Story and photo by Bill “Hutch” Hutchison
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Stuffed Cakes is now open at 9003 35th SW, next to the new West Seattle Fish House.

We checked in with owner Donna Lawson, and she tells us she passed her final inspection, so that means she’s open and getting ready for a grand-opening celebration early next month.

As previously reported, her new headquarters will be functioning in two ways – for making custom cakes and cupcakes (special orders), and to sell individual cupcakes daily.

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After a few WSB’er inquiries, we’ve checked in with the companies opening Umpqua Bank (which just joined the WSB sponsor team) and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt (here’s our July story) in the new commercial building on the northwest side of the Admiral Safeway site. Umpqua tells us they’re tentatively planning on November 2nd, while a Menchie’s spokesperson says, “Unfortunately we do not have a confirmed date, but we expect that it will open in early November.”

You might have noticed the scene at Fauntleroy/Alaska/38th if you drove by on the way to work, or walked past to catch a bus: The pageantry of stocking a new Les Schwab Tires store is in full swing, or more like full roll. When we toured the site with area manager Rich Baalman last week, he told us that around 7 am on opening day, tire-laden semi’s would roll in from distribution headquarters in Prineville, Oregon, and the 40-plus store managers he supervises would get busy getting them inside the new store:

Once the tires are all out of the trucks and in the store, around mid-morning, they’ll open for business – this is the basement of the one-time Huling Brothers used-car-lot building, filling up fast:

On the counter, a different set of stacks that will eventually be tackled:

The company has about 400 stores, all in Western states, selling tires and wheels as well as offering related services (such as brakes/shocks/alignment).

Story and photos by Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Two of West Seattle’s neighborhood mini-markets are expanding their offerings by installing delis.

First: The Alki Urban Market has brought back its deli, which shut down for a while in order to enlarge and reorganize the kitchen to be able to broaden the market’s offerings. Along with deli sandwiches featuring Boar’s Head meats and a veggie sandwich, the deli now offers hamburgers, hot dogs, and fried chicken.

Owner Thampipillai Thilakarajah says, “The community wanted the deli, and the landlord thought there should be a deli in the neighborhood.” All deli items are available for take-out by calling 206-913-2127 and menus are available at the Market. Deli hours are 12 pm-6 pm Monday-Friday, and 11 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday.

Also adding a deli and continuing its evolution is the Juneau Street Market at California/Juneau (next to the new Pan Africa Grill), recently taken over by Sam Ibrahim (right), who purchased the newly renovated market from a relative. Sam is planning to move some counters and shelves around to make room for a seating area by the front windows, and add a deli counter that will serve sandwiches and hot foods, including gyros and chicken teriyaki. Permitting is underway and he hopes to get started within the next 30 days.

Another amenity that Sam is adding is that the Juneau Street Market will be a Western Union branch and will be able to transact money orders, transfers and bill paying. This should be ready to go sometime this week. Juneau Street Market hours are 9 am-10 pm Sunday through Thursday and 9 am-12 pm Friday and Saturday.

Both market owners stress that they are interested in serving their neighbors well and providing them with good food whenever they need it.

Thanks to WSB contributor Keri DeTore for the tip about the line outside the AT&T store at California/Fauntleroy. It’s for the iPhone 4S, which went on sale today.

Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Radar Pest Management. Here’s what they’d like you to know about their business:

As summer transitions into fall and the weather continues to get colder, rodents and pests are looking for warmth and shelter – and they love our West Seattle neighborhood! Radar Pest Management is here now too – and their arrival couldn’t come at a better time.

Radar specializes in pest and rodent removal and regular treatment, and has many options to serve our locals and their various needs. As an added bonus, one of Radar’s top technicians, Angela Osbourne, is a local herself! “I live on a well-traveled road in West Seattle, so you will likely see my Radar truck in the neighborhood,” chuckles Angela. Full of energy and humor, her laugh will make you smile every time. “Angela is one of our most experienced technicians. Combine that with her wealth of knowledge and her engaging and bubbly personality, and you’ve got a real asset in Angela. We are happy to have her on board,” said Tim McCafferty, operations manager. Radar brings dedication to every task performed, quickly inspecting, identifying, and treating the home for a variety of pest infestations. The primary mission at Radar Pest Management is to be the #1 provider of services in the greater Seattle area, with an utmost commitment to customer satisfaction and service.

When you call Radar Pest Management, you can rest assured you will receive the very best extermination service in the area. They bring the strongest, most-effective pest-control methods in the industry to your home, while still trying to be as environmentally conscious as possible. Plus, with Radar you’ll receive on–time service, frequent communication with their service experts, and an excellent experience, every time.

Best of all, Radar Pest Management is offering all West Seattle Blog readers a FREE home inspection, for a limited time! With the rodents looking for somewhere to keep warm as the fall and winter approach, there’s never been a better time to take advantage of this $120 value. Customers praise this local company’s responsive, knowledgeable staff and around-the-clock emergency care. So give them a call, welcome them to the neighborhood, and ensure your home will be pest- and rodent-free all season long. For more information or to take advantage of the WSB Free Inspection Special, contact Radar Pest Management at 800-710-1567 or www.radarpest.com.

We thank Radar Pest Management for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

Story and photo by Bill “Hutch” Hutchison
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Another change is in the works for what was the On Safari Foods storefront in Westwood, divided into three spaces after that business moved to SODO.

Stuffed Cakes owner Donna Lawson confirms that she will be setting up shop in the third and final vacant space at 9003 35th Ave SW (the northernmost space, where Hebert’s Den was briefly open). Donna, a former graphic designer, began her cake/cupcake business in 2010, working from a shared space in The Triangle.

She’s been looking for a solo space since March and finally landed here. “I’m also a West Seattle resident since 1997 and want to stay local with my business.”

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West Seattle is about to get its second perfume shop. Sweet Anthem Handmade Perfumes will open next month in a Morgan Junction live-work storefront at 6021-B California SW, according to an announcement we just received. The owner and perfumer is Meredith Smith, whose “handmade, ethical (and) vegan” Sweet Anthem line has been available online since 2007. The announcement adds:

Meredith uses natural and synthetic ingredients that are local and sustainable, working with a local, carbon neutral energy company to find petrol-free alternatives to synthetic notes. The Sweet Anthem line includes pure parfum oils, eau de parfums, solid perfumes, soaps, ambient room sprays and bath oils. Meredith produces these products in the shop.

The announcement also says Sweet Anthem will carry “other local indie fragrance lines culled by Meredith,” will have a “custom fragrance bar (where) DIYers can create their own fragrance from a menu of 200+ fragrance notes,” and will offer Perfume Making 101 classes. The grand opening is set for 11 am-8 pm daily, October 12-15, after which the regular hours will be 11 am-6 pm.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

To know where you’re going, you have to figure out where you are.

Toward that end, surveys were a big theme of Monday’s Admiral Neighborhood Association– and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce-facilitated meetup for Admiral business owners.

One survey’s already complete – ANA unveiled results of the survey it circulated among more than 100 business owners/merchants in the greater Admiral area, from the northernmost commercial building on California SW, to California/Charlestown.

The second is about to begin – a city rep talked about a new citywide survey launching tomorrow in six business districts, including Admiral – which may find you approached by a survey-taker on the street.

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When team members from West Seattle’s two Windermere Real Estate offices join forces to help build High Point’s new playground this Friday, it will be a sort of preview of things to come. The Morgan Junction office (WRE-Fauntleroy; photo above) will soon close, and its staff will move into the office in The Junction. Both branches are owned by Janet Haberbush, with whom we talked today, after a tipster pointed us to this listing showing that the Fauntleroy space (between Abbondanza Pizza and Subway) is up for lease. She says the consolidation is partly driven by the fact their lease was up on the Morgan Junction space, but also will enable operating efficiencies, and will take advantage of some space they added in The Junction a while back. There’s no hard-and-fast date yet for them to be completely moved out of Morgan Junction; right now, according to Haberbush, they’re modifying the Junction space to accommodate the enlarged team, which she says will include more than 60 agents/brokers. (The move is somewhat reminiscent of what another major player in West Seattle real estate, Prudential Northwest, did in 2009, when it closed its Admiral offices and moved everyone into Jefferson Square.)

(WS Autoworks’ Chris Christensen, Nathan Huie, Todd Ainsworth. Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
With cars in the West Seattle spotlight today, seems like an auspicious time to mention this: There’s something new at West Seattle Autoworks – a big new sign marking their spot along 35th SW at Webster. And it was installed just in time for the shop to celebrate a milestone: October will mark one year since their grand opening. They’re planning a first-anniversary party on Saturday, October 1st, an open-house event with refreshments including Red Star Pizza and coffee from Cafe Osita (both nearby businesses), raffle tickets, door prizes, and discount offers that’ll be good for the whole month. Drop in and wish West Seattle Autoworks “happy anniversary” 9 am-5 pm on the 1st.

In hopes of strengthening Admiral District businesses by bringing them together, just as the Safeway redevelopment brought a new dynamic to the area, the Admiral Neighborhood Association shared a letter and survey with more than 120 businesses this past summer (as reported here). The survey results are now compiled, and ANA, along with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, invites Admiral business owners/merchants to a special meeting to both look at the results and talk about future possibilities. The formal invitation is here; it’s at 4 pm next Monday, September 19th, at the Porterhouse; again, it’s just for Admiral business owners/merchants, who are asked to RSVP to info@admiralneighborhood.org.