The old Phinney Market at Phinney Avenue and 60th closed in August, but now new owners have leased the spot and intend to open a similar grocery store with the same name and even the old signage.
John and Angela Siderius are finalizing a contract with the landlord, but hope to have the new store open by March 1. They’ve covered the windows with brown paper but haven’t started working inside yet. When I stopped by today they told me they were still trying to figure out what kind of remodeling to do, but that the new Phinney Market would be similar to the old one, although they didn’t plan to offer prepared meals.
John and Angela live in Sunset Hill and their son goes to St. John’s, so they’re excited to be even more involved with the neighborhood. John has worked for QFC and in commercial restaurant equipment sales; Angela works for Windermere Real Estate.
They’ve promised to keep us updated on their progress and grand opening date. Thanks to Brad and phinney chick for the tips!
16 responses so far ↓
1 Mike // Dec 29, 2008 at 5:30 pm
That is great news. Glad to see the space staying as a grocery.
Any word on what the proposed building up the street (where Roosters is now) is supposed to be like? Who the developer is? Will it be condo or apt units? Anyway to get an idea for what the building will look like? Is the city sure it will have enough parking since it’s already tight around there even when the zoo isn’t busy? Seems like an odd economic time for a big development to get started. Hopefully whatever they put in there doesn’t create too much of a canyon with the Fresh Flours building across the way and has reasonable retail. The “antique” shop there is sort of odd, but the other businesses in that strip are cute and good for the neighborhood.
2 Fnarf // Dec 29, 2008 at 5:53 pm
That’s fantastic news!
Mike, a big part of the reason the existing building has good neighborhood businesses is because it’s old, and funky, and the rents are cheap enough to permit “weird” businesses to operate. None of these things are going to be true in the new building, no matter what it looks like, because the rents for new spaces are too high, and are almost always poorly configured with insufficient depth to provide the kitchen or stockroom necessary — so what you’ll get will be more realtor’s offices and and tanning salons and off-premises dry cleaners. Whoopie.
3 Neighbor // Dec 29, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Fnarf: I would much live near the businesses you mention than a soon-to-be-convicted drug dealer operating an “antique store”: http://www.phinneywood.com/2008/10/08/antique-store-owner-pleads-guilty-to-drug-charge/.
Grow up or move to Capitol Hill with the rest of the naive hippies.
4 Neighbor // Dec 29, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Mike: According to the preliminary plans posted on the land-use signs all over Rooster’s, the building will have underground (or ground-level) parking. Certainly, if a developer can get *any* funding for this type of project in today’s commercial real estate environment, it is doing something right.
5 Alex // Dec 29, 2008 at 7:46 pm
I am glad it is also staying independent.
6 david stoesz // Dec 30, 2008 at 9:35 am
Wait, drug-dealing antique dealers or tanning salons? Those are our only choices? If I like old buildings and off-beat businesses does that mean I, too, am a dirty hippie who should grow up?
Anyhole, great news about the market reopening. Hope they hire friendlier staff. The last crew was too cool for school.
7 me // Dec 30, 2008 at 3:36 pm
neighbor. you are CORNY.
“Grow up or move to Capitol Hill with the rest of the naive hippies.”
because he like places with character???
get a life.
8 Jmi // Dec 30, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Mike- Just so you know, the City isn’t in the business of ensuring enough parking. Rather the City has started limiting parking in new development as a means of encouraging the use of publican transportation/bikes/feet. Lack of parking in and around new development can be the result of cost to builder in digging underground parking but it is also the result of city planning.
9 jm // Dec 30, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Good luck to the new store owners. That corner has been too dark.
10 scot // Jan 4, 2009 at 7:25 pm
We know the family that is taking over the store and they are FANTASTIC!!! It’s great news for the hood, and I hope the neighborhood supports it with all all our glory!
11 Kate // Jan 5, 2009 at 2:21 pm
I’m excited to see this reopen as well! Glad to see new businesses opening up with respect to the old! Good Luck on a smooth transition!
12 Loved Phinney (phor the most part) // Jan 6, 2009 at 11:05 am
Cool! I have some suggestions for the new owners
1) Prioritize customer service. I used to eat at Phinney for lunch almost every day even though what should have taken 5 minutes (ordering food & checking out) frequently took 20 even when I was the only customer. Staff acted like getting food out of the case for you or checking you out was a huge, obnoxious interruption.
2) Keep prices lower by using simpler ingredients. Many of the salads and sandwiches were VERY expensive ($7.00 for tiny tub of tebouleh and wheat berries?) They could have made very similar food for less by using less fancy cheese, etc.
3) Consider starting a low-cost, bare-bones box lunch service for local businesses. The zoo for example?
4) Well put, david stoesz. If Neighbor doesn’t like funky stores, etc. maybe he/she is the one who should move? There are a lot of dry cleaners and tanning salons in Kirkland.
13 Pat // Jan 12, 2009 at 11:50 am
Ditto to everything Loved Phinney said.
The old Phinney Market was a little too boutique-ey, and the staff were definitely more into their own scene than serving customers.
14 lucinda // Jan 20, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Great luck to the new owners. Hopes for a friendlier staff than PhinneyMarket or Meridian…
15 Don M // Feb 2, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Fnarf, actually part of the problem was that the rents for the space in that particular old, funky building were not cheap, but easily comparable to, if not higher than, other storefronts, old and new, along Phinney.
Scot, I agree, John and Angela will be great for the neighborhood, though I thoroughly enjoyed Wally and Loretta. We also are looking forward to the grand re-opening.
16 ShellyS // Apr 2, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I hear rumor they’re opening tomorrow!
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