West Seattle, Washington
11 Monday
Just look for the balloons to see who’s participating in Tax-Free Sale Day in The Junction – continuing till 6 tonight! Above, co-proprietor John Smersh outside Click! Design That Fits, a WSB sponsor as is Fleurt, now open in its new location further up the same block:
Other WSB sponsors participating: Brunette Mix and Hotwire Online Coffeehouse. On the other side of the 4500 block of California, CAPERS‘ Lisa Myers shared photos of recycled pillows they’re showcasing:
The full list of participants is here. And while they’re not on the Tax-Free Day list, it is a special occasion at Easy Street Records – “Record Store Day”!
Easy Street has live music coming up this evening – The Young Evils at 7:30 pm and Reignwolf at 9 pm. Back to Tax-Free Day, restaurants are offering specials too – also on the list.
This afternoon, we welcome a new WSB sponsor – locally owned West Seattle Thriftway! Here’s their message to you:
You know their faces and you know their names, and it’s most likely because the staff members at West Seattle Thriftway have been working there for more than a decade, if not two. “A passion for what they do” doesn’t even begin to describe how they feel about their workplace. A building is merely an empty shell until you give it a soul – and something we believe strongly in is that it’s the people who work somewhere that make a place special.
At West Seattle Thriftway, the goals are simple and straightforward: To offer exceptional quality and diversity of products, even more exceptional customer service, and to create strong ties to the community through non-profit support, events, and fundraising. “In a way, we feel like we have grown up with our community and have been woven into the fabric of what makes West Seattle so special, which is strong community connections.”
More importantly, in a world of “big box” stores, we feel extremely proud to be considered one of the little guys. Aside from being totally awesome, being an independent grocer and being locally owned and operated gives us the power to be able to bend over backward for our customers. Please come visit us April 20th – 22nd (4201 SW Morgan, at California/Fauntleroy) for a community appreciation event that includes a free grilled sausage lunch as a thank you for all of your support!
We thank West Seattle Thriftway 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.
Our area’s second planned “Cash Mob” is set for this Saturday – though it’ll actually be a week BEFORE the first one announced for our area. Confusing? Here’s the deal: The latest announcement is for 4 pm this Saturday, April 21st, during The Junction’s “Tax-Free Day” multi-merchant all-day sale – a “cash mob” (show up and spend!) at Curious Kidstuff. The one that was announced earlier (first reported here two weeks ago), April 28th at Village Green Perennial Nursery, is still on, too. A “cash mob” is meant to be a gathering of people, “flash mob” style (though usually well-publicized), to show up at a specific business and spend at least $20. (We hope you will “cash mob” ALL your favorite local independent businesses as often as you can, though!)
Story by Tracy Record
Photos by Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
“Are we out of the recession? Yes, we are,” declared local economic Matthew Gardner in his keynote speech at this morning’s West Seattle Chamber of Commerce annual awards breakfast.
Emceeing the event, Chamber board chair Dave Montoure, owner of West 5, declared that to be “a good message for us to hear today,” on behalf of the 120 people gathered at Salty’s on Alki to hear.
More on Gardner’s economic insights later – but first, the awardees!
(From left, WS Garden Tour’s Jim Reid, The Grove’s Lynn Sweeney Pedersen, Pete Spalding, Dave Montoure, AmericanWest Bank’s David Kim)
They were announced back in February (WSB coverage here), but the breakfast celebration is always an occasion for the business community to gather and not only give the awardees well-earned applause, but also to celebrate the community’s ongoing growth.
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
AmericanWest Bank
Junction branch manager David Kim – who also chairs the Chamber’s Ambassador Committee – accepted the award, noting that AWB (a new name for what had been Viking Bank, before last year’s merger) is a “business-focused community bank.”
EMERGING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
The Grove/West Seattle Inn
Montoure introduced owner Lynn Sweeney Pedersen after recalling that when the Chamber polled members in 2010 about what West Seattle needs most, there were two answers – a hospital and a hotel. The Sweeney family made the latter dream come true last year.
Sweeney Pedersen recounted the property’s makeover last year, from rundown motel to “comfortable, friendly, affordable lodging,” saying their work isn’t over yet – they’re working on “continuous improvement.” She also mentioned that this weekend they will celebrate the complex’s “50th birthday,” since it was built for the Seattle World’s Fair half a century ago (as the Mar-Lyn, after original owners Martin and Evelyn).
NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR
West Seattle Garden Tour
President Jim Reid accepted the award, talking about the WSGT’s roots in the mid-1990s, founded by community advocate Irene Stewart. Since then, he said, it was raised and donated nearly a quarter-million dollars to causes in the community, facilitating the community’s “stepping up to make up for the decline in government funding” of some of those services. It’s an all-volunteer organization, and its planning is in high gear for this year’s tour, July 15th (more info here), and Reid said, you have one more week to sign up as a sponsor (WSB is among them again this year).
WESTSIDER OF THE YEAR
Pete Spalding
Montoure quipped that when he asked Spalding for his bio, it was a page and a half long. Just a few toplines of what he’s up to currently – West Seattle Food Bank board, Southwest Precinct Advisory Council, Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council, Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee … Spalding, no stranger to awards but clearly moved by this one, said with his trademark Southern-accent humility and humor, “I think there are a lot of people who do a lot more in the community and are more deserving, but I’m not going to give (the award) back!” He closed his remarks by quoting the exhortation he features in his e-mail signature, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Ahead – toplines from the keynote, what’s next for the Chamber, and our video from this morning’s event:Read More
As of this morning, less than three weeks after announcing her move, Sam Crowley has reopened her flower shop Fleurt (WSB sponsor) in its bigger new location, 4536 California SW (the former storefront of Knows Perfume). Right after she threw open the doors at 10:30 am, we stopped by for a look inside. She’s open till 5:30 pm today, if you want to take a peek; Sam also invites you to an open house one week from tomorrow, April 21st, “We are planning to have an open house Saturday April 21st – “in celebration of our 2-year anniversary, Earth Day, and new location.”
Thanks to Robin for the tip that a banner’s just gone up for the impending move of Super Supplements from The Junction to its new Morgan Junction location (the former Blockbuster Video on the northwest corner of 42nd/Fauntleroy). We first reported three months ago that Super Supplements had settled on this site for a new location; the California/Alaska corner where the store’s been for six years is part of the site where Equity Residential has said it will start construction on its two-building mixed-use project before year’s end. (We’re checking for an update on Super Supplements’ moving timetable.)
Maybe you’ve heard of the “cash mob” concept, now that it’s been tried in a couple neighborhoods around, and near, Seattle – supporters of a local small independent business “mob” it at a pre-set time and place, usually pledging to spend at least $20 each. 
The first West Seattle/White Center “cash mob” has just been announced, with its “target” Village Green Perennial Nursery (WSB sponsor) at 2 pm April 28th. Local entrepreneur Michael B. Maine of Menrva Labs, whose mission is “to promote social change by increasing social awareness,” came up with the idea this weekend, and will roll out more information in the week ahead. He explains that “… after meeting Vera Johnson at the ‘Women on a Mission’ conference a few weeks ago, I decided to head down to her nursery yesterday. After spending a couple of hours with her, I thought her place would make a great location to host a cash mob.” We think every day would be a great day to “mob” your favorite local independent businesses, and Michael says he agrees, while adding, “I think it’s important for them to know where to be and when. Then they can make the conscious effort to support or not support that business.” Keep tabs on the “cash mob”‘s Facebook event page in case something changes.
Cheryl from Twilight Artist Collective in The Junction, on SW Alaska just west of Easy Street Records, wants to make sure you know that despite the sign, their business (and the others to the west) IS OPEN while the neighboring bus shelter gets its RapidRide-related makeover.
Just announced – April 21st is the day you can plan on shopping The Junction and saving 10 percent, during another edition of The Junction’s Tax-Free Day for All, as merchants offer you discounts equivalent to the sales tax you’d pay. As in years past, you’ll be able to identify participating stores and restaurants – yes, there will be food/beverage deals as well as other merchandise! – because each one will have a red balloon outside. See the full list of more than 40 participating businesses by going here.
Prudential Northwest Realty, led by West Seattleite Mike Gain, now has something in common with household names such as Dairy Queen, See’s Candies, GEICO Insurance, and Fruit of the Loom: It is now owned by a company that belongs to Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway. Ahead, the news release announcing that HomeServices of America is buying PNW Realty – which will not be changing its name, according to the announcement:Read More
Story and photos by Katie Meyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
It’s been two months since we first reported on the mysterious happenings inside the former Petco storefront at 4732 California SW – and now, the brand-new window-painting work has brought a new round of questions.
So we stopped by to see what’s up with Jason Rudolph, who told us back in February about his plans for the space – running his Sound Advertising Group and restoring some legendary animatronic characters.
First – Jason tells us he’ll open the space during the April West Seattle Art Walk next week – 6-9 pm Thursday, April 12th – to showcase work by Jason Sinclair Astorquia and host some live music by Willow & The Embers, so you’ll get to take a look inside for yourself.
While the restoration of the “Rock-afire Explosion” animatronic characters set up at the front of the space continues; Jason adds that most of his staff has moved their workstations from the company offices on 44th SW into this new space.
Painting over the windows with a mural – with just a few intentionally see-through spots – gives the the employees more privacy:
Once finished, the mural will be a colorful creative, original work hand-painted by Japhy Witte, known as “the Sign Savant.”
Petco vacated the space last November to move into its new spot in Capco Plaza at 41st/Alaska.
We’re welcoming Devonshire Landscapes as a new WSB sponsor. Here’s their message for you:
You may have seen our trucks around town. Devonshire Landscapes is based near White Center. Many of our employees work and live in our neighborhood. We have been helping residents of the Seattle area since 1999, when it was founded by Will Anstey (right). Since then, we have slowly grown to a company with 15 full-time employees, and we currently service more than 155 maintenance customers, many of whom we have been serving for 10 years. We are reaching out to our neighbors in the West Seattle, Burien, and Normandy Park areas this spring and offering $25 off to new maintenance customers!
Our landscape-maintenance service is a little different. We will not hold anyone in a service contract that does not work for them. Cancel at any time with one month’s notice, and no extra fees! We let our customers CHOOSE the level of service that fits their personal preferences and budget. Our minimum service is: 2-person crew for 30 minutes, every other week March-Nov., for $100 per month (including tax). Time spent per visit can be increased to meet client needs, as well as weekly service visits. Other optional services (i.e. fertilization, irrigation service, winter visits (Dec.-Feb., etc.) can also be added.
Devonshire Landscapes crews wear professional uniforms, and drive clearly marked vehicles with our company logo displayed. We continuously work with and train our employees, as 
well as sending them to classes, workshops, and certification testing. We pride ourselves in providing some of the best customer service in the industry. To that end we have earned the “Super Service Award” from AngiesList.com every year we have been advertising with them (2010, 2011), and have maintained an “A” rating with their clients. Dan Vittetoe, our maintenance manager, is always available on his cell phone and email to help answer any questions or concerns. Will, the owner, is also available to clients, and is “hands-on to ensure customer satisfaction.” Find Devonshire Landscapes online at devonshirelandscapes.com or by phone at 206-856-3360.
We thank Devonshire Landscapes 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.
We frequently feature photos of people from West Seattle nonprofits, schools, and churches out doing good deeds – but this is a reminder that businesses do, too. Thanks to LaShanna for sharing the photo of LaFarge workers along West Marginal Way SW today, during what she says is an ongoing bimonthly cleanup project. (Let us know – either with advance word or with a photo afterward – what community service YOUR business is up to.)
When Heartland Café proprietor Jay Wergin sent this anniversary announcement, we asked him if he had any photos to go along with it – not just an exterior, but something with Heartland people. He says the resulting photo, atop this story, shows his staff from the Christmas Party – and he says everybody in it is still working there. So here’s what’s in store for the celebration, starting TOMORROW (Thursday 3/29):
Monday, April 2nd marks the Heartland Café and Benbow Room’s 2nd year anniversary.
We have a jam-packed 4-day weekend planned for this event with a touring band from Portland, Smiley, Get Dressed along with Seattle band The Underwater Tiger hitting the stage on Thursday night @ 9 pm. — On Friday @ 9 pm we have 3 bands playing, Can’t Complain, Swingset Showdown and Animals In Cars. — On Saturday, we have some local alternative/soul/cool jazz playing the Benbow Room, solo artist Scott Concinnity from Letters From Traffic and the Amelia Circle band. On Sunday we will be offering food specials in the main dining room.
On the actual day of our anniversary we will be offering “metal and fried chicken” (21 yrs and older only). There will be a live broadcast viewing of Chris Yardley’s Killzone featuring music from Attackhead and Subject7 via ReebLive! There will also be interviews with band members as well as an interview with Chris Yardley — The best part is, you get to taste our famous fried chicken for free! Yes, you heard it right — come and eat fried chicken from 6-8 pm. Our usual Monday special applies as well: $1 PBR Tall Boys and $2 chili dogs 3-9 pm (bar only).
— Yoo Betcha!
The Heartland/Benbow is in the Admiral District at 4210 SW Admiral Way.
Sam Crowley, proprietor of Fleurt in The Junction, is excited today – and not just because it’s sunny and that will likely put even more people in the mood for flowers. She is excited because she’s moving to a bigger new location – the Junction storefront recently vacated by Knows Perfume:
“Due to the overwhelming support of the local community, we are excited to announce that starting mid-April, Fleurt will be moving to a bigger and better location. We are not going far; we are moving right next door to Menashe & Sons Jewelers, 4536 California Ave.
The larger space will allow us to expand our flower offerings and services, in addition to having more unique gifts and creative workshops. We thank everyone for your support, and we look forward to seeing you at our new location.
Besides drop-in service at her storefront as well as “unique gifts and home decor,” Sam notes that Fleurt “offers daily deliveries of flowers, as well as flowers for events and weddings.” She’ll have something else to celebrate next month besides the new storefront – April is also when Fleurt will celebrate its second anniversary in The Junction.
Cycle University has just announced the opening date for its new location at 3418 Harbor Avenue, where it’s moving because Highline Medical is taking over its Triangle spot (as reported here last August). They expect to open the new, bigger location on April 3rd – read the full announcement ahead:Read More
A new store just opened in Delridge. We were out in this morning’s sunshine, driving between a couple locations to check on unrelated reader tips, when we spotted the sign outside the lemon-yellow building – M-M’s Market, now open next to the Vietnamese Cultural Center (map), across SW Orchard/Sylvan from the north side of Home Depot.
In that photo are Mele Morales and his wife Monica, the West Seattle residents who own M-M’s Market. Mele told us he spent a decade in construction, and wanted to do something new. They’re starting with merchandise that includes a sizable selection of packaged food and beverage items, plus snacks and even spices, many geared toward the Hispanic community, as well as some pastries. (Figurines, too, as you can see behind Mele and Monica in the photo.) Mele says they’re planning to be open daily 8 am to 8 pm. They hope to expand their inventory as time goes by, but they’re starting with the basics. “I love this community,” he said, with a big smile.
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor – IHeartWestSeattle.com, the collaborative team of real-estate brokers Roger Steiner & Dale Wampler. Here’s what they’d like you to know about their business:
Roger and Dale describe themselves as “West Seattle residents, enthusiasts, and “hyper-local” real-estate professionals. What does that mean? While we’re definitely tuned in to Seattle real estate in general, we spend most of our time checking the pulse of West Seattle’s real estate market, seeing just about every new property that comes on the market, and carefully tracking what’s selling (and what isn’t). We believe there’s a better way for consumers to buy & sell, and that technology has changed the role agents play in the real estate process. So we’ve taken the best elements of traditional brokerages, and aligned them with all the advantages and conveniences that technology has opened up to our industry. The result is that we’re able to lower our overhead without sacrificing an ounce of customer service, and we then pass along the savings to you, our customer. We’re able to do this because of a few basics:
• Our partnership with RSVP Real Estate: RSVP is a locally owned real-estate brokerage with no parent corporation, no franchised offices, no investors looking for a return. At RSVP we take full advantage of today’s technologies, and just focus on satisfying our clients.
• Geographic specialization: Rather than run all over Puget Sound, we are focused on the West Seattle peninsula- this saves us time and money spent on the road (the Prius and the Vespa help too)!
• Efficiency: Being geographically focused saves us time in another way: When you contact us about buying, we won’t take that as a cue to start rushing around ‘getting to know’ what’s out there- chances are we’ll already know of a few homes on the market that might suit your needs. If you’re thinking of selling, we’ve seen several homes in your value range which have sold over the past 6 months, so we don’t start from scratch. Please visit our website to learn more about our unique fee structure, and look for us around the neighborhood!”
We thank IHeartWestSeattle.com 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.
Joey Genzale is excited about all the improvements at his Westwood produce megastand, Tony’s Market, which just reopened at 35th/Barton a few hours ago after its traditional post-Christmas break. It’s a later reopening than usual, and here’s why:
That’s just part of the new 24-foot refrigerated produce case lining the north wall – which means the produce stays fresher longer – “Perfect lettuce! Perfect mushrooms!” enthuses Joey – and that’s good for customers as well as for the store’s bottom line. There’s also a brand-new cooler up front by the checkout stand, for non-produce merchandise. And even on the south side, the non-refrigerated items – such as tree fruit – is arranged up against the wall, improving traffic flow inside the store.
Something else new:
Joey says he’s been working on improving his hand-lettering sills for the signs that have long been a trademark of the produce market, run by his dad Tony Genzale till his untimely passing in December 2010. He had some ready to go last night – and then the rain swept in and undid his work. “My dad’s getting even with me,” he laughed.
When we were there in the 1 o’clock hour, they were still finishing setup, but almost done, and definitely open – and Joey is asking everyone what they think of the improvements (which include some fresh interior paint): “After 16 years, it was time.”
VENTANA CONSTRUCTION: RapidRide stop construction continues just outside longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction‘s California/Findlay HQ – and now, Ventana proprietor Anne Higuera says, a banner explaining the work is finally up – but the path is still clear from the east to get there for tomorrow’s FREE remodeling/custom homebuilding workshop. Still some room left – it’s at 1:30 pm Saturday: “The basics about remodeling and custom homebuilding: Where to start, how to hire, what to expect. An informative hour and a half with a general contractor and an architect.” RSVP ASAP to 206-932-3009.
Also this weekend:
MOUNTAIN TO SOUND OUTFITTERS EXTENDS SALE: Mountain to Sound Outfitters (also a WSB sponsor) is in clearance mode, says proprietor Greg Whittaker, who says they’re extending their clearance sale through Sunday “for all the procrastinators. We still have a good selection of the best ski and snowboard gear in the region, so stop by if you need the right gear to enjoy the late season snow in the Cascades.” M2SO is in The Triangle, at 3602 SW Alaska.
Also in The Triangle:
ANOTHER WEST SEATTLE TRADER JOE’S SIGN: In case you missed our photo yesterday:
A second sign went up today (top left).
NEW BUSINESS: Carol from Pediatric Speech & Language Therapy says her business, which already had offices in Wallingford and Bellevue, recently opened a West Seattle location in The Junction, 4520 44th SW. She explains that her business “provides a full spectrum of speech therapy services for children ages 0-18, including evaluation and ongoing treatment. Free screenings, and speaking engagements regarding communication development or related topics can also be arranged. In the near future we hope to offer social groups, language enrichment groups, and parent education services.”
The store’s actual 4th anniversary was four years and one month ago today – we covered the opening of Max and Quinn’s Atomic Boys Shop-O-Rama on February 8th, 2008. But who’s counting? Kent Sadow (pictured) and Parris Sadow finally get a chance to celebrate their retro-toys-and-candy store’s milestone this Saturday (March 10), and they’re inviting you:
Atomic Boys is celebrating its 4th Birthday.
Join us for drawings for cool stuff, food, and all-day fun!
Stop in anytime, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, to help us celebrate another great year.
Thanks to all of you, of course!!!
Atomic Boys (named after the Sadows’ sons) is at 4311 SW Admiral Way.
(Click to see larger image)
That’s the “3-D” look at the area of north/central Delridge known as the “Brandon Node” – which was centerstage at last Wednesday night’s “visioning” open house sponsored by the North Delridge Neighborhood Council and Delridge Neighborhoods District Council at Martin’s Way. We dropped by in the first hour; now NDNC co-chair Parie Hines has put together and published a thorough look at the entire event, its results, and next steps. You can see her report here, on the NDNC website. One key summary point: The desire voiced for new food-related businesses in the area was four times the desire voiced for other types of businesses. However, as another chart in Parie’s report shows, that doesn’t mean everyone’s clamoring for restaurants – the #1 type of food-related business that open-house-goers wanted to see was “farmers’ market/produce,” followed by “bakery.” The most-desired non-food business: “Children’s or clothing consignment store.” Outside the business realm, street trees and bike racks were atop wish lists.
North Delridge leaders plan to pursue ways to make this all happen, including city support; attendees last Wednesday included City Council President Sally Clark and Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Richard Conlin – Clark mentioned the Brandon Node event during what amounts to council “open mike” time at their weekly briefing session yesterday.
Today was the final day for the Knows Perfume storefront in The Junction, according to spokesperson Ali Brownrigg. She says Knows owner Christen Cottam “has decided to transform her brick-and-mortar business into a more mobile incarnation, complete with private consultations and concierge services, both at a soon-to-be determined office space and at the perfume counters of major department stores .. Christen will continue to offer her popular series of classes, host Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Full Moon Parties, and has plans to launch an e-commerce site so shoppers can still purchase the indie and boutique fragrances they’ve come to love.” The store at 4536 California SW opened in May 2010.
| Comments Off on West Seattle Junction Tax-Free Day (& more), midway through