Story by Rachel M. Lusby
Photos by Jim Branson

Longtime local business, Burien Books, is up for sale.

Burien Books was owned and operated by Virginia Pearce for 50 years. Pearce passed away recently at the age of 96 (read Jim Branson’s tribute to her here) and now the bookstore is being placed for sale by her nephew Joe Wisen.

“It’s a part of the estate,” Wisen said. “I cannot keep it running.” Wisen says he has other businesses of his own to run.

Burien Books is located at 643 SW 152nd St. and has been a staple in the community. One customer says she can find the books she needs for her book club, even when she cannot find them at bigger bookstore chains.

The last five or six years, Wisen says, Pearce was “getting tired.” He said she started to do things she enjoyed like working in her garden and bringing things into the store to decorate instead of dealing with the business aspect of things.

Marian Floyd has worked at Burien Books for 17 years and thinks the store may be the oldest one in the area to be owned by one person. “Even the feed store has changed owners,” she said.

Never having been modernized, the bookstore has used a wooden drawer that predates even the oldest of cash registers. It has sections for quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies and sections for paper money but no buttons.

Floyd said Virginia believed this had worked just fine for 50 years and there was no need for any “modern contraptions.” They do not even use a calculator. The store does take credit cards but uses a hand-operated card swiper with carbon paper.

Floyd says the bookstore has mostly repeat customers and a great reputation in the town.

“We brought our children here and now they’re bringing their children,” she said. “People don’t want to go to a bigger bookstore.”

Wisen says there have been some people to show interest in buying the store, but nobody who has been real enthusiastic. He has posted the sale on sites like craigslist.com, and has run ads in the Seattle Times and other local publications. He hopes the store will be sold and maintained.

“I would hope they would keep it open,” Wisen said. “It’s been there a long time.”

Wisen says the store has a large customer base but if it does not sell soon, he will have to close it down. “I think they [customers] will be disappointed.”

Floyd says there are many customers who come in “just to chat.”

“They like a place where they can come in and the employees know their names.”

If the store were to sell, Floyd strongly feels it would be updated.

“It will be modernized,” she said. “That is probably a good thing, actually.”

Floyd foresees there being computers involved and maybe some online sales and purchases from and by the store. She also hopes they would implement things such as “book readings, author signings, and childrens’ story times.”

If you’re interested in purchasing this page in Burien’s history, contact Joe Wisen at j.pacrim@yahoo.com or phone him at (206) 246-2725.

New Burien business Eat Local will be hosting artist Nikki McClure this Sunday, Dec. 13th from Noon-1pm, when she will be signing her 2010 calendar.

According to owner Greg Connor:

Nikki does very few public events. We will be doing a tasting and it would be an opportunity for your readers to meet her.  As you probably know Nikki is an artist recognized on the national stage. Her children’s book All In A Day is a New York Times bestseller and should win several prizes this year.

Eat Local is located at 810 SW 151st, next to Bicycles West.

Using only an X-Acto knife, a single sheet of paper and the inspiration that surrounds her at her Olympia, WA home, Nikki McClure lovingly creates her intricate and beautiful papercuts. Her work constructs a bold graphic language that translates the complex poetry of family, nature and activism into endearing, positive and disarmingly powerful images.

This is the first year the cover has had more than just two colors; and what a wonderful use of color it is; only the threads in the sewing case are colored.

January also features a distinctive background; a first in Nikki’s calendars where she’s used a combination of two different cut papers. The background texture is a white paper creating a new sense of realism for the piece.

Happy Holidays!
Greg and the Eat Local Team

Click here to learn more about Nikki McClure, and here to learn more about Eat Local.

Burien’s Goodwill store will be celebrating its new look with a “Customer Appreciation Day” this Saturday, Dec. 12th from 8am on.

Visitors to the store, located at 1031 SW 128th Street “will enjoy an improved and more pleasant shopping experience thanks to extensive improvements to the store.”

In addition, the onsite Job Training and Education Center will be holding an Open House from 10am to 2pm. Individuals can speak with Instructors about course offerings, inquire about upcoming registration and tour the facilities.

As part of the day’s events, there will also be free drawings for Goodwill gift cards, and several special sales on certain items will be announced.

The store received a host of improvements designed, including a brand new floor of polished concrete, fresh paint and new signs. The books and furniture sections were expanded and the collectibles area received new cases.

“The store really looks fantastic, and we’re sure shoppers will agree,” said Store Manager Corinne Davis. “We’ve been a part of the Burien community for eight years now and want to thank our shoppers and material donors for their continuous support.”

The store opened on Dec. 13, 2001; it is one of 18 retail stores operated by Seattle Goodwill in the central and northern Puget Sound region. Donations of reusable items from the community are sold in these stores; net proceeds support Goodwill’s job training and education programs, which prepare people for work. Last year, Goodwill served more than 2,700 people at its nine job training centers. Services to the community are offered free of charge.

The redesign is part of a retrofit planned by Goodwill to update some of its older stores with elements incorporated into its new store designs.

The B-Town Blog welcomes its latest Advertiser: The Yard Sale, located at 14017 First Avenue South #101 in Burien!

You don’t have to wait until summer anymore to find those hidden treasures by driving all over town, wasting your time and gas – you’ll find them waiting for you at this new store, which had its grand opening today (Nov. 2nd).

Owned by The Cross Church and Discipleship Center of White Center, The Yard Sale’s proceeds go to sustaining the ministry Pastor Jerry Wilson started at the church in 2003. The ministry is dedicated to helping people who have become distressed through crisis in their lives. For information about this life changing program, go to www.crosschurchseattle.com.

Here is a list of some of the products you’ll find at The Yard Sale:

• New and used clothes
• Electronics
• Ceramics
• Paintings
• Jewelry
• Games and toys
• Collectibles
• Appliances
• Furniture
• Books
• Cards
• Kitchenware

Also on site every Saturday through November will be Scat the Cat!

This past spring, Scat, who has been the pet therapy cat at the church for the past several years, suffered several wounds, including a seven-inch gash on its side, three broken ribs and severe internal injuries (a local man has been charged in the attack. He plead Not Guilty to a first degree animal cruelty charge in King County Superior Court.)

Pasado’s Safe Haven, a local non-profit animal rescue organization, covered Scat’s medical expenses.

Church members said when Scat first came to the church, he was very leery of people. But over time, he became more socialized and eventually grew into a lovable therapy cat.

Donations are gladly accepted at the Yard Sale store or at the Cross Church & Discipleship Center located 1320 SW 102nd Street in White Center.

The Cross Church can also provide hard working people with a variety of skills to help you with projects around your house or business if you are looking for some hired helping hands.

So stop by and help support this wonderful new branch of their ministry and say Hi to everybody.

The Yard Sale
14017 1st Avenue South #101
Burien, WA

Hours:

• 10am – 6pm Monday through Saturday

Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, event listing and/or Ad like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by nearly 40,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

KJing County Sheriff’s Department reports that on Friday, Aug. 21st, a clerk in a Circle K store in nearby Auburn didn’t believe a young robber was carrying a real gun, so she did what any normal clerk would do any overly worked and underpaid clerk would do – she grabbed for it.

The robber popped off a round into the ceiling, hitting a light fixture, and the clerk quickly became a believer.

The robbery occurred just after 1am on Friday, August 21st at 5011 S. 288th Street in Auburn.

A man came into the store with a bandana covering his face, pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and demanded “all the cigars, chew, and everything” from the clerk.

The clerk said “Are you kidding?” and told the suspect to leave the store, in no uncertain terms. When the robber reached for some merchandise the clerk grabbed for the gun. The suspect pulled his arm back and fired into the ceiling before leaving the store. The clerk was not injured.

The robber was about 140 lbs, around 5’ 5” tall, perhaps 15 to 18 years old. He wore a black, White Sox baseball hat, black jacket, tan shorts and white shoes. And of course the black bandana. Differing descriptions by witnesses have his race as black or white.

In addition, there was a likely accomplice in the store just before the robbery wearing a red sweatshirt. He stood outside the store, held the door for the robber, and even peeked in during the robbery.

If anyone knows either suspect or has information on the crime, they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 9-1-1.

by Janet Grella
Photos by Michael Brunk

EXCLUSIVE: Eat Local owner Greg Conner has selected Burien for his stores’ second location in the greater Seattle area – he’s opening his 3500-square foot store at 810 SW 151st soon, right next to Bicycles West. His Queen Anne location has been open for three years.

Greg hopes to have Eat Local open by early fall of this year. He will also be locating Eat Local’s open kitchen in the Burien location.

Eat Local is a “speciality food store, not a restaurant, or a grocery store,” explains Greg. “It’s a concept store specializing in food products purchased from local northwest organic farmers. It is also an artisan food store offering prepared meals made with seasonal, organic ingredients bought directly from local farms”.

Organic farmers include:

• Thundering Hooves for pork, beef and lamb
• Salmon from Loki Fish
  
• Grains from Bluebird Grains Farms
  
• Stokesberry Farms will supply the organic eggs

…just to name a few.

Eat Local will be selling entrees, sides, baked goods, desserts, soups, all cooked on-site and frozen to keep the nutrients in. All the consumer has to do, is take it home and “mike it” (as in “microwave it“).

They will also be carrying a selection of other items, including:

• Rockridge Orchards cider
• Bluebird Grains
  
• Empire Ice Cream
• Tiny’s Organics
• Blue Cottage Jams and Woodrings Spreads
• Local cheeses, dairy and eggs
• They’ll also have their own wine label from Mt. Baker Vineyards and beer from Georgetown Brewery
  

Why Burien?

Greg grew up in Burien, and is a graduate of Kennedy High School. He wanted to “come home to one of the best little cities in the Seattle area. I think Burien is going to just get better and better in the years to come.”

If you can’t wait for the opening to enjoy their prepared food items, you’ll find them at Burien’s Thursday Farmer’s Market, which is one of four local farmer’s market selling the Eat Local products. You can also visit their location in Seattle at 2400 Queen Anne Ave. North.

For more information, visit their website here.

It actually “soft opened” somewhat quietly on Jan. 2nd, but we wanted to make sure everyone knew that Burien now has its very own hardware store – Ace Hardware, located at 14930 4th Ave SW, near Saars Market and Staples (map below).

The “Grand Opening” festivities will start Friday, March 20th and run through Sunday, March 22st. Activities will include:

• Special sale items
• Meet Ed Hume
• Enter to win a $750 Weber BBQ
• Complimentary refreshments

And while we’re big fans of McLendon’s Hardware in White Center, it’s nice to have a neighborhood joint when you absolutely, positively have to have an inflatable garden snake.

Here’s the Ace press release:

America’s most celebrated “helpful place” opened its doors on January 2, 2009 in Burien. The new Ace Hardware store, located at 14930 4th Ave SW, will bring the company’s unique blend of nationally recognized customer service and quality home improvement knowledge and products to Burien residents.

The store is designed to reflect the needs of the Burien community, including solutions to everyday home improvements needs, as well as an extensive array of high-quality products in categories such as paint and lawn and garden. Ace’s mission is to provide customers with convenience combined with superior service through one-on-one expert advice and assistance.

The almost 13,000 square foot store with a 2,500 square foot garden center is packed with thousands of essential products and supplies, including some of the most respected brand names and best-selling items in the home improvement marketplace. Key product offerings include paint, lawn and garden, hardware, electrical, plumbing, automotive, home décor and one of the largest selections of nuts, bolts and screws in the Northwest.

The Grand Opening festivities will take place from Friday March 20 and run through Sunday March 22. Activities include special sale items, meet Ed Hume, enter to win a $750 Weber BBQ and complimentary refreshments.

Store Hours:

• Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m
• Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Address & Phone:

• 14903 4th Ave SW, Burien WA 98166
• Phone: (206)242-8700

About Ace Hardware:
Throughout its 80-year history, Ace Hardware has been known as the helpful hardware store by both customers and communities. In 2007 and 2008, Ace Hardware was ranked the “Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Major Home Improvement Retail Stores” by J.D. Power and Associates in its inaugural study of the retail home improvement industry. With 4,600 hardware, home center and building materials stores that generate annual retails sales of more than $12 billion, Ace is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace currently operates 14 distributions centers in the U.S. and a warehouse in Shanghai, China, and its retailers’ stores are located in all 50 states and 60 countries. More information about Ace can be found at www.acehardware.com.

View Larger Map

6pm 12/30/08 UPDATE: The Seattle Times reports that “an armored-car guard was slightly injured this afternoon when a thief grabbed a bag of money out of his hands and fled” as the result of an armored truck robbery late Tuesday afternoon.

Watch the video report from KOMO News.

PREVIOUSLY: According to KING-TV, an armored truck was robbed in Burien late Tuesday afternoon when a suspect stole a bag of cash from a truck guard at a 7-11 convenience store near First Ave South and South 136th.

Apparently, while there are no reported injuries (not necessarily true, see above) the suspect is still on the loose; according to one Reader’s email, there are helicopters currently hovering over the area as of 5:15pm, possibly searching for him.

If you’re in that area and hear of or see anything, please email us.

Full story here.

The 7-11 in question is located at 13456 First Ave South:

View Larger Map

Courtesy BTB Reader Maureen Hoffman comes this interesting artifact from days gone by – an old price tag from a long-gone store called “Bell’s of Burien” which used to exist where the Burien Town Square is being built now:

Here’s what Maureen emailed:

Here’s a little bit of memorabilia I was amused by – my brother, a carpenter, was remodeling a local house recently and found this price tag from Bell’s of Burien, the original store (across from Mick Kelly’s) that was later Lamonts, (then Gottschalk’s) then sat empty for a long time before being torn down for Town Square.

I shopped there as a kid.

Fred Freitag, current owner of what was once the Three Tree Point Store, discovered a very interesting and historic hand-drawn map of the area in the basement of his house, which he has exclusively shared with the B-Town Blog.

It appears that the “Authoritative, accurate and comprehensive map of Three Tree Point and its immediate environs” was drawn by store owner Vi Sparks on Oct. 6, 1974, with “slight assistance” from Bill and Jeanne Sparks.

Some of our favorite elements of this map:

• Some very cute drawings of ships, airplanes, cars, fish, birds, dogs, houses and even a donkey pulling a cart labeled “What is it??“!
• “Scale: 1 = an unknown number of feet!” scribbled at the bottom as a key
• Humorous 1970s-era Smiley Face drawn in some blank space near the center

Click the image to see a larger and more detailed version:

The B-Town Blog is proud to welcome our latest Advertiser: Poggi Bonsi, which has two retail stores in Olde Burien at 929 SW 152nd Street and 907 SW 152nd Street.

In the summer of 2000, Keli Sim-DeRitis, a freelance graphic designer, went on an extended family vacation to Italy to visit her husband’s relatives. While there she fell in love with the vibrant colors and unique designs of the Italian pottery as well as the Italian culture.

After returning home she found a local Italian food importer and worked on developing a business idea, identity and packaging for a corporate gift line of artisan olive oil and hand-painted ceramic dipping bowls. The name “Poggi Bonsi” came from the Tuscan town of “Poggibonsi”…while on vacation Keli and her family got lost every day and kept running into signs directing them to “Poggibonsi,”  they had so much fun learning how to pronounce the name and repeating it again and again, that it stuck.

Keli recruited her friend and fellow entrepreneur, Michelle Codd—a floral and container garden designer–whom she had met through their children’s preschool to become a partner.

In August of 2003 a friend approached them with an offer of a small retail space in the Olde Burien Shopping District. Using Michelle’s strong background in floral design and visual merchandising and Keli’s background in graphic design along with a common work ethic and drive, they created a tiny gem of a store in only one-month’s time. This first store, at 929 SW 152nd St. opened in September of 2003 selling Italian ceramics, linens, olive wood and specialty foods.

The retail store soon gained a following and in September of 2004 they launched their online store www.poggibonsigifts.com and a larger retail outlet at 901 SW 152nd Street. In March 2006 they again expanded with Cucina, their kitchen store, located just down the block at 907 SW 152nd st.

Today Poggi Bonsi has 9 employees, imports products from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal and ships them from their Burien location to customers across the United States. The first time they shipped an order from Olde Burien to New York City was quite an event. Since then they’ve gained many loyal customers from Burien and beyond. Some special orders have been: a wedding present to Glenn Close—a Christmas gift to Mario Batali—and selling home décor items to Kelsey Grammer’s interior designer.

They are now in the midst of redesigning their online store and adding a blog with stories from their travels abroad.

We welcome Poggi Bonsi to the B-Town Blog family, thank them for not removing our little yard sign in front of their store, and ask all readers to please support them by clicking on their ad on the right sidebar and checking them out!