKBUSTER … is tentatively scheduled to open as Super Supplements‘ new home on July 13th, according to a company spokesperson. We first reported back in January that it would be the new home of the store that has to move out of The Junction since it’s on the future Equity Residential development site; banners went up on the Fauntleroy site last month. Super Supplements tells us the Junction store isn’t scheduled to close till July 7th, 6 days before the new one opens. Note that those are tentative dates; watch the store’s official webpage for updates.
Maybe “cash flow” would be a better term for what happened at Village Green Perennial Nursery (WSB sponsor) this afternoon, more than “cash mob.” When the appointed hour for the latter event arrived, around 2 pm, certainly there were a lot of shoppers. We counted about 20, between a few who came early because 2 pm didn’t work for them, and some who said they were definitely there for the “mob,” which, as reported here 3 weeks ago, was the idea of social marketer Michael B. Maine of Menrva Labs, after meeting VG’s Vera Johnson at a conference:
So in all it was a good day for the rambling nursery in the unincorporated area between West Seattle and White Center. An afterparty was planned at Company in WC, and Vera was scheduled to head to Vashon Island, invited to speak about her consumer-rights activism tonight at Michelle Shocked‘s “Roccupy!” performance.
Today we welcome one of West Seattle’s longest-running businesses, O’Neill Plumbing, as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s what proprietor Tim O’Neill (pictured) would like you to know:
O’Neill Plumbing was founded here in West Seattle in 1917, adjacent to Husky Deli in The Junction.
95 years later, 4th-generation owner Tim O’Neill has 28 years of experience and employs 25 hard-working, talented people and a fleet of trucks to serve not only West Seattle but also the Greater Seattle area as well as the Eastside. O’Neill Plumbing serves residential and commercial properties, including “Emergency 24-Hour Service,” drain/rooter cleaning, water-heater repairs and replacement, whole-house re-pipes, and state-of-the-art “Trenchless” underground pipe repairs and replacement.
We are proud to be longtime members of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Master Builders Association, Better Business Bureau, and are “Top Of Class” on Angie’s List with more than 450 positive customer referrals.
O’Neill Plumbing customers can visit us @ www.oneillplumbing.com and take advantage of our online coupons. To reach O’Neill Plumbing by phone, call 206-932-5283.
We thank O’Neill Plumbing 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.
(WSDOT photo from March 29th keel-laying event for 1st 144-car-ferry project at Vigor)
Less than four weeks after that ceremony at Vigor Shipyards marking the start of work on a new 144-car state ferry, WSDOT and Vigor just formalized paperwork for the next one, with construction set to start in December. Total costs for the two ferries are expected to total $277 million, according to WSDOT’s announcement today. The first one is due to start service in early 2014, the second one, a year after that. Up to two more may follow. They’ll be replacing Evergreen State-class ferries (two of which are often on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run – Klahowya and Tillikum).
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