Madrona

Madrona's iconic adobe gas station at 34th and Pike is on the way out to make way for a mixed-use residential and retail building. There will be a celebration Saturday from 6-9 p.m. saying goodbye to the former Madrona Auto buildings and hello to the new development.

CDN reported in 2008 that plans for the new development received a fairly warm community response during a design review meeting.The three-story building will have seven residential units. Six of the units will be "live-work" units, meaning residents will also have a retail space on the ground level.... (more)

Seattle Fire responded to a report of smoke and a small fire in the upstairs bedroom of a 32nd and Cherry home shortly before 1:30 p.m. Monday.

The fire, possibly a mattress fire, was put out about ten minutes after the call went out.

We'll update as we learn more.

  (more)

A home at 29th and Marion suffered $55,000 in damage in an early Wednesday morning attic fire started by overheated wiring. According to Seattle Fire, a family of three was displaced by the fire.

Investigators believe an overheated electrical line in the attic ignited the wood joists and rafters causing damage to the roof and attic space.

Seattle Fire crews arrived to find smoke coming from the attic of the one-story home at 829 29th Ave just after 3:20a. The fire was brought under control in under 30 minutes. All three occupants safely evacuated before the first fire engine arrived.

A Seattle Fire Investigator determined the fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to the structure and $5,000 in damage to the contents. There were no reported injuries.

Crews were to remain on scene of the fire until noon to ensure it does not reignite.

Original Report: Emergency crews responded to a house fire near 29th and Marion early Wednesday morning.

Seattle Fire arrived to find smoke coming from the attic of the one-story home at 829 29th Ave just after 3:20a. The fire appeared to be under control within 20 minutes.

There were no immediate reports of injuries at the scene.

Police expected to be on the scene for another hour to close off streets as crews mopped up and investigated the fire.

Rescued a pretty gray and white female tabby Christmas day who was stuck in tree at 33rd and Marion. Too scared to find it's way home.

Please call or email if you have any info about owner: 206-650-3726 karen@moskowitz.com

Video of the rescue:

In the battle for valuable urban space, the tree often defeats the sidewalk. That's what happened on 34th Ave in Madrona, where SDOT recently cut down a block or so of red sunset maples.

The trees were chopped down in order to repave the sidewalk, which had been demolished by tree roots. With the new ADA-compliant sidewalk in place, SDOT says they have planted two trees for each one cut down, and the new trees have enough space from the sidewalk to thrive.

The project, however, has stirred some controversy as the large trees were cut down. A young tree is not the same as an old tree, and the tree canopy along the street will not return for many years. SDOT says the sidewalk was irreparable because the trees were planted in too small of a space.

Here are a couple before-and-after shots from SDOT:

Before

After

From SDOT:

This fall SDOT replaced the uplifted, crumbling sidewalks along most of the 900 block of 34th Ave with new, flat, smooth sidewalks.  The project is on 34th Ave, south of E Spring St, across the street from Playground, and just south of the business district.  You may know it simply as ”the block diagonally across from Cupcake .”

About 35 years ago nearly 100 Red Sunset Maples were planted along 34th Ave between E Pike and E Cherry.  These trees are now too large for their narrow planting space next to the sidewalk, so their roots often lift up and damage the sidewalk.  SDOT has done many spot repairs, or “shims” to the sidewalks but some sidewalks are beyond the point where we can continue such fixes while preserving the trees in such a narrow growing space.

The result was a damaged sidewalk that limited access for many members of the community–people using strollers, people using wheelchairs and more.  This is an important walking corridor because it’s along a bus route, it leads to the neighborhood business district and connects to schools, the library and parks.

SDOT staff from sidewalk repair and urban forestry determined that the best plan for the long run was to rebuild the sidewalk and remove nine trees on this block (and replace them with 18 new trees nearby) so that the trees do not damage our investment in the new sidewalk.   We would prefer to never remove trees, but in some cases there is just not enough room in the right-of-way for the sidewalk and the tree to co-exist.  It’s kind of like where it would be nice to install a bike lane, but the street is only wide enough to accommodate a sharrow.  When SDOT removes a tree, we replace it with two trees, and plant them as close to the removed tree as possible.  In the long run, we have a repaired sidewalk that will last a very long time, and we have trees planted in the right place with enough space for them to thrive.

June at 34th and Pike in Madrona has closed, but a new restaurant is set to take its place.

June opened in May 2010 in the space formerly occupied by Cremant. June was a French-inspired restaurant headed by chef Vuong Loc, who also owns the Queen Anne French bistro Portage.

Restaurant Bea will take it's place, and plans to open by February.

From Hanna Raskin at the Weekly:

The restaurant venue vacated by June won't sit empty for long: Tom Black and Kate Perry are aiming to open Restaurant Bea in the space by February.

Perry describes the forthcoming restaurant as "laid-back but polished."

"We're pairing Tom's amazing food with impeccable service and a spirited ambiance for our community in Madrona and food lovers around the city," Perry e-mails.

RIP pickled beef tongue sandwich.

Found a large male Airedale Terrier-type dog lingering in front of my house. He has a purple collar, but no tags. His face has a cut on one side. I have him fenced in my yard to avoid further injury, but I will not be able to bring him inside the house and will unfortunately have to involve animal control this evening if he is not claimed. Please contact me if you recognize this description. 206-913-2510 or 206-218-9885 or via email at crastayo@yahoo.com Thanks.

From the Madrona Community Council:

The Madrona Community Council invites all community members to its next meeting on Tuesday, December 6, at 7:15 at the Madrona Playfield Shelterhouse. The Streetscape-tree removal subcommittee will provide an update on the 34th Ave corridor, and we'll discuss emergency preparedness plans in Madrona. Please see the full agenda below.

• Streetscape –tree removal subcommittee update   (Dave Allen to attend Jan mtg. for feedback on tree removal)
• Neighborhood emergency preparedness meeting planning (SNAP program)
• Wine tasting event recap--proceeds, next steps, suggestions
• Fund-raising and event planning for 2012
• Vote in new board member -  Barbara Parker
• Crime update
• Other business

Emergency responders were called to a parking lot at 34th and Union in Madrona around 6:30 a.m. this morning. We are still working to find out more, but a tipster sent CDN a photo from the scene.

The tipster said a body was taken from the scene by the coroner, and SPD was taking pictures of a white Toyota 4Runner.

We will update as we learn more.

The Madrona Community Council invites all community members to its next meeting on Tuesday, November 1, at 7:15 at Vérité Coffee (1101 34th Ave at Spring). Among the issues up for discussion are recent criminal activity in the neighborhood (SPD representatives will address recent events and answer questions) and the formation of a streetscape-tree removal committee. MCC officer elections will also take place. Please see the full agenda below. 

-Recent criminal activity in Madrona – SPD community officer and burglary detective

-Sustainable works/ Community Powers works – Richard Wells

-Forming committee for streetscape plan/ street tree removal

-MCC officer elections

-Council business: wine tasting event update, brass rings update; board member contact information and officers on MCC Web site; support of Madrona K-8; missing Peaceable Kingdom sign

With a focus on "wine you can drink every day," Madrona Wine Merchants opens its doors today (October 26) on 34th Ave just south of Union. "It may not be grand," they said in a post on their website, but they are stocked and open.

As a partner in European Vine Selections on 15th Ave for about seven years, Madrona Wine Merchants co-founder Jim Maloney, who lives just down the hill from the new shop, saw the neighborhood as the perfect place to start a new venture.

"I watched the neighborhood grow, and it looked like a good spot," he said. He and partner Mark Souder looked at several spots around the city, but sticking close to home seemed to make sense. "Why do that when you can do it right in your own backyard?" said Maloney.

The shop aims simply to sell "wines from all over the world that we like," he said. They will have bottles starting around $8 or so, but their focus will be on the $10-20 range.

"Everyone likes the special occasion bottle, but you can't drink it every day."

Once the shop gets settled, they will host afternoon tastings on Saturdays.

Shop hours are Wednesday-Friday from noon to 7, Saturday from 11-7 and Sunday 11-5.

On the heels of a story in the New York Times, Madrona-headquartered Glassybaby and its founder Lee Rhodes were featured in the Seattle Times recently. Over a meal at the Hi-Spot Cafe on 34th Ave, Rhodes and reporter Blythe Lawrence talked about Rhodes' inspiration for the glass votive endeavor and it's unlikely success despite going against several standards of business.

Glassybaby has seen a big rise in sales and recently added two more ovens to the Madrona shop.

From the Times:

Glassybaby's translucent, gently curved votives now come in more than 400 colors, and last year the company's sales jumped by half to $3.8 million.

Martha Stewart is a fan, and local celebrities, including Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, have stopped into one of Glassybaby's three Seattle-area locations to offer encouragement and admiration. Bezos was so impressed that he purchased a stake in the company.

So far this year, sales have been up more than 35 percent, and the company expects to top $6 million in 2011. To meet the continued demand, Glassybaby recently added two ovens to its Madrona hot shop, doubling potential output.

For all that, Rhodes is still slightly self-deprecating about Glassybaby's success. "Most entrepreneurs are super smart," she said recently over breakfast at Madrona's Hi-Spot Cafe. "They know what they're going to do and they have it written down in a business plan. For me it was just entirely different."

Read more...

Bring the kiddies in their costumes! A ghoully good time! Over 300 families attended last year's Halloween Carnival at St. Therese Catholic School, and this year's should be another fun event for those with younger children who want a daytime activity! 

Held at the school on October 29th, from 10:30-2:30, the carnival raises funds for school scholarships through games and activities, though admission is free. Planned events include bouncy houses, a fish pond, crafts and more, with a planned visit from the Seattle Fire Department at 11am.

Additionally, there will also be healthy snacks, hot dogs, popcorn and a raffle for a $50 meat pack certificate and gift certificates from local restaurants!

From the Madrona Community Council:

Join us on Tuesday, October 4, at 7:15 at the Madrona Playfield Shelterhouse for the Madrona Community Council meeting where you can visit with neighbors, share your ideas and concerns, and find out more about the goings-on in the neighborhood.

The meeting's agenda includes discussion of the upcoming Halloween Party and Wine Tasting events; SDOT's plan for sidewalk repair/tree removal; potential ways to support Madrona K-8 school; and council business, including open nominations for officer elections.

Madrona Presbyterian Church is holding a neighborhood chat about the organization's plans to open a women's shelter in the next couple months.

The church invites residents and business owners to attend the meeting to learn more about the plan or to learn how to get involved.

From Madrona Presbyterian Church:

Madrona Presbyterian Church’s

Community Coffee Chat Thursday, October 6th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Coffee Chat on Thursday, Oct. 6, from 7:00 to 8:30 PM there is a community forum regarding the Madrona Presbyterian Church’s goal to open a women’s shelter. All Madrona neighborhood residents as well as Madrona businesses and other entities are invited to attend. Madrona Presbyterian pastor as well as members will make a presentation with time for questions and feedback. The plan is to open the shelter for women and their children by this winter 2011.

Madrona Presbyterian Church

832 – 32nd Avenue

Seattle, WA 98122

www.madronachurch.org/

 

About the ministry: Julia's Place at Madrona Grace

By Winter 2011, the members and friends of Madrona Grace Presbyterian Church plan to launch a new ministry of hospitality. This new ministry was recently named "Julia's Place at Madrona Grace" in honor of community philanthropist Julia Love Pritt. Julia's Place will serve as a shelter where 14 individuals - women, children, families - can spend the night. Our guests will have a warm, safe place to eat dinner, do homework, and sleep. The hours of operation will be 5pm-8am. The shelter will operate as a nighttime facility for clients of Mary's Place, an organization that provides daytime programs and assistance for homeless and formerly homeless families. At 8am guests leave the church. The shelter will be closed during the day until 5pm when guests return. The church will coordinate and run the shelter with the assistance of volunteers from partner churches and organizations.

 

Ways to join us: Become a partner organization

Organization partners are needed to provide meals and volunteer assistance. We are looking for 12 partner organizations - churches, community groups, etc. Each partner would provide volunteers and meals for one week per quarter (4 weeks total per year). To learn more about becoming an organizational partner, please contact Pastor Mark Zimmerly at (206) 328-2704 or pastor@madronachurch.org.

 

Make a financial donation

We welcome your financial support of this ministry. Donations can be made through our website: www.madronachurch.org. Look for the "Donate" button to make a secure donation through Paypal. Checks may also be mailed to the church.

 

Spread the word

We hope to get the word out to as many neighborhood residents, business owners, and community groups as possible about this exciting new ministry. We are reaching out in many ways, including the Madrona News, Madrona Moms listserve, and door-to-door flyering. Please help us spread the word! Click the button at the bottom of this email to forward it to a friend.

Madrona's Glassybaby has moved beyond the Emerald City to the Big Apple.  It's a big jump, and this New York Times article covers some of the challenges it has faced.  

Excerpt:

In the last few years, the company has been on a steep trajectory. In 2009, sales increased 25 percent, and Glassybaby caught the eye of Jeffrey Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com — also located in Seattle — who bought 20 percent of the company. In 2010, Glassybaby sales increased 50 percent. Ms. Rhodes says she has given away more than $600,000 to charity.

With the success of Glassybaby in Seattle and the infusion of cash from Mr. Bezos, Ms. Rhodes decided in 2009 to expand to a new location. She quickly concluded that the country’s biggest market offered the best opportunity — despite the inevitable competition of other specialty stores.

In Manhattan, Ms. Rhodes believed she would be able to sell to millions of apartment dwellers in homes ranging from small studio apartments all the way up to multimillion-dollar condos. The city also had strong philanthropic traditions, so there would be plenty of nonprofit partners to work with, and she felt the story of her work as a cancer survivor creating something to help others would resonate.

The final factor in the expansion was the poor economy. At the time, Ms. Rhodes said, few other retailers were expanding into the city. She said she believed that New Yorkers still liked discovering new things — but there were not as many new things happening because of the recession.

Burglars stole product estimated to be worth tens of thousands of dollars from two Madrona businesses last week, according the police report. Salon Kismet estimated the value of the stolen property at $15,000 in beauty supplies, tools, products and jewelry, while Juniper estimated their losses at $30,000 in high-end women's clothing, accessories and jewelry. Both businesses are located on E Spring St near 34th Ave.

A witness may have spotted the suspects, who are described as white males in their mid-to-late 40s. One was 6'2" with blonde hair, large build and wearing a sports jersey. The other was 5'9" with brown hair and a medium build.

During a recent visit to Madrona, Mayor McGinn tweeted about the break-ins:

The burglars broke windows to gain entry to the businesses. Some goods from the businesses, including a bottle of Martinelli's apple cider stolen from an employee refrigerator and boxes of unopened Aveda beauty products, were found near the bushes outside.  More details from the police report:

Mayor Mike McGinn's town hall tour of Seattle continues with a Saturday visit to Madrona:

As part of the Engage Seattle initiative this year, in order to ensure that as many people as possible who live, work, or play in Seattle are able to voice their concerns and offer their feedback directly to the mayor, we're holding a series of town halls and other outreach events in every part of the city.

It's my great pleasure now to invite you to join Mayor McGinn for a Madrona Neighborhood Town Hall at the Madrona K-8 School on September 10th. You can download a flyer here, or the details are as follows:

Madrona K-8 School
1121 33^rd Ave
Saturday, September 10th
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The Madrona K-8 School is located near the 2 and 3 bus lines; for full transit directions, go to metro.kingcounty.gov.

 

McGinn appeared at the Garfield Community Center in March.

Focusing on subtle fragrances you don't smell a block away, Cameos and Crowns opened up shop on 34th Ave in Madrona one month ago. The shop's owner brings deep experience with fragrances to a little space, situated just south of Union.

Lynette Vertoch

Lynette Vertoch's southern California candle business went from home-scale to mass production seemingly overnight. In early 1990s, her Illume line of candles were all the rage, and even gift baskets for Tonight Show guests featured them, she told me while flipping through a big book of Illume clippings from various national magazines.

Since selling Illume in 1999, Vertoch has started another fragrance line and other endeavors. But the past few years have been difficult for Vertoch and her husband.

"We had a rough couple years, like everyone else," she said.

The couple recently moved to Seattle, and on a trip to Madrona, Vertoch saw a space available on 34th Ave just south of Union. She decided to go for it and start Cameo and Crowns. The boutique features home fragrances, like candles and diffusers, soaps, perfumes, shaving products, fine paper and more, much of it handmade and from smaller brands.

For a list of brands and more info on the shop, check out their Facebook page.

The shop is at 1137 34th Ave, just south of Union

Notice a new business pop up in your neighborhood? Be sure to let us know! Email tips@centraldistrictnews.com.

Seattle Police and emergency crews responded to the report of a stabbing near Madrona Park early Monday night. Information is still preliminary and unconfirmed at this time.

Police are looking for a man armed with mace and a steak knife and wearing black jeans and a black jacket with a black hoodie. He is also wearing a black hat with an orange logo and wearing white tennis shoes. He was last seen heading through the woods away from the park.

No word yet on the victim's condition. According to a police radio report, the incident appears to be a case of domestic violence.

Pritty Boys Family Pizzeria opened quietly May 26 in the space formerly occupied by Dulces at 34th Ave and Pike. Madrona resident and restauranteur Darren Pritt said he started Pritty Boys after he saw a need for a family pizza parlor in the area.

"I grew up going to pizza parlors with my family," he said. "Slowly, as the Dominos and Pizza Huts of the world started to stress delivery, parlors went by the wayside ... I see the pizzeria concept coming back."

Pritt, who grew up in Bellevue and has lived in Madrona since the early 90s, is part owner of Branzino downtown. He and his wife started Pritty Boys on their own, though not without a little help. The pizza is straight from the mind of chef Byron Hummel, and Pritt says he gives Hummel creative freedom.

"He's a real pizza artisan, so I let him create the pizza how he wants," he said. He has also brought Branzino's recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi, which is one of Branzino's hit dishes. He also "ripped off Branzino's" by stocking some of their best wines in the shop.

To top it all off, they sell scoops, cones and sundaes made with Full Tilt Ice Cream inside the restaurant. No need to stay for food, you can just walk in and get ice cream. Now that the Molly Moon's micro shop is open, there are now two shops on the block selling ice cream.

They can handle groups, have a play area for young kids and have video games and a pinball machine for the older kids/kids at heart.

To order take-out, call 206.257.1319. Small pizzas start at $14 for cheese, plus $1 per topping. Large starts at $17 plus $2 per topping. Their website is not yet up and running (but it's coming). Hours starting Saturday will be 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The wait for Molly Moon's in Madrona is almost over. The planned "micro shop" in the Madrona Laundromat building at 34th and Union is scheduled to open tomorrow (May 24).

Oh, and kids who visit the shop between 3-5 p.m. get a free cup of ice cream.

Madrona came in second to Queen Anne during Molly Moon's "Shop 3 Where Will It Be?" contest. However, the company decided to not only open a new shop in Queen Anne, but also a micro shop in Madrona. The shop will be housed in a storefront corner of the Madrona Landromat, which went through some renovations in the fall.

Instead of providing full-service scoops, cones and sundaes like the Capitol Hill, Wallingford and soon-to-be Queen Anne locations, the Madrona location will sell prepackaged scoops in cups, as well as pints, sorbet-sicles and ice cream sandwiches.

From the Council:

Madrona Community Council Meeting - This Tuesday April 5th 7:15 pm Madrona Shelterhouse at the Play Field 

Agenda:

Stan Lock - Department of Neighborhoods - discuss the changes going on with the Department of Neighborhoods

Mayfair update - Stacey Kryman

Discussion Topics for May and June - King County Assessor, Disaster preparedness

Garfield Community Center Activities update - Karin Richard

Earth Day April 16th - share the local Madrona Parks clean up parties etc.

 

Come join us!

According to Molly Moon's Facebook page, they will be opening a store Madrona in May, selecting it over Ballard and QA!   No official announcement on their own (corporate) website yet, though.  Fingers crossed!